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Well it seems pretty natural for Patrick Rue of The Bruery to expand into the wine arena. And now they have with Erosion. They have done so many beer-wine hybrids, beers aged in wine barrels and the like. Tasting rooms in Napa and St. Helena and wine in cans too.
If you have been around since the Partridge in A Pear Tree dropped lo those many years ago, then you will have to scan your memory or check your tasting notes because 12 years worth of Bruery holiday ales is coming. Tomorrow you can buy a full set and on the 13th there will be a selection from the years at Naja’s Place. Who knows what other shoppes and bars have full ranges stashed away.
The Bruery is adding a 3rd wrinkle to their popular barrel-aged Imperial Stout. They have made a Grand Reserve version that adds in time in a Brandy barrel to complement the bourbon barrels that it spent months in. Look for it in cans too.
The Bruery is not just a one trick pony. They have pastry stouts, hazy IPA’s, Bruesicles and barrel-aged sours and what I am even more excited for, Ruekeller. A series of lagers. Next up and in limited supply is the fall Märzen .
“Brewed with premium German grain and hops, including Magnum and Saphir— this medium-bodied lager has an enticing aroma of toasted malt and herbal characteristics from the German hops. These toasted flavors complement the slight bitterness from the hops for a perfectly refreshing experience.”
Since it is an Orange County themed month, I went down to the Cellar (aka the car park, aka the garage) and pulled up a beer from The Bruery from way back in 2013.
This is what the website says about this anniversary ale. “Bois is our fifth anniversary ale, loosely brewed in the English-style Old Ale tradition using our house Belgian yeast strain and then blended using the solera method. A portion of each of our anniversary ales is saved in our barrels and blended in with the next year’s production, providing more complexity and depth of character that comes with age. Layered with complex flavors of dark fruit,vanilla, oak, and burnt sugar, Bois is a robust ale, surely the perfect beer to mark this major milestone.”
Damn this is a really sweet beer. Even the aroma is sweet. Boozy on the tongue and it does burn the throat a bit. Still hot after 6 years. Not much bourbon or barrel notes left. For a beer named after the Wood anniversary, I was hoping for some oak. Getting a vanilla maple syrup combo. Maybe better served to have held longer.
Now this is a Throwback Thursday, I can get behind. The Bruery will be bringing back two of their old school beers into the can format. And I am excited to see how these beers of yore that were boundary pushing hold up in 2019.
Glad to see that The Bruery still sends out the odd wheatwine-style. And this one sounds like it could be the start of a single apple series of Apfels. Maybe hit up an Opal or Arkansas Black in the future.
We have reached my last beer from the The Bruery and their 12 Days of Christmas.
Numero 6 – The Six Geese is lightly Belgian with a little bit of fruit to it. My first thought was that this hadn’t aged well so I let it warm a bit. But it was better colder. There is a strong ale base but not much else. The cheeks ear, eventually and it doesn’t have any ABV heat but it is kinda boring. Maybe an additional fruit or a spice would add a layer to this.
On to the 2nd half of my The Bruery 12 Days of Christmas.
Five Golden Rings. Yup. Pineapple juice and lots of it in this one. The spices that the label portends are not there or way hidden in the background and boy would they have helped flesh out this beer. I feel this beer could use a rum or tequila barrel to add a cocktail twist or a little heat to warm up the fruit. Right now it is just one note. A note that has held up really well by the way. But I could not finish my glass of this one. Too much tropical sweet for me.
Next in the four year aged run of 12 Days of Christmas beers are the loud calling birds. Well I imagine they are loud. The Bruery.
The brewery describes this ale on their website as a “traditional winter warmer for our fourth verse, integrating gingerbread spices into a robust dark ale. Notes of licorice & banana bread mingle with dark fruit, molasses and bitter chocolate…”
Here is what I found upon opening….
Number 4 is deceptively strong. A cheek warmer for sure after just half a glass. Near to being a PSL type of beer due to the primary drive of spices. Clove-centric to me. A bit of oaken wood note as well. Add estery to the mix at the back end to make this what I would call a more Thanksgiving-y beer. After two years of beers, I would choose this over 3.