Arbre - Medium Toast
The Bruery

Arbre - Medium ToastArbre - Medium Toast
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
11.3%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.94 | pDev: 7.61%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
67
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 12, 2022
Added:
Aug 03, 2015
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  28
This variation of Arbre spent time resting in medium toasted barrels and reveals more oak-forward notes in addition to coconut, roasted vanilla beans, bakers chocolate and black cherries. A remarkable beer on its own, but even more exciting when tasted side-by-side with its light toast and dark char counterparts for a truly educational experience.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tbone1384:
Photo of tbone1384
Rated by tbone1384 from Wyoming

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Nov 13, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Fordcoyote15
Reviewed by Fordcoyote15 from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Classic bruery aroma. So unique. So them.

Look is shit

Oh wow. Taste is burnt toast all day. Their classic sugar bombs alongside but damn do these two flavors meld well. Maybe one of the best bruery beers I've had?

Feel? Thin as all fuck. Standard bruery.

Overall... absolutely delicious taste wise.
May 12, 2022
Photo of Gatch
Reviewed by Gatch from Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled 7/20/15. Quite a bit of age on this and at first sip I don’t think age was kind to it. It’s extremely smooth and sweet with plenty of roasty woody character but at the point of cloying now and almost acidic. Probably wasn’t meant to last this long judging by the description. Still, a good stout and a deeper beer than the “light toast.” Hopefully the alligator char held up.
Nov 30, 2021
Photo of BucannonXC5
Reviewed by BucannonXC5 from California

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Type: 750-ml. bottle
Reviewed as: American Double / Imperial Stout
Glass: Tioga-Sequoia 13-oz. tulip
Price: $5.00
From: From a Facebook San Diego beer trading group
Purchased: Dec. 3, 2020
Consumed: Dec. 18, 2020
Misc.: Bottled on July 20, 2015

Picked this out on a Facebook San Diego beer trading group from a guy that was trying to get rid of a bunch of stuff. Ended up paying $40 for five 22-oz. barrel-aged beers, including this for just $5. This was the Medium Toast version after I gave the Light Toast one a 4.21 on Dec. 13, 2020. Really looking forward to comparing it and then to the Alligator Char one. Online description was “The Arbre series is an exploration of barrel toast. We brewed a rich, malty imperial stout and divided it into three parts, laying each down in brand new American oak barrels from our friends at Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky. This variation of Arbre spent time resting in medium toasted barrels and reveals more oak-forward notes in addition to coconut, roasted vanilla beans, bakers chocolate and black cherries. A remarkable beer on its own, but even more exciting when tasted side-by-side with its light toast and dark char counterparts for a truly educational experience.”

Poured a black color with 1-to-2 fingers of khaki tan frothy head. Just a few bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass. Average watery lacing. Below average retention. (Sight - 3.50)

Smelled milk chocolate, crayon, dark fruit, plum, raisin, chocolate syrup, oak, smooth bourbon, vanilla, caramel and toffee. A little different out of the bottle with maybe a little more vanilla. (Smell - 4.25)

First thing I noticed on the taste was how much more oaky it was compared to the light toast. Got oaky barrel, port wine, semi-char wood, bourbon, dark fruit, plum, raisin, date, caramel, vanilla and milk chocolate. (Taste - 4.00)

Full body. Sticky texture. Soft carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 4.50)

Really like this overall. Just excellent. Looking at my review, not quite as good as the Light Toast, but still solid. (Overall - 4.25)

4.13 | 92 | A-
Mar 17, 2021
 
Rated: 3.88 by Jason_cs from Florida

Aug 28, 2019
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
750 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 7/20/2015. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a large cap that lingers. Dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, vanilla, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crusts; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, oak char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, oak barrels, light-moderate fruity yeast, and light earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, vanilla, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crusts; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, oak char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, roast, char bitterness; and oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, vanilla, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, bread/crusts, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, oak char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, oak barrels, light-moderate fruity yeast, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet, and oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness, and oak spiciness after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvely/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 11.3%, with no lingering booze after the finish. Overall this is an amazing oak aged imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, oak barrels, light-moderate fruity yeast, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Perfectly balanced between super rich malt complexity, medium toasted oak barrels, and restrained fruity yeast notes. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly amazing offering, and top tier style example. I like it more than most Black Tuesday variants. 4 years of age definitely made this amazing, vs other far earlier reviews. Feels closer to the Anniversary Old ales on overall complexity.
Apr 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4.65 by JamieDuncan from Maryland

Aug 13, 2018
 
Rated: 3.93 by kell50 from North Carolina

Dec 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4.11 by needMIbeer from Virginia

Aug 15, 2017
Photo of vfgccp
Rated by vfgccp from New York

4.45/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Jay and Pete's favorite of three. Vin and Q's second favorite.
Jul 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.93 by IrishColonial from Texas

Apr 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.94 by Buck_Jones from Michigan

Feb 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.98 by Huhzubendah from District of Columbia

Dec 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.27 by Beer21 from Florida

Oct 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.04 by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

Sep 28, 2016
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer topped by a finger of dense light tan head that fades to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of smells is oak on the nose with hints of smoke, vanilla, and light caramel. Some roasted malts and chocolate as well
T: Taste is somewhat smoky up front with some chocolate and espresso with a little vanilla and slight caramel. Hints of fudge and cherries but the smoke and oak are a nice combo that kind of lead the show. Swallow is smoke and lightly charred wood with some roasted malts, sticky caramel, light vanilla and toasted coconut.
M: This beer is velvety and full in body with light carbonation and a drying finish
O: Overall this is one tasty beer. I think it's a bit better than the light toast but they are both pretty good. The complexity and flavors are nice and the beer drinks well for the ABV. So far I like this series. It tastes a lot like some BBA beers but without the boozyness.
Sep 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by orangesol from Pennsylvania

Sep 14, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by Fusebuddy from Wisconsin

Sep 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.63 by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

Jul 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.1 by 2GOOFY from California

Jun 08, 2016
Arbre - Medium Toast from The Bruery
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 67 ratings