Partridge In A Pear Tree - The Bruery

nickd717

California

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at The Bruery many times. Figured I'd finally review this after all the crazy hype around it.

Pours a cloudy brown color with an off-white head.

Aroma of sweet malt, candi sugar, pears, yeast, and alcohol.

Flavor is dominated by sweet fruitiness, spices, and nuts. Very sweet and somewhat complex.

Fairly full and syrupy mouthfeel. Maybe a little too rich if anything, which slightly detracts from the drinkability, but it is a pretty enjoyable beer overall.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2010 00:43:16 | More by nickd717

rye726

Colorado

4.18/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A nice Belgian style ale from the Bruery. Pours a dark brown with a tan head. The nose had sweet fruity malts, peppery yeasts and spicy alcohol. Taste is also on the sweet side but well balanced by the herbal yeast variety. Medium to full body drinks easy for the abv.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2009 19:34:43 | More by rye726

magictrokini

California

4.22/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours murky brown-mahogany with a thick, creamy off-white head. Aroma of sugar, brown sugar, pears, apples, nutmeg, yeast, and boozy malt. Sour-sweet taste, very bretty at first. Soon, turns into a sweet, spiced wine concoction. Lots of fruit, mostly pears and apricots, but an underlying grapey/vinuous tanginess. Alcohol is decently masked, but there is a warming and a bit of ethyl at times. Flat mouthfeel, but full. Easy drinker, though definitely a sipper with its ABV. Dare I say, and knowing this is a quad, but it is one of the better holiday beers out there.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2009 16:47:28 | More by magictrokini

ILikeGoodCider

California

4.68/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on a Saturday (2/7/09). Consumed as a dessert beer after two others & a Seared Ahi Tuna entree.

A: Served in a 10oz brandy snifter. Pours a dirty, light brown color w/very little head that breaks apart to a thick ring that laces.

S: After the unfortunate sanitizer smell of the glass, you get a Belgian yeast & candied sugar, sweet fruits and caramelized dark fruits. A bit of alcohol lingers, but not nearly the 12% abv as advertised.

T: Malt, sweetnees at the beginning. Spices and a bit of alcohol. A slight bitterness with syrupy goodness of a finish.

M: Thick & syrupy. Not as sweet as most have noticed.

D: One of THE most drinkable 11-12% abv's I've had in a while.

Very good Belgian-style Quadruppel.

Serving type: on-tap

02-08-2009 05:27:07 | More by ILikeGoodCider

HopHead84

California

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown with a 2.5 finger head. The creamy beige head has good retention and lacing.

Aroma is very sweet, dark fruits. Sweet plum, figs, raisins, and alcohol. The taste continues the theme of sweetness. Very sugury! Little hop profile, earthy if anything. The level of alcohol is nice and considering the strong 11% it's well hidden. Finish is sugury sweet and moderately alcoholic.

Creamy mouthfeel with good carbonation. Body is on the high end of medium. Good beer but the sweetness limits the drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

01-01-2009 00:43:29 | More by HopHead84

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Hamilton's the other day. The beer pours an amber brown color with red hilights. Head retention and lacing both look pretty good on this one. On the nose this beer is very impressive. Tasted blind, there is no way I would guess I was drinking something domestic. Surely I'm drinking this beer somewhere in Belgium. I get a huge aroma of rootbeer, chocolate and spice, which is very enticing. Flavors on the palate generally replicate the nose, except I get more of a cola and tomatoe sauce flavor on this medium sweet beer. There is also plenty of chocolate and spice. I know the combination sounds a bit odd, but this beer is absolutely delicious. The beer is medium bodied and pretty long on the finish. Alcohol is fairly well disguised, considering the abv., but you can tell it's up there.

Another excellent beer from Bruery. I'm starting to expect it from them.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2008 12:26:16 | More by johnmichaelsen

kbm

Arizona

4.43/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Stopped by the Bruery specifically to try this out. I'm glad I did.

A: Dark drown with a red tinge. Virtually no head on my glass, but that had more to do with the bartender than the beer.

S: My God, it smells like candy. Strong fruitiness.

T: Slightly less sweet than the smell. Nice upfront yeast with all kinds of fruity sweetness.

M: Low carbonation - which suits the beer. Like everyone else has already stated, the alcohol is hidden.

D: I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. It went down well. A very good quadruple and an excellent winter beer. Probably my favorite Bruery brew to date.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2008 20:56:35 | More by kbm

Halcyondays

California

4.08/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at The Bruery,

A: Pours brown with a full off-white head, excellent retention and good lacing.

S: Strong malt notes, dark fruit, raisin.

T: Definitely a malt dominated brew with a dose of fig juice and grape thrown in. Very sweet right now, almost too much. Hops nonexistent.

M: Medium/full body, smooth, slightly cloying, sugary, I agree with Jon that the alcohol is compeletly hidden, you drink it and you're fine, then 10 minutes after finishing, the buzz drops.

D: A nice beer from The Bruery. Right now the residual sugars are a little much, but some age should allow the complexities to come out. Solid winter beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2008 03:46:20 | More by Halcyondays

jlindros

Massachusetts

2.15/5  rDev -45.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Thanks to Andy for sharing this at my 30th birthday whale tasting.

Pours no head, dark mahogany murky ruby brown colored.

Nose has plenty of oxidation, cardboard city, then brown malts, molasses, raisin, candi sugar, BBQ sauce for some reason with ketchup and vinegar, weird, fruity apple, etc.

Taste brings plenty more oxidation and wet cardboard, raisin and fruit, molasses, light candi sugar and syrup, again a weird tomato based BBQ sauce taste which is not pleasant, chewy, light booze, soy sauce, this would make a great marinade for meat but terrible for a beer.

Mouth is thin and almost no carb.

Overall blech! I can't believe this has such a whale status to get, just to do a lousy vertical?! This beer was terrible and the only beer at the tasting we couldn't finish. Thanks for bringing it Andy so I could try it at least once, but wow was that bad!

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 02:19:57 | More by jlindros

rudzud

Massachusetts

2.68/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Shared by Andy for the JLindros Birthday Whale Tasting. Reviewed from notes.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a murky reddish hazelnut hue with a thin light halo. No real head.

S - Uh oh....Figs, malts, molasses, prunes, and soy sauce. Not really digging whats going on here at all.

T - Taste is well...oxidised? I really don't know. There's malts, sugars, figs, heavy soy sauce, really sweet...just incredibly unpleasant.

M - Mouthfeel is on the tarter side, medium carbonation, medium body.

O - Overall, the general consensus with this beer was while glad to try it it was simply shocking. Not sure what happened here but this beer was almost a train wreck. I really don't think anyone finished their glass....

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 17:34:26 | More by rudzud

portia99

Massachusetts

2.35/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

750ml bottle shared by Andy at our whale tasting last night. Poured into a Portsmouth tulip.

A - Pours a reddish tinted amber color...quite hazy in the glass. Low collar, no real head.

S - Aromas are heavy and sharp - prunes, molasses, soy sauce, buttery. This smacks you in the face with aroma...a little bit rough.

T - Tomato juice, soy sauce, sweet...really rough.

M - Tart, soy, medium carbonation, medium body.

O - Very glad to have been able to try this. Now I know not to try to track this one down - would be very upset to part with what these are commanding in the trade market. Honestly, this was a major disappointment and a drainpour...really was undrinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 16:38:04 | More by portia99

ngeunit1

California

4.48/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a cloudy ruby with a touch of brown mixed in with a thin finger of khaki head. The head fades very quickly leaving behind a touch of lace.

S - Aroma is full of dark fruit with some plum and a touch of apple with a hint of Belgian yeast spice, brown sugar, and a bit of booze.

T - Starts off with some sweet dark fruit with some plum and dates with some brown sugar sweetness and some Belgian yeast spice. Through the middle, some apple comes through with some more residual and candi sugars and some fuller dark fruit flavor. The finish is a mix of lingering dark fruit sweetness with some abbey yeast, spice, and some booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with mild carbonation. Feels smooth with a warming and sweet finish.

D - Very drinkable. Really smooth and nicely balanced. Good American take on the Belgian Quad style. Good rich dark fruit flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 04:34:47 | More by ngeunit1

largadeer

Kentucky

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle at City Beer.

Caramel brown body with some chill haze, clears up as it warms. Lower-moderate carbonation, little in the way of head or lacing.

The nose is surprisingly nice. Toffee and strong fruity esters that are very pear-like. Pleasantly oxidized, nutty, some cocoa powder and molasses.

Palate is very similar, pear comes to mind again along with toffee and molasses. Oxidation lends a nutty note along with a touch of cocoa. Full body with low carbonation. To my surprise, this is aging very well and tastes much better than it did fresh.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 19:41:08 | More by largadeer

KevSal

California

4.65/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks goes out to Norcalgrowler for treating me to a bottle of piat at city beer store, needless to say I really owe you one marco, thank you!

3 years old, let's see how it holds up

750 poured into two tulips

A- looks pretty darn good so far. Murky reddish brown , half inch of reddish brown head. more carbonation than I was expecting.

S- smells really good! Sweet malts, brown sugar and a bit of Belgian yeast. a slight pear scent in the back ground. My only gripe with the nose is how faint it is, by it's there.

T- wow. I wasn't expecting much from this guy honestly, kept thinking it was going to be like cuadeuple, luckily it's not at all. The pears take a huge step forward that makes this guy taste spectacular! I love every sip. Tons of dark fruits, sweet malts, slight tartness in the finish. I was prepared for a big let down here but this is aging pretty freaking well. The second glass was even tastier.

M- nice thick body which is well carbonated. Works very well with the dark fruit. The body makes this beer excellent.

O- yoa, definitely an amazing surprise. I was expecting over hype to ruin this one for me but I really think we were lucky enough to catch this guy at its peak, I don't see it improving much more than this. Can it make 12 years? Doubtful, but I can tell you it delicious now. Is it worth wales? Depends but I'd drink it sooner rather than later.

Marco, again i appreciate it buddy!

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 00:21:59 | More by KevSal

mdfb79

New York

4.28/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to Amyliz4 for sharing this one! Was not expecting to ever have this one.

a - Pours a murky reddish brown color with moderate carbonation evident and one inch of white head.

s - Smells of sweet dark fruits, molasses, brown sugar, raisins, bready malts, and light toffee and caramel malts. Very fruity and sweet, but I like it.

t - Tastes of sweet dark fruits, molasses, vanilla, caramel malts, toffee, Belgian eyast, light spice, figs, raisins, and lightly toasted malts. More caramel here and not as quite as the nose, which makes it a lot better for me. A step up from the nose and really nice.

m - Medium body and low carbonation, very smooth and creamy. Very easy to drink....great mouthfeel. No alcohol at all here.

o - Overall a very nice beer. I drank 2TD, 3FH, and 4CB's on Christmas day, so only a week earlier, and much preferred this one to those, as the taste and mouthfeel were great. Was actually surprised with how good this one was after all those on Christmas. Very glad I got a chance to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 21:42:31 | More by mdfb79

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle shared by Amy. Thanks!

Dark brown with a light ran head, minimal lace and low retention. Excellent aroma of dark fruit, plum, raisin and red grape with light vanilla, oak, caramel and toffee. Medium thick body with low carbonation. Flavor has strong brown sugar and molasses from the start over bready yeast and a dark fruit and plum finish. Minimal alcohol presence. Actually, this is a nice quad.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 22:44:25 | More by yourefragile

drabmuh

Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I thought I was just hanging out with some friends drinking some pedestrian world class beers like bourbon barrel plead the fifth and Chocolate rain when the always lovely Thorpette decides to turn it up to 11 with this special bottle from her cellar. Thanks a ton, one of my biggest wants.

Beer is brown, hazy, thin off white head, wispy, low lacing, moderate carbonation, looks good.

Aroma is biscuity, strong, mild alcohol, great yeast aromas, fruity, esters, smells awesome.

Beer is medium in body, a great quad. Sweet, strong yeast palate in the middle of the beer. Great finish not dry. No astringency. Dark fruits and malt throughout. Great connectivity and a good beer. I wish I had more. Maybe in 8 more years.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 17:26:51 | More by drabmuh

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Amyliz4 for sharing this bottle. Served in a Bruery tulip.

Pours a moderately-dark brown with a good light tan head. Nice spotty lacing and a thin collar. The nose carries some strong dark fruits and a bit of sweet malt. Quite a bit of stuff going on there. I'm impressed, as I hadn't heard the best things about this. Malt provides a really nice backing presence. No discernible alcohol presence. Flavor is quite rich with a medley of dark fruits. Some very mild earth. Medium body and pretty chewy. Super smooth. Really excited to finally try this one and glad it lived up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 13:56:28 | More by Thorpe429

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.47/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by Amyliz4. Muchas gracias.

The beer appears dark brown with a quarter inch of tan head. The aroma is fabulous, with prominent yeast and malt, brown sugar, caramels, toffee. Smells Belgian and wonderful. Fabulous taste. Easily one of the best American examples of a quad I have tasted. Brown sugar and molasses are tempered by a bready yeast presence. Medium bodied and silky smooth on the palate. Overall, a very good beer that I am ecstatic to try.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 23:43:02 | More by Huhzubendah

GbVDave

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750ml bottle into three snifters. Extra special thanks to HeatherAnn and StevePens for the assist!

A: Pours a deep, muddy, russet color with faintly lighter highlights towards the edges. An off-white head of about 1 finger lingered for a decent amount of time before melting down to a clumpy skim that left a surprising amount of lace behind.

S: Loads of caramel, toffee, and nuts. Dark fruit was present as was some booziness. Some spiciness, as well, but this smelled more like an English Barleywine and/or Old Ale than a Quad to us.

T: Hmmm. Tastes just as it smells with a suggestion of oxidation. Not a deal breaker, but not completely endearing either.

M: Far too slick, lifeless, and thin. Sorely lacking in the interesting facets of a true Quad that keep the palate engaged.

O: We were really hoping for so much more than what we got. This was the first beer of the evening (and before the food, too) so we couldn't chalk this up to palate fatigue. The oxidation has me wondering what people who collect these to do a 12 year vertical are going to get many years down the road.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 19:52:22 | More by GbVDave

womencantsail

California

3.35/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Found my notes for this in my old notebook. No date on the page, but sometime in the summer of 2009.

A: The beer pours a very dark amber color, some brownish qualities to it, with a finger and a half of off-white head.

S: Smells intensely sweet. Lots of raisins and plums, maybe a bit of fig. Some caramel and molasses notes to it. Also some prominent spice notes, maybe nutmeg and cinnamon.

T: More of the same on the palate. Sweet dark fruits and sugar overwhelm you. It's almost syrupy, in fact. Booze, spice, caramel, molasses, plums, and raisins sum up the different flavors well.

M: Quite full in body with a low carbonation which doesn't help.

O: Sort of a mess. Funny that at the time I didn't think much of this beer and as a result got rid of this beer for almost nothing in return.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 07:20:28 | More by womencantsail

msimmons32

California

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured(into a Bruery tulip & Delirium Tremens snifter) from a bottle that has been stored correctly since it was bottled.

The initial impression was an aroma of soy sauce and bruised figs and over ripe fig/raisin/prune/plum. After the bottle was open for several minutes, the beer warmed in the glass and started to come into its own.

SIGHT: The color was a dark brown mahogany with copper highlights.

SMELL: The beer smelled of figs, dark raisin, rum cake, molasses, green olive, soy sauce, coke syrup . Oxidation is starting to play a role here.

TASTE: The taste is very sweet and some lingering spice. The age of the beer is making it hard to put words to specific fruits and non fruits. It mainly matches what the nose is showing.

OVERALL: The beer is still tasty (sweetnees dominated) but it showing signs of age and I don't really seeing it going for the long haul. I would say this beer has 2 years left before it starts to fall apart. The soy sauce and the green olive notes worry me for any beer 3 years in its existance.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 05:51:16 | More by msimmons32

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From notes:

Pours a very dark ruby red/chestnut brown color with bright red/mahogany edges when held to a light source and a 1.5 frothy yellowish beie head. Decnt retention, slowly fading into a laying ring that leaves sporadic spots of lacing behind.

Sweet dark fruit aroma with zest, peppery spice, Candi sugar and slight medicinal syrup. Hints of raisin, fig, plum and date.

Full bodied with a pretty prominent malt backbone that balances out the sweet dark fruit, peppery spice and cough syrup notes. Pretty sweet and spicy up front with lots of candy sugar, pepper, grape, raisin, plum and fig. Slightly dry finish with subtle alcohol warmth but overall a well masked ABV.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 02:43:12 | More by corby112

FosterJM

California

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

42nd review on BA
Bottle to tulip.

App- It's a watered down brown color with burgundy highlights that poured with very little head on it maybe a 1/2"

Smell- My wife said it smelled like soy sauce to her. Smelled like a malt overload and it has a nice pairing of fig and raisins.

Taste- It's very sweet with a lingering taste on the back of the mouth. I'm so confused as to what's going on with this beer. I had such high hopes that it was going to be my first A+ rating but it wont be. I hope as I hold onto the 2nd bottle and crack it open in 9 more years it will age nicely. I'm not saying it's bad by anymeans. I just expected more.

Mouth- It's a sweet drinking beer that needs to be taken slowly and enjoyed. It does have some bite to it and the carbonation level is a little low to me.

Drink- It's one of those times where I am glad I didn't give up a small fortune to get something I wanted. It was great to have this and can't wait for the next one at the end of the series.

*Intresting note- Got the wife to try it. She comments, " What is wrong with you people? How do you like this stuff?"

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 19:03:21 | More by FosterJM

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Christmas in July!

With an upcoming move, I won't risk this one...

A: Deep chestnut-amber with a slight haze, light tan head, thin ring of retention leaves a little leg.

S: Plum pudding. Enough said.

T: Sponge toffee, figs, brown sugar, golden raisins, candied fruit, nectarines, modest bitterness, slight alcohol warmth.

M: Fairly full body with a moderate residual sweetness for the style.

D: A 'sweet' sipper.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2010 20:22:42 | More by Derek