The Pour: I felt like I was sitting underneath the car changing my long overdue oil.  This baby is black, really black.  A nice dark tan head comes to the surface of this viscous bubbling caldron of a beer.  The beer likes to stick to the glass and could be said to have legs a whole torso.  It’s obviously a big beer with a thick body, you can tell by looking at it.

The Nose: Big!  Larger than life is the nose of the beer.  Sweet roasted malts came to the nose along with strong tones of vanilla a Bourbon.  In fact, all the typical bourbon tones came through; Caramel was certainly not the least of these.  It was sort of like smelling a good Bourbon ball chocolate.  I knew immediately that there would be a sweetness and thickness to the brew.  Barrel char and oaky qualities were certainly present among the chocolate aromas.  A thick does of molasses like aroma was yet another quality and the beer was also dripping with dried fruits. Figs and raisons come to mind.  Needless to say, the beer was pretty redolent.

The Taste: What can I say, there’s nothing small about this beer at all.  Nothing really subtle.  It’s an in your face sort of brew.  The pretty hot alcohol of the bourbon was immediately present in the mouth and even makes it’s way into the nose.  Vanillas and a hint of oak cinnamon spice were evident in the beer.  Huge amounts of maltiness and a fair amount of residual sweetness held the alcohol in check.  Dried fruits gave a touch of port quality to the brew, while touches of smoke and burnt coffee made themselves known.  The mouth-feel was pretty full but needed to be in order to check the thinness of Bourbon.  A big dose of molasses tastes came to the for in the middle to the end of the brew, while it dried up a bit at the end.  This is a big beer with a lot of roast, strength and alcohol.

Overall, I love the beer.  Then again, I love Bourbon.  Then again, I love some residual sweetness in a stout.  Then again, many of the aspects of the beer play into things that I love.  However, if you don’t like Bourbon, hotter alcohol, and sweetness, you won’t like this beer.  I can certainly see how one might criticize the beer for having too much bourbon, alcohol, hotness…whatever you might call it.  Depending on your view, you may be happy or unhappy that you never try the beer.  Not to sound elitist, but most people won’t even have a chance to try the brew but, if you do, don’t miss out.  Give it a swing…it’s better than a stock market crash any day of the week.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction while remembering how much I love Bourbon Stouts: ★★★★★ 

Among Other Bourbon Stouts: ★★★★★ 

Among other ales while remembering that this beer is not for everyone but still very well done: ★★★★☆ 

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The Pour: I wish I could say this beer was the color of a graveyard at night because it would help the metaphor of its death.  But this beer poured like a robust porter and had a light brown head, which was fluffy and billowed.  Whatever other problems the beer might have had, the bottle conditioning was not one of them.  It looked very nice.

The Nose: At 5.7% ABV, the alcohol was undetectable in the brew.  What was detectable were the iron-like metallic tones, the powdery yeast, and some spice from that same yeast.  Some of the darker grain coffee tones were evident, although not excessively.  Honestly, the beer aroma was pretty straightforward despite the ostensible complexity of ingredients.

The Taste: Here is where the rubber met the road.  Those darker coffee and metallic tones made their way into the palate.  The herbal spice tones were certainly less noticeable than in the Orchard White, which only makes sense when you account for the dark grains in this one.  However, the herbs that did come through took the angle of tasting like hints of mint.  The oats in the brew came on at the very end.

Overall, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’ll miss the brew.  I think I would drink it on occasion.  I think it might be a very nice pairing beer but not a regular beer on my shelf.  At the same time, I think that ironing out some of the issues with the brew could have made it a nice, mid-range brew to drink and enjoy.

Let me also add that The Bruery set an example in the respect of ditching a brew if it’s not up to their standards.  Too many breweries continue to make swill without any backbone what-so-ever.  At least these guys saw a problem and fixed it.

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I first tried the White Oak on tap the Bruery when I interviewed them a few months back.  I’m happy to say that I picked up some bottles when I bought Black Tuesday last fall.  Anyway, I’m also happy to say that I have a wife who loves to sip with me, so I didn’t drink the whole 11.5%ABV 750 ml beer on my own.  On to the beer.

The Pour: This is a hazy blonde beer with some nice orange tones.  There was a very active body with a stable, tall, and fluffy white head.  It looked so lovely in my Bruery glass that I just wanted to look at it all night.

The Nose: The head had a soapy yeast aroma, which despite how it sounds, is not bad.  Bourbon oak, vanilla, alcohol and caramel were major features.  The spiciness of the oak combined with the same feature in the wheat for a wonderful aroma.  A touch of sweetness was present on the nose as well.  In addition to these qualities, there was a touch of sourness from the oak, which was almost vinegar in tone. Strange as it sounds, it faintly smelled like a dill pickle (there was a touch of a dill quality).  What I’m describing may sound sick, or at very least odd, but it’s very nice.

The Taste: The immediacy and depth of the alcohol heat in this beer gave it the impression of being thinned down. The bourbon is fairly big in this beer but is saved by the ample carbonation, which fills the body out.  The oak and wheat spice were also immediately evident in White Oak.  The lacing on the glass was also very nice. The toasted oak tones were perhaps half bourbon and half chardonnay…lovely.  The finish was bone dry and had a crackery wheat quality.

Overall, I personally think that White Oak could have benefited from a bit more residual sweetness, which would have also thickened the beer a bit.  It’s still a very good beer, and I would gladly drink it multiple more times.  Like many beers, I found it to be a little better on tap.  Still, buy it if you can.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★☆ 

Among other Bourbon Aged Ales: ★★★★¼ 

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***WARNING*** this is a rant.

Do you ever attend beer events?  If you have been to one, you will probably know exactly what I’m talking about.  If you haven’t, prepare yourself to eventually meet some of the people I’m about to describe.

What the hell is wrong with people?  Seriously!  Like many others, I’d been planning to attend the Black Tuesday festivities for some time.  All is well and good.  Through personal correspondance, website information, and personal admonition, it was pretty easy to ascertain that Patrick and company did not want visitors to show up to the brewery until 4:30 or after.  It was courtesy to their neighbors that ilicitated the request from the Bruery.  But some people are simply habitual line steppers…literally (but more on that in a moment).  Sometimes the thing that makes beerfests, events, and occasions horrible is the people that show up to them.

As an aside, I’m willing to grant that the Bruery might have been able to organize the event a little better. They may even admit this proposition themselves.  Of course, it is rare that the first go at something achieves the end in mind.  So, I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt to Patrick and staff; they did an excellent job in spite of the circumstances.  Did they think Black Tuesday would attain the level of popularity that it did?  I don’t think so.  But Beer Advocate has a way of changing things.  Who knows, maybe some of the members (I’m not talking about the brothers or even many of the respectable members) will recommend Coffee Stout Oak-Aged Gasoline as the next big thing (I’m not bashing Black Tuesday in any way).  Either way, I don’t think Patrick and crew expected the turn out that they got.  And therefore, their yields were nowhere near what the demand required.

There were those who could not help but trample the wishes of the Bruery and show up a few minutes (or hours) early.  They camped in their tents, cars, and parking lots in order to get what they wanted, despite the best hopes that the Bruery had.  After all, he wasn’t talking about you anyway…he must have meant someone else.  The “I’m the exception to the rule” mentality is sometimes too pervasive to stop.

My real problem isn’t with those people, as big of jerks as they are.  My real problem with the event was Mr. “I’ll pretend to talk to you until cutting in line is a seamless transition” guy.  What a jerk.  Did I get some Black Tuesday?  Yes, I did.  But what about the guy who was the cut off?  I saw at least 30 people cut the line in order to join the line that they did not wait to form.  It’s not enough for some to come early, complicity with their friends; to cut is too much.  Oh, to have immunity from the penal system for a few moments in time.  Simply said, these people are absolutely deplorable.  Not only do they not arrive on time for the event, they have the gall to jump in front of people who put in the effort to score some of this coveted beer.

Honestly, the last 30 people in line were the real losers in this deal.  The sense of kinship and fun that Nate and I had at Dark Lord Day serves as a stark contrast to the crashing feel that Black Tuesday had for many people (especially the “no Black Tuesday for you” crowd).  Meanwhile, the eBay prices for this hot commodity are soaring.

One unfortunate facet of the Black Tuesday event was the fact that people could not consume a beer or two while waiting in the five hour (at the very back) line, due to Calfornia’s liquor laws.  This is one more contrast that serves to sharply define this night from other beer events.  Again, this is no fault of the brewer; it’s a state and a grounds issue.  They simply don’t have the setting to allow drinking around the facility.

Please do not take this as an attempt to excoriate the Bruery in any way; they are a great group of hard working, beer loving, and innovative minded people.  They graciously brought cheese, chocolate truffles, and water around, too.  My beef is with some of the true jerks that showed up, in true jerk form, to what might have been a fun (albeit slightly unorganized) event.

When I did my interview with the Bruery, I brought a bottle of Dark Lord to taste side by side with Black Tuesday.  When we tasted the beers side by side, Patrick stated, and I think accurately, that he felt pretty good about Black Tuesday.  He is surely correct about the beer.

As far as the day goes, I think Black Tuesday left a lot to be desired compared to Dark Lord Day.  The sad and ironic part is that the experience had little to do with the people at the Bruery and a lot to due with some of the people that showed up.  Kinks, and there were some, will be worked out by Patrick and company–that comes with doing this thing a few times.  Unfortunately, the bottle hoarding, line cutting, self-interested scum will be in the line, unless they are weeded out.

Isn’t it amazing how a few people can crash a whole market…or an event?  If you went, what did you think? Personally, I’d like to see most of the changes affect these type of people next year.  What experiences have the rest of you had at beer events?

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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 

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Like many Belgian brewers, the Bruery does not pasteurize its beer and also do 100% bottle conditioning, which means that they allow the yeast to do the carbonation in the bottle–hence, the reason for the thick bottle.  (Here is a link to something I wrote about bottle conditioning.)  Needless to say, there is a distinct yeast bite and freshness to the Bruery’s products.  I’m already a fan.  Now for the review.

The Pour: Saison Rue (Rue being the last name of the founders of the company) poured with a cloudy blond-orange body and a foamy, but not cloud-like, cream head.  Typical of a bottle conditioned beer, there was plenty of brightness despite the haze.  Very nice looking.

The Nose: Since this was a Saison, there was some spicy yeast on the nose.  It seemed more powdery than herbal in approach.  The sourness was restrained on the nose but certainly still present.  I suppose that I would call the sourness a woody/wood-like tannic type.  Of course, the typical candy sugar sweetness was noticeable in this Belgian style beer.  What else would one expect?

The Taste: As might be expected, there was a very fresh and bright quality.  The beer was active, clean, full and luminous when I sipped it.  The combination of carbonation and sourness tingled on tongue with each sip.  The sour acidity was very nice.  Again, the sourness was very restrained but still very much a part of the character.  Once the beginning powdery yeast, residual sweetness, sourness and touches of spice resided, a distinctly grainy quality really popped through this Bruery selection.  One the whole, it was very well-balanced.

Overall, I think this beer is simply wonderful.  It had everything that I expect from a sour ale with just the right balance and quality, which can be hard to do in this style. I highly recommend that you give this one a try if you can find it.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★½ 

Among other Belgian/Belgian Style beers: ★★★★¼ 

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