Provisions Series: Old Richland - The Bruery

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

one of the first beers from the provision series i opened i was anxious to try this monster of a beer. split between me and alex, this one still kicked our butts.

the pour is a nice light brown/dark amber with a cloudiness and a big head that came up nearly three inches before settling back down. enormous aroma, tons of bright, fresh citrus hops dominate until it cools down and then light caramel malts, and hints of butterscotch do poke their heads up, this is much more noticeable in the finish when the flavor really opens up and you get a sense of how good this one could be. give it a few years and this is going to be absolutely incredible.

overall this was great fresh, super hoppy and full of character, so glad i have another bottle to see what a year or two does to it.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 03:17:05 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On cask for First Firkin Friday at the Bruery

A: The pour from the cask is a dark amber one with a creamy yet slightly airy off-white head.

S: The nose is very hoppy, which is always nice. Lots of lemon and grapefruit rind with just a touch of pine. The basic aromas of toffee, chocolate, and caramel (maybe some bread, too) are there.

T: Not quite as bitter as I would have expected, given the nose, but that's not to say it's weak in this area. Grapefruit and pine provide the hop character, but there is that perfume and alcohol flavor that brings down the enjoyment level for me. Not quite as sweet as you would anticipate for a barleywine, either. While there are some malt flavors, it's pretty dry.

M: The body is medium with the low smooth carbonation I expect from the cask.

D: A pretty solid barleywine here. I think it might benefit from a little more aging, but still pretty good right now.

Serving type: cask

01-12-2011 17:21:06 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Alex L for being my trustee and getting these out to me. Served in a Jackie O's snifter.

Pours a moderate copper color with a large off white head and quite a bit of lacing as it goes down. Nice collar throughout. The nose brings forward a good amount of citrus hops plus some sweet malt in the background--a bit of caramel plus a nice amount of candied sugar. Favor is enhanced by a good amount of bitterness. Hops are at the front with a bit of sweet malt in the background. Body is medium with a nice bitter finish. A nice barleywine, and I am excited to see how this one ages.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 00:34:19 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

3.6/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at The Bruery in Placentia, CA.

Pours a clear copper brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, caramel, toffee, and some citrus zest and herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but not one of the Bruery's best efforts in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2012 03:19:28 | More by UCLABrewN84

drabmuh

Maryland

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

You know this is a barleywine because it says so on the label and it has the word "OLD" in the name. Very clever Bruery. Served in a Bruery tulip because...well let's be honest, if you could you would too.

Beer is kind of ruby / amber red with tan bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass. Carbonation mild to moderate. The lacing really destroyed the glassware. I doubt you'd see this effect with another brewery's glass. Seriously people, drink the beer out of the right glassware.

Aroma is sweet, mild ethanol, malt, a faint pine hop note off in the distance. I wonder if it would smell better if I put on my Bruery T-shirt.

Beer is a little thin on the get go but fills out in the mouth. Mildly alcoholic / boozy on the palate with a semi-dry finish. Second sip was better than the first with more hop presence on the palate, a better finish with some mild bitterness that lingers, it is earthy rather than piny hops on the palate. It is a decent beer, not earth shattering, still a little hot. I have another, I'll take it to a tasting someday in the future, could use a little time in the closet...if you know what I mean.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 03:18:35 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Exiled for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a reddish-amber color with a white head. The aroma is full of toffee and a lot of dark fruit and some alcohol. The flavor is more of the same. I get a lot of brown sugar and toffee and caramel malt. The hops are also present in the flavor and contribute some grassy and piney notes. The alcohol is present but the beer is still easy to drink. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 01:58:38 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4.3/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a clear, copper color with amber highlights. It had a one-finger, off-white head of foam. It left sticky patchy of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled very floral with a piney nose. It had a nice malty presence, too.

T - It tasted of sweet maltiness with some bitter piney hops. It had a mild booziness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium to full bodied beer with a warm alcohol presence.

O - This is a deliciously good barleywine. Another thanks to drfabulous for sharing.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 02:27:11 | More by zeff80

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A steady pour produces a three-finger thick, pale amber tinged, tan colored head that leaves a lot of lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a concentrated amber color that shows a lightly hazed, amber-red color when held up to the light. The aroma smells sticky with notes of ample, sweet crystal malt and candied citrus zest / pine needles. Concentrated malt notes of brown sugar syrup, even a touch of molasses, plus a huge sweetened whole grain maltiness. The malt, is just about the dominant character here, just edging out the hops, if not because of the up front intensity, then for its staying power. The hops, in addition to the candied citrus zest and candied pine, especially in combination with the rich malt, contribute notes of ripe berries, tobacco, an almost cedar like note that can be quite distinct, as well as cleaner hop notes of lychee, tangelo zest and a bright floral peach note.

Well balanced malt sweetness and herbaceous bitter hop notes up front yield to a more dominant sweetness in the middle that finally in the lingering finish comes to be dominated by a sometimes astringent, raw bitterness and pine-like flavor. The hop character seems to be the dominant character in the flavor, and it is definitely a bit raw and aggressive. The hops and darker malt notes accentuate the herbaceous and pine notes in the hops as well as producing hints of tobacco, cedar and a just plain, raw, aggressive, green hoppiness. More typical fruity hop notes are definitely here as well, though they seem to be muted a bit by the ample crystal / caramelized malt character and the raw herbaceous hop notes, but you do get flavors of essential citrus oil, lychee, touches of other generic tropical fruit, some slightly muddled tangelo zest notes, and a sort of dirty grapefruit note. The malt even seems to have an almost roasty edge, but definitely amply toasted grain, to it in the finish. Chewy, viscous and rich, but the hop character is ample enough that it dries out the palate enough after each sip to keep this from being cloying

The ample malt and ample hop character seem to clash a bit in this beer; it is not so much that I am not enjoying this beer, but there the malt character is too big to really enjoy the bright, vibrant hop character as it muddles and dirties the hop notes at this point and accentuates the harsher side of the hops. With time the hop character will fade and the malt should come into its own, but this was a beer advertised to drink now & for that reason it doesn’t really quite work (fresh Bigfoot definitely does this much better). Still, this is quite an enjoyable beer, worth trying, but I would always choose a fresh big foot over a fresh one of these if I had the chance.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 15:04:33 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at The Bruery Tasting Room,

A: Pours a dark red with a small white head, good lace.

S: Simcoe stands out. Lots of pineapple, gooseberry, greenery. Fragrant.

T: The traditional barleywine flavours come out here. Sweet crystal malt with a lot of pine, Christmas tree.

M: Full-bodied, strongly resinous, medium carbonation.

D: Solid barleywine, not as good as Bigfoot or Old Crusty, but well made and certainly tastes to style.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2011 06:19:43 | More by Halcyondays

mdfb79

New York

2.78/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

From 4/29 and 4/30 notes. Got to try a few ounces of this on Friday night on tap at Hopleaf in Chicago, and then a few ounces again on tap Saturday at Dark Lord Day.

a - Pours a dark mahogany brown color with an inch of off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of pine hops, citrus hops, grapefruit, soap, and lightly toasted malts. No real caramel and not getting much that would resemble a barleywine; more like a very hoppy DIPA.

t - Tastes of soap, bitter grapefruit, pine hops, citrus hops. Again, straight up hops and very bitter, with a little bit of a soapylike taste to it. Not what I would want in a barleywine at all.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation, with some bitterness due to all the hops.

o - Overall I did not enjoy this one at all. While the description on this site makes sense about all the hops, I did not know that going in and was expecting a barleywine; this is not one in my opinion. Even as a DIPA it was very bitter and soapy to me; tried it with a few BA's and no one seemed to enjoy it. Would not seek it out again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2011 22:37:42 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.91/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Shared with rudzud of course.

Big honkin head, 2+ fingers, fluffy thick and good retention, tons of soapy thick lacing completely covers the glass, dark molasses brown color with foggy faint garnet light sneaking through.

Nose is essentially a black ipa, lots of pine, light citrus and pineapple, earthy spicy hops, resinous musty dank simcoe. Then malts, dark malts dark caramel and hint if black malt, etc. Light creamy darkness, and faint cocoa almost.

Taste starts with malts, coffee and roast, caramel, dark almost powdered cocoa, creamy at the same time, and hint of char. Hops come on strong, slight earthy spicy hops, then pineapple again, slight resinous musty simcoe, hint citrus and orange peel, etc. Bitter rind like flavor that detracts slightly, and bitterness is huge. Pretty much a black ipa. Finish is quite bitter borderline astringent, spicy earthy long lingering hops, creamy dark malts, light roast and powdered cocoa like lingering. Barely any booze.

Mouth is nice, creamy, nice fluffy carb, hint of booze but not close to 10%.

Overall interesting beer, more like double black ipa than a barleywine, 5 minutes after the last sip I still feel like I'm chewing on hops. Not quite my fav style blend of roast dark malts etc and pine pineapple and citrus, etc, so this didn't strike a chord with me, esp for being a barleywine... however, for a double black IPA taking into account it's not my fav style, this was still a decent beer. I wonder how the aging will effect the hops in this.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 17:28:17 | More by jlindros

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle into an oversized tulip glass. I enjoyed this one in early July, 2011.

Pours a deep, clear ruby and is topped with several fingers of rocky looking light mocha head. This retains with a thick ¾ of a finger of foam that just absolutely slathers the sides of the glass with rich sticky lacing. Quite the robust look to this! The aroma has a definite thick graininess to it, which mixes with a deep and earthy ripeness. There is a dark aspect here to the nose, which appears to not only be coming from some fruit character but also maybe from some roast and chocolate flavors as well. Alcohol adds a bold sweetness, which has this filling up the nostrils with some heft.

The taste has a base core of strong dark fruitiness, tight grains, and then some lesser pronounced notes of cocoa and caramel. This is surrounded on the sides by grapefruit bitterness, while much like the nose; the ABV is adding a good bit of sweetness here to the profile as well. This finishes more on the roasted side of things, with lingering notes of bitterness and spice hanging about. The mouthfeel is full bodied, with a mostly creamy slickness to the carbonation that encapsulates a beefy alcohol center. I wouldn’t really call the alcohol presence here stinging per se but it definitely sticks a bit in the throat and chest as things start to warm up.

Granted that I might have got to this one a bit late but I was still looking for much more of an American hop presence than what I got here. Especially in the nose. Still though, with the way that the malts and alcohol are already interacting with each other, I could definitely see this one as having some aging potential. It’s just too bad that this was my only bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 16:59:17 | More by Kegatron

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.33/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Came off as a brown looking beer, not much head to it. Great aroma, especially for a barleywine which tend to be alcohol dominant in the nose.

Extremely hoppy taste, all the simcoe and amarillo really came out in the nose and on the palate. Extreme citrus amount, haven't seen anything in a barleywine come close outside of O'Dell's India Barleywine. The pine is there too. One of the easiest drinking barleywines out there when it is fresh and on tap, had this for the first time at the Bruery initiation party and was raving about it.

Unfortunately, my 2 subsequent drinks of it in the bottle were not as pungently hoppy. Good, but not great like it was the first time, on tap and fresh.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2011 02:32:43 | More by Beerandraiderfan

HopHead84

California

4.28/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

01/08/2011

On tap at the Reserve Society Initiation Celebration 2011. 

A: Amber with a frothy off white cap.

S: Prominent pine resin and grapefruit notes, a very nice hop bouquet. Caramel malt provides backing and a little balance. I detect a dash of alcohol. Smells like a Double IPA. 

T: Quite bitter, upper moderately so I'd say. Notes of pine and grapefruit rind mingle with caramel malt. The flavor is aggressive and uncompromising, much like Richland. Finish is dry and with some astringency and lingering pine bitterness with a little alcohol.

M: Medium in body, upper moderate in carbonation, and dry and sticky on the palate, with some astringency.

Overall: A great beer. I probably had 5 pours of this. I'm glad they're bottling it. Essentially a maltier Double IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2011 21:25:49 | More by HopHead84

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into a matching Bruery snifter. The brew appears a mahogany brown that is clouded with 3 fingers of tan froth. The cap displays solid retention that leaves a webby lace all over the glass.

The aroma is oily and resinous with hops. It is dank and herbal with some catty quality towards the back mixing with suggestions of pine and tea like spiciness. A bit of burnt sugar is thrown into the mix giving something for the hops to play off.

The taste includes hints of raisin and plums mixed into a dark burnt molasses character. Some fruity bitter hops blend with pine,?herbs and strong black tea. Some catty flavors blend into a mild vegetative quality and dirty fruit like cantaloupe or other melon like honeydew. Not bad, but not terribly enjoyable either.

This is a medium to fuller bodied brew with a modest level of carbonation. The alcohol is integrated nicely. This is an interesting mixture of character here that really borders the lines of barleywine and boozy DIPA. This will be a huge hit for some, I think it was just ok.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 14:54:43 | More by stakem

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a beige head. A half fingers worth.

Aroma: Very, very hoppy. This doesn't even smell like a barleywine. I know it is supposed to be hoppy, but it reminds me more of a dipa. A lot of floral and earthy hops. Hardly and malts showing.

Taste: A little more malts shows here. Has some bready and caramel flavors. But it is still intensely hoppy. Floral and earthy with some grapefruit citrus. Very hoppy. Some other cirtus shows.

Mouthfeel: Bitter and creamy. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. It is pretty sticky with a hop resin tastes to it.

Overall, a very drinkable hopped up bwine. I love how hoppy it is. Hardcore dipa in the nose. Then dipa with malt backbone in the taste. Good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2011 23:08:13 | More by mothman

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had at the source. Served from cask into a goblet. Poured dark brown with a two finger off-white head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, bitter/citrus hop, and citrus. The flavor was of sweet malt, citrus, and citrus hops. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a pretty nice brew. Had a very nice flavor and aroma going on here. It wasn't very Barleywine-ish in my opinion, but still great. Probably one of the nicer Barleywines I've had as of late.

Serving type: cask

01-11-2011 16:54:14 | More by thagr81us

gford217

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

As always, big thanks to tOrinO for getting the Bruery bottles out to me. I owe you for that.

Really dark pour, almost completely opaque mahogany with only hints of light coming through the edges. It also sports an impressive thick creamy beige head that shows phenomenal retention as it literally refuses to recede at all.

Definitely a hoppy barley wine in the nose with thick pithy citrus in the form of grapefruit alongside resinous pine. The caramel malts are subtle with a bit of toffee and overripe fruits. Alcohol is barely noticeable.

Taste Is not quite as hoppy as the nose, but it's still hopper than most versions of the style. Sticky resinous pine up front with a more dominant caramel malt backbone than the aroma suggested. Definitely a stronger fruity sweetness as well.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to moderate carbonation and is my main knock on the beer as it's verging on watery.

Tasty hop-forward barley wine but I think the Bruery could amp this up a bit and really hit a home run. I look forward to more iterations in the style from Patrick.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 02:24:08 | More by gford217

DefenCorps

Oregon

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared with friends with and after dinner last night.

Darker in color than I was expecting, this is a deep amber-colored brew with a dense, off-white head with excellent retention and lacing. Despite having a few months under its belt, this beer still does smell hoppy, and in a good way. Moderately subdued pine and citrus hops with a noticeable brightness are immediately noticeable. In addition, there's a nice malty backbone as well, with dark caramel, candi sugar (wink wink), brown sugar and a mellow sweetness. In fact, the malt character makes me think of Papier/Coton/Cuir light, minus the age and oxidation. Again, despite the age, the hops are mildly faded but still fresh, and show no signs of oxidation.

The palate opens with a blend of pine and grapefruit hop flavor, and moderate bitterness. The malt appears right after, with flavors of brown sugar, dark caramel, toffee, a little bit of burnt sugar and some cocoa coming through. The caramel does linger on the finish, along with a sticky, resiny hop character. Medium in body with moderate carbonation, this feels great on the palate. Recommended, I'd drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 21:02:35 | More by DefenCorps

FosterJM

California

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

179th review on BA
on tap at RS party

App- A lighter amber/red with a creamy white cap.

Smell- Up front is the citrus notes, got a big whiff of hops and looked at my sheet to see Barleywine. Hmmm...Maltly backbone on this one

Taste- It was flavoful and a touch bitter to me. It wasn't bad though. Had a lot of hops. Which I wasn't expecting.

Mouth-Medium bodied with a high carb level.

Drink- Was a nice beer, was excited I got to try it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2011 03:53:47 | More by FosterJM

AgentZero

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Hopleaf.

A - Brownish beer with red highlights. Decent sized off-white head that dissipated to some pretty solid lacing.

S - This smells pretty hoppy, particularly along the resin, citrus, and bitter veins. There is a bit of malt on the backbone, but doesn't really smell like a barleywine.

T - This really reminds me of a hoppy amber or red ale moret han a barleywine. Taste is caramel and bready malts, with some citrus and resin hops. It's actually pretty tasty and easy to get down, but is style confusing.

M - Medium bodied, good carbonation.

O - Actually a beer I liked, although seems odd for style. Would drink again, but not going to go out of my way to get it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2011 15:52:22 | More by AgentZero

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into a La Chouffe tulip; thanks to the kind soul who shared this at the Batch 3 Rosso release.

A: Hazy russet body with a solid finger of super-fine tan foam. Fantastic retention, solid sheets of lacing. Beautiful.

S: Caramel, toffee, and fruity, spicy hops. Clean, simple, and good.

T: Follows the nose, with added emphasis on the hops up front and caramel sweetness on the finish. Excellent, but far from transcendent.

M: Smooth, sticky medium body with low carbonation. Ok.

O: This was a solid example of a great style, offering a nice balance of sweet specialty malts and fruity American hops. I wouldn't go out of my way to get more, but I'm very glad I got to try it.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 23:59:37 | More by woosterbill

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks very much to jdiddy for sharing. Pours an exquisite burnished red/mahogany with a quarter inch cream-colored head embedded with tiny ringlets. Spots of lacing are revealed during the tasting. Nose expresses dark fruits, figs, prunes and a slightly candied character. Taste follows nose with the addition of a hoppiness that sits on the malty backbone. Finish is slightly bitter and medicinal. Mouthfeel is medium-light in consistency with a slightly prickly carbonation. Right now this beer comes off a little too hoppy for my preference, but it's still quite tasty and has great cellaring potential in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 00:36:11 | More by Jwale73

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a cloudy amber-brown color with a finger of frothy tannish head. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of strong grapefruit and citrus hops with some pine as well. There is also some strong toasted caramel malts with a bit of brown sugar.

T - Starts off with some strong grapefruit and citrus hops with some rich sweet caramel malts and brown sugar. Through the middle, some strong pine hop flavor with some bitterness comes through. The finish is a mix of rich caramelized malts, pine and citrus hops, bitterness, and a touch of booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a dry and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. Really big hoppy American Barleywine with some strong malt flavors and body to balance things out.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 04:01:58 | More by ngeunit1

GbVDave

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a Bruery growler into three pint glasses. Thanks to Steve and Chris for the assist! Extra special thanks to errantnight for the amazing hook-up!

A: Pours a muddy/cloudy Des Plaines River water brown. A massively creamy yet rocky four finger layer of foam rises up, way over the rim of the glass, and hangs tight before slowly receeding and leaving a wonderful mess of lace stuck to the sides of the glass.

S: Loads of sticky pine resin hops. Before long, a thick layer of sweet caramel and pan roasted nuts come on to soften the blow.

T: Just as above with an excellent level of boozy heat. Just enough to let you know it's there, but not enough to wreck your palate.

M: As the growler wore on it picked up a twinge of barleywine roughness. Pretty typical for the style. Loads of oily hops and spicy alcohol mixed with a little caramel sweetness for balance.

D: Drinks waaay better that expected. We killed this growler far too quickly! These limited Bruery releases have been stellar as of late!

Serving type: growler

02-02-2011 00:08:18 | More by GbVDave