The Bruery White Oak

Brewed by The Bruery
Style: Barley Wine
Placentia, California USA

750ml bottle. Pours cloudy, medium-dark orange amber in hue. A foamy head of consistent, off-white foam holds fast, resembling whipped egg whites. Spotty lacing marks the glass well. The nose is based in sweetly toasted toffee and caramel malt, with a clean wheat grain overtone, spiced with fragrant citrus rind, lemon, and dried orange. Vanilla and soft, oaky bourbon lend the perfect compliment of boozy warmth, without overpowering things in the least. Flavors also impress, light toffee and wheat joined by hints of cola, with bourbon soaked vanilla bean, cinnamon, and zesty citrus hops and spices. The palate is substantial, smoothly carbonated, and warm, never hot. Very solid wheat wine. Another winner from The Bruery.

75cl bottle from the Bruery Reserve Society Membership. Pours a hazy caramel to golden color with one finger off-white head. Aroma is sweet and boozy with notes of honey, caramel, grapes, candy sugar, toffee, bourbon, vanilla, oak. Flavor is also sweet and malty with notes of bourbon, toffee, honey, caramel, vanilla, light oak, candy sugar. Medium body with a lightly boozy finish. Nice ale.

On tap at Blue Palms. Pours amber in color with a firm white head that leaves plenty of lacing, but seemed odd for a barley wine. Smells strongly of bourbon, vanilla, and raisin. Tastes predominantly of straw and honey drowning in bourbon. I think this is a case where the barrel really overtook the beer rather than enhancing the flavor. Not a fan.

Served cold at Brewfest, Los Angeles. Opaque yellow pour, with a nice white head. Aroma of vanilla, spices and (duh) oak. Faint hop flavor with some alcohol presence and sweet malts. Yum.

Bottle from the brewery. Tasted at PP bottle shop. Cloudy yellow color. Some booze and some nice flowery phenolics. Lightly sweet. Kind of an orange peel bitterness. Heavier on the carbonation, which seems to make it taste drier.

Pours a murky amber orange with an enormous thick white head that shows exceptional retention and stays on as a healthy thick white cap. The lacing very good as well. The aroma is light and sweet with white grapes and honey. There is also some white pepper and lots of Belgian yeast and the bourbon barrel comes out faintly in the background as well. The taste is massive with all kinds of things going on. There’s lots of honey sweetness with sugar-dipped light fruits. The backbone is full of Belgian yeast and that brings plenty of peppery spiciness, especially in the finish. The oak comes out in the taste with plenty of wood and a Bourbon burn going down. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and extremely lively on the palate with lots of carbonation. As sweet as it is on the palate, it still has a slightly dry woody finish. This is a big beer with tons of flavors and a seriously sweet character overall. Despite that and the high ABV, it remains exceptionally drinkable. Really well done.

Cloudy light orange hue, thin white head sustains. Nose is coconut, vanilla, wood, and light wheat. Flavor is coconut at first and transitions to vanillla extract, oak, wheat, pears and apples, cake batter, caramel, wheat, finishes fairly dry. Medium body and carbonation, thicker texture. A hugely prolific barleywine with a wide range of fruit and barrel aged flavors, long-lasting and absolutely amazing on all sides!!

Thanks to Beerlando for bringing this. Fruity vanilla and spicy aroma. Hazy gold pour. Wheat, vanilla, fruity, oak and caramel. Great mix of flavors, awesome brew!