Finally some of the Bruery’s beer landed in Toledo, OH (Autumn Maple and Saison Rue) for me to sample and decide if the beer would live up to my anticipations/expectations.  I have been interested in the Bruery since I first heard about them because of their brewing philosophy.  I have yet to read the Bruery’s actual mission statement or penned philosophy, so for fear of putting words in their mouth, I’ll just postulate and say that it seems to me that the Bruery’s philosophy is along the lines of creative inspiration in the form of out-of-the-box, industry unique beers.  Anyone from the Bruery reading this, please correct me if I’m wrong.

As I tried to navigate past the sea of Pumpkin beers (everyone may or may not recall my indignation towards this gourd inspired family of beers) I spied Autumn Maple.  The label made my day:  “We don’t need pumpkins in our beer!” But we could have a problem.  While I am not a picky eater by any means, there are only a few flavors I don’t care for, one of them is yams.  I was a bit afraid to attempt a beer that is “yammy” from 17 pounds of yams per barrel.  Nevertheless, I’ll try anything once, and twice if it’s good, and many of the ingredients in the beer appeal to me, namely the maple.

The Pour:

The beer poured exactly as I expected:  Clear, dark walnut-brown with reddish qualities, ample head and carbonation.  It appears thin but sticky-sweet based off the coating it leaves on the inside of the glass.

The Nose:

I am a beer enthusiast, not a yam enthusiast.  Consider that statement before reading further.  I did not pick up yam smells at all as focused all of my attention on the aroma.  I did pick up aromas that reminded of white wine and grapes.  The amalgam of spices combine to form a comforting aroma, quite applicable for the cold evening.  There is a metallic quality and notes of honey that I guess come from the maple.

The Taste:

After bracing myself for a strong confrontation of Sweet Potato flavor, I was quite pleasantly surprised not to taste any.  Now, I am not saying I did not taste the yams in the beer.  What I am saying, is that the brewing process and all it’s magical chemical complexities transformed the flavor of the yams into something other than that steaming dish with marshmallows on top your Aunt always bring to the family Thanksgiving dinner.  There was a unique flavor that I can only attribute to the ingredients that is, quite honestly, hard to pinpoint an describe.  It is earthy and robust.  The classic Belgian yeast spices mixed with Bruery’s spice blend is delicious, and perfect for the season.  The crisp thin mouth feel and supple carbonation hide the 10% ABV.  The finish leaves a pleasantly tart bitter aftertaste as well as a lingering nutmeg flavor.

Am I Wrong? / Overall Thoughts:

I thought this was a great first Bruery experience.  Mike has told me that the stuff you can actually get at the Brewery is even better than their distributed beer, so I hope to try more.  But I need to know:  Was I in error for not picking up on the distinct and traditional “yam” flavors?  After writing my review above I went to Beer Advocate, and apparently I am quite wrong.  But then again, one reviewer stated: “To be honest, there’s not too much of a difference between The Bruery’s Autumn Maple and most of the pumpkin beers cluttering the beer shelves these days.” (Heresy. Ignorance. Hopefully a clogged nasal cavity or scalded tasted buds.) and later, “But the heavy spicing tones down the drinkability; burping up a sweet potato pie isn’t the greatest of sensations.” Hmmm…did it really taste so much like a sweet potato pie, or was that reviewer just influenced as such because he new what the ingredients were.  I recently brewed a beer using apple wood.  I don’t tell anyone, and nobody seems to know that I used apple wood in the beer.

Nate’s Review:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★¼ 

Among other Belgian Style Beers: ★★★★¼ 

Compared to every pumkin beer out there: ★★★★★