Tag Archives: usa

4 - Good (buy), American Strong Ale, Beer Reviews, The Bruery, USA

The Bruery Mélange No. 3

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Brewery: The Bruery
Country: USA
ABV: 16.3%
Style: American Strong Ale
Other Notes: Ale aged in bourbon barrels. Black Tuesday®, our Anniversary ale and our wheatwine-style ale intertwine in this time-tested exploration in the art of the blend.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our Mélange series is at the core of our experimentation with flavors that cannot be achieved outside of the art of the blend or by any one beer. This is one of our original mélanges at its very finest. Mélange No. 3 is a blend of three ales with the longest lineage in our bourbon barrel-aging program: Black Tuesday®, our Anniversary Series old ale and our wheatwine-style ale.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 edition, bottled on 1st February 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy brown colour with an orange tint and a one finger beige/khaki head that dissipates fairly quickly, while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, caramel, toffee, molasses, bourbon, dark fruit, raisins, prunes, chocolate, oak, vanilla, with light coconut notes.
Taste: As you’d expect from the aroma, sweet, bourbon, caramel, toffee, molasses, chocolate, dark fruit, raisins, prunes, oak, vanilla, and a splash of coconut and orange.
Mouthfeel: Full to medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper, with great aromas, but perhaps a touch too sweet for my palate.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Bruery, USA, Wheatwine / Ryewine / Ricewine

The Bruery White Chocolate

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Brewery: The Bruery
Country: USA
ABV: 13.8%
Style: Wheatwine
Other Notes: Ale aged in bourbon barrels with cacao nibs and vanilla beans. This bourbon barrel-aged wheatwine-style ale made a fanciful trip to the chocolatier, featuring cacao nibs from TCHO and fresh vanilla beans.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This is one luscious, rewarding summons to the senses – beginning with its golden appearance and finishing with warming, which chocolate-like flavors. This is accomplished by adding cacao nibs and fresh vanilla beans to our bourbon barrel-aged wheatwine-style ale, complementing the rich notes of coconut, honey, caramel and vanilla from extensive barrel-aging.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 edition, bottled on 19th January 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy orange brown colour with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some fine spotty lacing.
Aroma: Bourbon, chocolate, cacao, caramel, toffee, vanilla, raisin, with a hint of nuts and orange.
Taste: Moderately sweet, caramel, toffee, vanilla, honey, bourbon, chocolate, coconut, boozy, and a lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Boozy yet still smooth, with good aroma, flavours and complexity.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Sante Adairius Rustic Ales x Triple Rock Brewery, USA

Sante Adairius x Triple Rock Cellarman Barrel-Aged Saison

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Brewery: Sante Adairius Rustic Ales x Triple Rock Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: Barrel-Aged Saison, SF Beer Week

Brewer Description: (from bottle) When an institution like Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley asks you to collaborate, you don’t say no. We first brewed Cellarman at Triple Rock for San Francisco Beer Week 2013 with the understanding that we’d make it again at SARA and age it in wine barrels. What you hold is this second version. Cellarman pays homage to those often-overlooked supporting brewers without whom, nothing would get done. Bright, citrusy, and tart with a dry finish, this saison celebrates cooperation, friendship, and hard work. Sante!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with no bottled on or best before date (although I’m pretty sure it’s either B1 or B2). Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, minerals, light tartness, tropical stone fruit, apricot, unripe berries, green apple, citrus, grapefruit, lemon peel, oak, a touch of grains, with slight pepper notes.
Taste: Tart, tropical and citrus fruity, grapefruit, apricot, green apple, light funk, oak, vinous, with a lightly spicy finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to try it fresh, but this bottle having aged 6 / 7 years, has aged gracefully with wonderful complex yet balanced aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company, Old Ale, USA

Hair of the Dog Adam from the Wood

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Brewery: Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12.4%
Style: Old Ale
Other Notes: 2015 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Made with organic pilsner and a variety of speciality grains along with Northwest hop flowers. This beer has been aged in Kentucky rye barrels for at least 3 years. It has mild carbonation with notes of leather, walnuts and chocolate. It also has complexity and wisdom only achieved with time.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.2
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, 2015 vintage, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with pretty much no head and only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Dark malt, chocolate, roast, caramel, oak, whiskey, with light notes of vanilla and dark fruit, plum, prunes.
Taste: Moderately sweet, dark malt, roasty, caramel, chocolate, oak, whiskey, light vanilla, dark fruit, grape, plum, prunes, some nutty notes, boozy, with light peppery spice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Despite it being both sweet and boozy (usually not my thing), it was still an enjoyable sipper.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company, Old Ale, USA

Hair of the Dog Cherry Adam from the Wood

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Brewery: Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 13.5%
Style: Old Ale
Other Notes: 2015 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Made with organic pilsner, a variety of speciality malts and Northwest grown whole hop flowers. Aged with locally grown cherries in oak barrels for at least 15 months. This beer has no carbonation, but it does have a velvet smooth body and a sweet tartness in the finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.9
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, 2015 vintage, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A dark brown colour with slight purple notes and pretty much no head except for a few bubbles and no lacing.
Aroma: Tarty cherry, mixed berries, roasty malts, chocolate, vanilla, with notes of oak and bourbon.
Taste: Tart and sweet cherry, dark fruit, plum, prunes, honey, bourbon, oak, booze, and a light hint of chocolate and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with no carbonation (as stated on the bottle).
Overall: It’s a sipper, but maybe on the verge of being too sweet for my palate.