Autumn Maple Barrel Aged - The Bruery

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark maroon body with a small off white head.

Nose hits with bourbon first and then a good amount of sweetness. Sweet potato, brown sugar, cranberry and seasonal spices.

Even more sweetness than I expected in the flavor. Lots of brown sugar mixed with a sweet potato flavor. Sweet bourbon. Sweet everywhere, in fact cloying. Vanilla, caramel and light cinnamon on the finish with a lingering essence of toasted oak.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 14:38:39 | More by BearsOnAcid

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -24%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle opened last night with Amyliz4. 2011 vintage. Served in a Bruery tulip.

Pours a very dark brown with a thin off-white head. Decent retention and a bit of spotty lacing as it goes down. The nose is really bourbon heavy, especially before it starts to warm up. At that point, the bourbon is still 85+% of the aroma, though there's a bit of the Autumn Maple spice in there as well. The flavor, on the other hand, is almost entirely bourbon along with some alcohol heat. Feel is better with some of the spices making an appearance again, plus the bourbon adds a nice -- but not overpowering -- boozy kick. Decent, but way too barrel heavy.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 22:22:00 | More by Thorpe429

DarthKostrizer

California

3.43/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2011 Version

Look: Dark brown with a 1/4 inch head and ok retention

Smell: Nice brown sugar notes upfront that is backed up nicely by some bourbon and maple syrup

Taste: Maple syrup upfront with hints of oak and vanilla. Bourbon follows that and is faint but nice and on the back end you get quite a bit of alcohol which ruins the flavor.

Overall: Medium body with low carbonation and a bit of alcohol sting

Overall: I think the barrel aging actually made this beer less drinkable than the regular. The alcohol is overly present and very off putting. Glad I got to try this beer but I won't be doing that again unless it has some serious bottle age on it

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 20:34:07 | More by DarthKostrizer

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.58/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

So this one is a herbed/spiced beer and the regular version is a BSDA?

Appearance: Thankfully, this one is actually carbonated. Nice autumn-colored beer.

Smell: Overtly boozy. Dominates the rest. Would have guessed pumpkin ale, but I guess it is yams. I think it is more the cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg that give it the pumpkin pie feeling. Bit of molasses, maple syrup, and vanilla as well.

Taste: Again the booze, not bourbon, dominates. Similar to the smell, tastes near pumpkin-ale with lots of brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Bit of toffee. Definitely some maple syrup, vanilla, and molasses. A bit sweet. Would love to see what actually goes into this one. Perhaps more sweet potato than the regular version.

Mouthfeel: Well, at least this one is carbonated.

Drinkability: 12oz would be plenty.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2009 04:14:11 | More by craytonic

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I busted this one out to share with a friend of mine. He bought me my first Autumn Maple so I decided he would be the perfect person to share it with.

A - Pours murky dark brown with a one and a half finger tall white head, dissipating down to nothing at all, leaving no lace what so ever down the glass.

S - Smells of rich brown sugar, yams, vanilla, warm bourbon, cinnamon, and caramel. The nose gets better as it warms up but it isn't very well balanced and never really wowed me.

T - Starts off with a good amount of yam flavor but that quickly fades into the shadows as the warm bourbon and sticky sweet brown sugar take over. Hints of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other "Thanksgiving Spices" help round things out but this one is really all about the main flavors it seems.

M - Medium body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Sweet, sticky, feel with some warm booze that lingers on the pallet long after consumption.

O - I knew going into this one that I may not enjoy it but I was pleasantly surprised. The BA worked pretty well with the base beer and it never really overpowered the base flavors. I still have one more of these, can't wait to see what a year or so does to it.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 21:05:49 | More by orangesol

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter. Big thanks to Callmecoon for this. 2011 vintage I believe.

3.0 A: Deep plum black color. Two fingers of fizzy beige head. Head fizzes away like a soda would. No lacing.

4.0 S: Interesting. The bourbon in this smells more like rum. Perhaps it's the spices mixed with the bourbon booze that give this impression. In any case, this has a huge maple syrup presence, even more than CBS. Yams and toastiness next. Loads of spices, but they don't stand out too well individually. Rather, they meld to form one generic pumpkin spice blend. The bourbon adds a leathery earthiness and booziness. This smells good, but I think I like the non-barrel aged version better.

3.5 T: Very surprised here. This seems to be a lot less sweet that the normal version. Usually this would make me quite happy when dealing with Bruery beers, but I loved AM just the way it is. Anyway, the bourbon comes off like a rum again from the spice blend. Lots of yams in the taste. Toastiness and some nuttiness. Maple is less apparent in the taste. Again, tasty, but not nearly as good as the regular.

3.5 M: Heavier medium to ligher heavy body. Good moderate carbonation. Lightly creamy. Some amylase coagulation going on in the back of my tongue.

3.5 D: Tasty, but I expected the bourbon to add a nice touch to the base. Instead, it seems that it weakened it.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 03:27:09 | More by DavoleBomb

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle. Thanks to mothman for opening this one. Poured into a DFH tulip glass an opaque murky copper orange colour with a slight tan whispy head. The aroma is sour funky with notes of lemon, caramel, and spice. Medium mouthfeel. This is an odd beer. It reminds me somewhat of Alpine Ichabod, the sour pumpkin beer. Starts sweet with caramel, spice, and the spice, very much like the nose. Ends with lingering sourness and vanilla/caramel notes. As this warms, I actually don’t mind this beer. It's different but drinkable and to be honest I think I probably like it more than my ratings would suggest.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 12:28:55 | More by kbutler1

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark cinnamon stick brown with a massive light tan head.

S: Aroma of pungent spices, a blending of vanilla , bourbon, oak barrel aging and allspice mixing with sweet potatoes.

T: Taste is a little more spiced than I remember the standard Autumn maple being, but it has been a year since I have had one. There is a strong boozy taste from the bourbon barrel aging which I think is a positive but the body and mouthfeel seems to have been watered down as a result. There is more cinnamon and clove spicing also mixing in with the vanilla and bourbon flavors when compared from a year or two back with the non bourbon version.

M: Mouthfeel is light for a 10% beer and there is a light carbonation from the barrel aging.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 01:34:52 | More by alpinebryant

seeswo

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy, slightly translucent brown with a big tannish head. Smells a touch boozy, a touch sour, combined with spiced, slightly candied sweet potato. The taste has a somewhat harsh boozy, bourbon finish. Tannic oak, bourbon, spiced, dry maple and sweet potato. Slick, medium heavy mouthfeel with lowish carbonation. Overall, this is a really interesting experiment that I certainly enjoy more than the regular autumn maple. There is quite a bit going on, but it is all a bit harsh. I think this might need some time. Fun spin on a fall seasonal without fake pumpkin juice in it.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 01:10:56 | More by seeswo

mikedashg

California

3.85/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- deep brown murky with a small light tan head. Lot darker then the regular version

s- lots of burboun. And barrel smell

T- similar to nose on the burboun and barrel, sweet maple yams vanilla spices nutmeg

m- creamy and smooth low carb

d- easy drinker, but a lot of the flavor from the regular version seam to have been lost. Wish it had more of the flavors of regular. Definetly needs to warm up.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2009 22:51:21 | More by mikedashg

tpd975

Florida

3.88/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big Thanks to jdubfl for popping the top on this one.

A: Pours a nice deep shade of dark brown with a small off white head. No real retention or lace noted.

S: Aroms of candied yams, xmas spice, and lots and lots of barrel.

T: The yams are there for sure with hints of pumpkin pie spice. Sweet Molasses comes through along with very subtle chocolate malt. The barrel is huge in this beer. It provides light vanilla and oak, and lots and lots of booze.

M: Medium in body, smooth, rather soft in carbonation.

D: Pretty good, to be honest I think I like the non barreled version better though.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 14:54:48 | More by tpd975

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.88/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to t0rin0 for this bottle.
25.4oz bottle poured into my Bruery Snifter.

A - Pours a dark cola brown with a light tan head consisting of big bubbles.

S - Sweet fruit, cinnamin, maple.

T - Brown sugar and maple syrup.

D - Lower carbonation and sweet on the tongue.

O - Mmm... Is it Thanksgiving yet?

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 22:20:06 | More by HuskyinPDX

ptykozoon

California

3.88/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Ugly brown, quarter inch head.

Sweet yams, raisin, caramel, honey. Sweet and decadent.

Raisin, vanilla, toffee with rich, thick caramel and bourbon in the finish. Very good.

Light mouthfeel - could be a bit more dense. ABV tastes around 10%.

Sweet without being too sweet, desserty without being too filling, very good little beer here: seek out.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 01:51:10 | More by ptykozoon

GregSVT

Texas

3.88/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

750ml capped bottle into a Russian River wine glass

A: Pours a ruddy red/orange with a big light brown head and very little lacing. With such a big head I expected more lacing.

S: The nose is very similar to the original Autumn Maple with big aromas of baked yam, brown sugar, nutmeg, some vanilla, and a tart wine note I wasn't expecting. I thought there'd be more of a bourbon presence but it only shows itself in the form of the vanilla.

T: The taste is similar to the original as well with lots of nutmeg, yam, vanilla, and a tart grape/wine flavor. This almost tastes like it's wine barrel aged instead of bourbon barrel aged. It's still pretty tasty though.

M: The feel is medium bodied and very bubbly. A bit overcarbonated for my taste.

O: Given this was bourbon barrel aged I expected more bourbon and char flavor but what was there is still pretty tasty. I'm not sure if any age would help but it might settle down the spices and the yam and let the barrel come forward a bit more.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 03:30:32 | More by GregSVT

OlieIPA

California

3.9/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Consumed this on 9/4/09 at The Bruery.

A: Just about black with a slight hint of brown coloring that helped support a creamy vanilla bean hue head. Lacing was mediocre, but other than that, a good looking brew.

S: Yams, cinnamon, gingerbread, roasted/chocolate malts, and a bourbon aroma that hits you hot and hard at first...but then settles down once your nostrils get used to it.

T: More chocolate notes than I anticipated along with gingerbread and Thanksgiving/Christmas like spices. The bourbon adds a nice sweet note as well, but can be harsh at times. A definite winter warmer for sure!

M: This is probably the worst part about this beer. I understand it was served on cask, but I felt it needed more carbonation and a creamier body. Too much of a cotton mouth feel!

D: The actual smell and taste of Barrel Aged AM was awesome. But again, I think the little things like the overall hotness and mouthfeel took away too much. I would much prefer the regular version over this...although, I still think this is a good beer.

Overall: A try it to must try beer. Cheers!

Serving type: cask

09-05-2009 19:39:54 | More by OlieIPA

MasterSki

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Overlord for picking one of these up for me. Served in a FoBAB mini-pint taster glass.

A - This is one homely brew. It's a turbid unfiltered dirty murky brown color. A half-finger of big bubbles that dissipates quickly to a ring. No lace.

S - Roasted yams, spice, a bit of booze, some butterscotch-y barrel flavors, and more spice. Smells like some pumpkin beers I've had. Molasses comes out more as it warms up.

T - The taste is significantly less spicy, with only a bit of nutmeg in the finish. As a result I like it a bit more than the smell, but not enough to give it an extra half point. Wish I could score this a 4.25, but unfortunately things don't work that way here. The barrel flavor is pretty light, mostly brown sugar, caramel, molasses, maple syrup, and a light tannic and butterscotch finish.

M - Sticky, medium body, mild carbonation, a bit of heat. Compared to the Firestone 11 I just had it feels a little thin, but otherwise it's pretty good.

D - I don't think I could drink a lot of this one - the 6-8 oz was more than enough. Like pumpkin beers it's good for a once a year seasonal type of thing.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2009 17:06:18 | More by MasterSki

djmichaelk

Florida

3.9/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into a cinnamon-sugar rimmed snifter. Courtesy of urwithdave (thanks, Dave!).

A - Pours a murky amber-brown, with a decent couple of fingers of head. Adequate lacing and retention.

S - Plenty of yam and pumpkin, some brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon (although that last one might be more from the rim). Pretty nice.

T - Rich flavors of allspice, pumpkin/yam and sweet potato, maybe a little caramel, and again nutmeg and cinnamon. Certainly rich and sweet, but without being cloying. Tried both with and without the rimmed glass.

M - Carbonation is light; maybe a bit on the undercarbed side. Otherwise it's pretty full. It's a little like liquefied pumpkin pie.

O - Definitely a nice beer, although not something I could drink all the time -- or even more than one in a night. Glad to have had the opportunity to try it.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 02:42:42 | More by djmichaelk

UCLABrewN84

California

3.95/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Tieman for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a hazy brown with a foamy khaki head that fades to nothing. Small dots of lace form slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of malt, yams, spices, bourbon, and wood. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick and a woody finish. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is a tasty barrel aged version of the original beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 09:02:58 | More by UCLABrewN84

waltonc

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On cask at the Bruery. Pours a very dark brown with tan head. Smells and tastes of yams, maple, nutmeg and assorted other pumpkin spices and, of course, bourbon. The Bruery has shown itself to be very good at using bourbon barrels to improve beer without turning it into a bourbon bomb - and BA AM is no exception - the bourbon is present but didn't dominate. I am giving this beer a "Good" score for taste, but I must admit that I couldn't drink it on a regular basis. It's very interesting and I appreciate the creative effort. This is a fun beer to enjoy a few times throughout the fall. Mouthfeel is fairly thick, and carbonation was present but somewhat low. The beer was served pretty warm, which clashed with the hot weather outside, but that's not the beer's fault. Overall, a very interesting beer that I'm glad Bruery released. I look forward to cracking open a bottle of this at Thanksgiving.

Serving type: cask

09-08-2009 00:03:39 | More by waltonc

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a beige head. Color is a murky caramel brown.

Aroma: Bruery bourbon barrel flavors. Oak and vanilla mixed with autumn maple flavors. Not as much spices show as compared to the regular version, however.

Taste: Bourbon, but it kind of reminds me of rye. Oak, and vanilla, with a lot of spice flavors, but not as much as the regular version. The barrels add a nice layer here and take away from the things I don't like in this beer.

Mouthfeel: Warm and smooth. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends dry.

Overall, this was much better than the other versions. Beats the brett version and the regular by miles. Gotta love the bruery barrels.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 00:48:52 | More by mothman

bartle

Ontario (Canada)

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

Thanks Eric.

Side by side with the regular Autumn Maple.

This poured a little richer copper than it's counter part. Better head retention.

It has a great nose. I really dug this. It was bourbon soaked sweet potato pie with some raisins and a nice belgian yeast character present.

The taste was just amplified again. Some great earthy bitterness, with sweetness, caramel, honey, bourbon, raisins and figs, a little gritty as well. Some great candied sugars and spice, a little boozy, but not hot. Just nice to give it some kick.

Full mouthfeel. Medium to high carbonation. Pretty dry for the sweetness.

I dig.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2010 02:01:05 | More by bartle

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

Pours out a nice murky brown color with a decent head of lacing that sits on top for what looks to be a few minutes before settling down and coating the sides of the glass.

first smells of oak and light vanilla come through the air. Spiced notes, cinnamon, pumkin, I am guessing almost like Yams or something. As it warms it comes through with more barrel with vanilla and caramel notes dominating. Smooth and subtle carbonation leads to a semi dry and sweet finish!

Overall a great beer that I am sure will imoprove with age

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 16:33:40 | More by mikesgroove

augustgarage

California

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

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a snifter. Served in a dark bar.

Rosewood body with a light wheat collar. Viscous legs, weak amoebic lacing, poor retention.

Maple sgar, toffee, tobacco, vanilla, and rum in the nose. The bourbon contributes quite a lot without overwhelming the base. Plenty of clove and cinnamon emerge as the beer warms.

Baked yams, brown sugar, caramel, leather and a whisper of cocoa on the palate. Complex and festive. Finishes a little sweet, spicy, and just a touch hot.

Creamy, medium-bodied, with low but sufficient carbonation.

A modest improvement on the non-barrel-aged version, itself a unique twist on the average pumpkin beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 23:10:04 | More by augustgarage

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

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

Pours a dark tawny brown color with a decent sized tightly bubbled off white head with moderate retention and minimal lace. I can smell the barrel treatment as soon as I pop the cap off. Spicy, herbal, and peppery aromas are mixed with sweet dark sugars, vanilla, bourbon and oak. The flavor is definitely different. Sweet sugary malts up front are attacked by peppery herbal earthy flavors and just before it gets too weird the bourbon sweeps in with a bit of woodiness to cleanse things a bit. Long lingering sweet herbal bourbon flavor in the finish. Medium to thick body with a sweet almost sugary mouthfeel and a light level of carbonation. Well this one certainly is different, but it really did grow on me after a pint. I don't think I've ever had the non barrel version, but it seems like without the barrel this would be a sweet and herbal mess. As is I kind of liked it, but not sure I would seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 01:23:12 | More by johnnnniee

radshoesbro

California

4.03/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

thanks to mikedashg for sharing this! been wanting to try this one for a while!

immediately the look is much darker than it's non-barrel aged counter part. this looks very similar to russian river's consecration, it's a beautiful deep red/caramel. Nice head with good retention and spotty lace.

Smells like a barrel. All the subtleties that I loved so much are vacant. There's a sweetness that might come from the barrel or the sugars, but I'm guessing it's just all barrel.

When drinking it somewhat cold the taste is all barrel. The spiciness is completely absent. It's good, but nowhere near as good as the regular one. Once this warms the yams come out a bit more, and I do think that's a highlight of this one. Yes, it lacks that beautiful spicy character, but it showcases the yams better. After letting this open for a while (maybe 20 or 30 minutes) the spiciness comes back and the yams are really excentuated.

This is a lot fuller on the mouth that the regular one too. Somewhat dry, but it's not super noticeable.

NOTE: I found that the best way of consuming this is actually as a 50/50 blend of this version and the regular release.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2009 21:26:32 | More by radshoesbro