Figgy Pudding - Block 15 Brewery & Restaurant

maximum12

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks (& a little bit of love) goes over the airwaves tonight to bfg75 for this long-desired treasure. This fine trader made me giddy - then crushed my tiny heart when Block 15 said they wouldn't bottle it - then got me a 32 oz. growler. It was like a high-school relationship. Split with my wife.

Before the pour, there is the wrestling match with the cap, which was secured with molten lead - a big pliers is finally employed to remove the beast. Now I'm really thirsty. Pours a mahogabrown with a little head, which is nice to see after its thousand-mile journey. The smell, oh Santa, the smell. Wonderful brandy notes, sweet sugar brown, dark fruits. One of those smellers. I mean, why bother to drink it?

OK, OK. Figgy Puddy is, in my wife's words, "like nothing I've ever had before". I agree. The figs are intensely, uh, figgy, & cut with the advertised spices. This could veer into traditional winter warmer territory, but the brandy cuts in mid-palate with a lovely warming chop, then an argonaut of sweetness & fruit swells & takes over from there on out. Nip of sharpness at the end, which is most likely the oak. Half a small growler? No sweat.

This is a beer that rides the short bus - special. Never had anything like that, & in this case, that's a compliment. Wonderful use of figs, great barrel presence, unique, complex, tasty. What more could one ask? Excellent beer.

Serving type: growler

12-07-2012 03:33:32 | More by maximum12

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev +0.3%

05-18-2013 22:12:59 | More by Photekut

chrisp450

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -6%

05-08-2013 02:28:05 | More by chrisp450

djrn2

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -6%

04-18-2013 01:06:12 | More by djrn2

davey101

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%

04-16-2013 05:47:18 | More by davey101

AshleyMiller

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -6%

03-28-2013 15:19:28 | More by AshleyMiller

cbnz

British Columbia (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -18.5%

03-17-2013 05:58:43 | More by cbnz

Hessian257

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -6%

02-24-2013 05:33:01 | More by Hessian257

jegross2

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%

02-08-2013 21:38:47 | More by jegross2

billab914

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

01-28-2013 13:00:17 | More by billab914

acurtis

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -6%

01-20-2013 14:23:03 | More by acurtis

thebouch01

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%

01-19-2013 02:52:06 | More by thebouch01

spycow

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%

01-18-2013 04:56:58 | More by spycow

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.3%

01-16-2013 22:15:40 | More by hoppymcgee

danieelol

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%

01-16-2013 15:44:50 | More by danieelol

IrishColonial

Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.3%

01-11-2013 01:20:56 | More by IrishColonial

Rhettroactive

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

01-11-2013 01:19:46 | More by Rhettroactive

digita7693

Oregon

3/5  rDev -24.8%

01-09-2013 05:40:51 | More by digita7693

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.75/5  rDev -6%

01-08-2013 23:53:01 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

Brew33

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -6%

01-02-2013 13:40:17 | More by Brew33

seeswo

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%

12-30-2012 13:35:01 | More by seeswo

FosterJM

California

3.43/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1669th Review on BA
Bottle to snifter
750 ML C/C

2011 Vintage
Thanks to DaysintheWake for this bottle.

App- Poured out of the bottle a deep and rich brown color with a ruddy reddish/purple tinge to it. A very good and deep density behind it. The head was a nice 2 finger slight brown color with a good cling line down the glass.

Smell- I was a bit let down with the nose on this beer. It was almost pure malts. Alot of the spices and depth and layers I had heard about were gone. Most of the aromas were just the dark fruits and brandy. Not much else was there.

Taste- This was just okay. Better than average but feel that a fresh bottle is the way to go. The spices were lost on this and replaced by just the large malty flavors and dominated by the figs and the brandy.

Mouth- A thicker medium body with a low-medium carbonation. The figs and brandy are really all that remain on this one. The flavors are a bit one note and just thick on the residual flavors.

Drink- It was a nice idea to open this on Christmas. Shared with my brother in law. I thought it was okay. A bit let down that it didnt meld a little better but dropped off in the bottle. Maybe next release I can land a fresh bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 16:25:17 | More by FosterJM

denimdemon

Indiana

4/5  rDev +0.3%

12-25-2012 02:10:47 | More by denimdemon

RuckusDu

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.3%

12-18-2012 05:11:13 | More by RuckusDu

teddyarrowhead

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

12-16-2012 04:05:00 | More by teddyarrowhead