Cuir
The Bruery

CuirCuir
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
Old Ale
ABV:
14.5%
Score:
93
Avg:
4.16 | pDev: 11.54%
Reviews:
206
Ratings:
608
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 21, 2021
Added:
May 07, 2011
Wants:
  77
Gots:
  421
Cuir is our third anniversary ale. It is the same recipe as Papier, but again created using the Solera method. Each year we will continue to blend old barrels of anniversary ale with a new batch of the same beer, adding an additional layer of complexity that will grow over time as we continue to age and blend with each anniversary, creating an older average age to the ale.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of StraightNoChaser
Reviewed by StraightNoChaser from Georgia

4.54/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Bottle # 2424.
Look: mostly clear, dark copper. Some reddish head on the pour that mostly dissipates.
Smell: dark fruits, toffee, hints of bourbon.
Taste: much like the nose. Brown sugar, molasses. Super, super smooth.
Sep 21, 2021
 
Rated: 4.04 by edthehead from Maryland

Mar 14, 2021
Photo of RobertColianni
Rated by RobertColianni from Pennsylvania

3.14/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Oxidized...
Dec 29, 2020
Photo of Kendo
Reviewed by Kendo from New York

4.23/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Day 2 of "Raid Your Cellar During COVID-19 Quarantine." Last night it was a 15-year-old Brooklyn Monster Ale (barleywine), tonight it's a roughly 9-year-old Old Ale.

Consumed on 4/8/20. Cellar-aged for a couple years, but it's been in my beer fridge for quite some time.

A: Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass, the body is clear mahogany-amber when backlit, more chestnut brown when the light's removed. A 1-finger khaki-colored head rests on top, but dissipates quickly.

S: Nice nose of dried fruits (figs, raisins & prunes), molasses and brown sugar, and a touch of caramel malt. Also notes of ripe apples & cider.

T: Follows the nose, with a caramel malt/toffee foundation followed by molasses, licorice, apple cider, and dried fruits - raisins and prunes, primarily. Touch of vanilla, oak and bourbon, but not a lot. The 14.5% ABV is noted in belly, but not on the palate at all. Age has likely mellowed this one.

M: A bit oily and slick - any carbonation that was there at birth has largely disappeared over the intervening years, notwithstanding that nice head I got on the pour.

O: This has aged well - a nice sipper that will warm your soul.
Apr 08, 2020
Photo of WOLFGANG
Reviewed by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
030620 Frothy tan head billows above the ruby-brown pour. Caramellic wafts lead to barrel notes and a pleasant earthiness.
The aroma develops as it warms as this brew has been cooped up since 2011.
Very smooth mouthfeel and tastes of caramel, raisin bread, fig, with light apple notes and a touch of clove. Thanks for the opportunity David and Doug!
Mar 07, 2020
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Had on tap. An 8 year aged keg, let's go! Opaque and languid brown with only a skinny tan ring. So much toffee aroma, with booze, barley, fig, molasses, leather, bourbon, and brown sugar. Taste opens up into a syrupy, boozy and chewy body. This feel gives the flavors from the smell time to sit on the palate and play, luxurious and potent. The toffee, bourbon (even after all these years) and the dark fruit stand out the most. I miss the days when the bruery was killing it like this consistently
Dec 12, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by NickThePyro from Washington

Nov 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by Ajlvt from Washington

Nov 17, 2019
 
Rated: 4.31 by ScottP from New Hampshire

Aug 24, 2019
 
Rated: 4.41 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Feb 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jan 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by heysuz from Indiana

Jan 13, 2019
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

4.01/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from fridge temp in January of 2019. Pours dark brown with substantial head. Nose is heavy oxidation, dark fruits, and a bit of toffee. Not overly appealing. Taste is better than the nose. Nice notes of toffee, Belgian yeast, bread, nuts, dark fruit, brown sugar, vanilla, and oak. Mouthfeel is nice and creamy. Overall, this has held up well despite a not-so-nice nose.
Jan 13, 2019
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Poured into a snifter to a deep brown which is nearly black topped by a finger and a half of dense light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass
S: Smells of toffee, raisins, caramel, light fruitiness, and a hint of licorice
T: Taste is toffee and caramel with raisins and some licorice. Other spice notes come in at times as well. Nice fruitiness from the Bruery house yeast as well along with a slight vanilla. Swallow is more caramel and vanilla with a hint of oak along with some lingering dark fruits, raisins and spice.
M: This beer is big and slightly chewy in the mouth with soft carbonation that is adequate for the style. The beer has a drying finish which is to be expected for the style.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer with some great flavors and some very nice complexity. This one isn't showing the slightest hint of oxidation either which is very nice. These are definitely drinking very well and I still have one left. Lucky me.
Sep 16, 2017
Photo of GratefulBeerGuy
Reviewed by GratefulBeerGuy from New Hampshire

4.24/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Originally purchased for my 1,300th review on BA. It was not to be. This was pulled from "the cellar" of my local specialty beer shop. The third anniversary ale, brewed in 2011. Bottle # 05739 Black wax seal. Let's see how well it's aged in 6 years in the cellar.

A Very cloud and opaque brownish color with some red hues. Mocha foam cap is pretty thick and short but smooth and dense. recedes pretty fast. Only a thing ring is left.

The aroma has some oxidation hints..mainly wet cardboard. Then it's, smokey oak, old leather with spicy tones, herbal and earthy. The aroma is actually very complex. Mild chocolate and spices , toffee with wet earhy notes and heady, woody malt. Blackberries pop out later on.

75% new ale blended with 25% very old ale from Bourbon Barrels. The flavor is amped up in complexity! The malt layers is unreal. First, very sweet tones of maple syrup with tons of Bourbon Barrel boozy notes, smokey oak and vanilla, sugared dates, ovetly ripe dark fruits, boozy heat tingle, some sour tones from the hops and or yeast combo. Very "Sweet N Sour" overall, multiple flavor aspects derived just from the Bourbon Barrels, especially the oak and maple syrup. Earthy, herbal balance rides on in the finish with a slightly bitter, earthy ending. The malt flavor's just mutate and change in your mouth and as you swallow. Amazing depth of charecter.

The mouthfeel.....is actually very "alive" for an Old Ale and especially for a 6 year old! A decent bite, hot booze tingle but very full and heavy. Oily slick
Long and smooth and kinda dry in the finish.

Take your time with this one. The 14.5 % abv is no joke. A true sipper. The sweet and sour effect is very intense. You will find the overall complexity in all catagories to be a real challenge to experience. Only very mature audiences can attend this tasting!
Jul 11, 2017
 
Rated: 3.85 by BMMillsy from Florida

Jun 06, 2017
Photo of Phil-Fresh
Reviewed by Phil-Fresh from California

4.31/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle.

A: Lots of toffee/caramel aroma with a light barrel presence.

A: Dark brown color, opaque, with a thin tan head that dissipates into the glass.

T: Very rich malts with toffee/caramel notes, light dried fruits with a moderate barrel character with a sweet finish.

M: Full bodied with light carbonation. The alcoholic strength is noticeable, but quite smooth.

O: Awesome; the beer doesn’t exhibit oxidative notes, but the extended aging has also tempered the intense alcoholic warmth to really bring out the rich malt complexity.
May 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.46 by taospowder from New Mexico

May 10, 2017
Photo of jwhancher
Reviewed by jwhancher from Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Popped open a 750-mL bottle I've been holding onto for god knows when. Poured into my Bruery snifter. Looks a muddy Amber color with some brownish off white head that quickly vanishes to some soapy bubbles. Bottle presentation was very nice with wax over standard bottle cap.

Smells of cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar and molasses. There's a hint of some bourbon in there with light oak. Smells a little boozy but I'm guessing it has certainly mellowed over the years.

Very sweet upfront with almost a syrupy or candied texture. Lots of brown sugar, sweet cherries, and molasses. A hint of bourbon & oak. Surprisingly smooth for 14.5% abv. Very full bodied & mellow although the booze does warm the throats after the 3rd or 4th sip. Sort of reminds me of cough medicine.

Was worried about drinking this bottle all to myself but the smoothness really makes it quite approachable. I wish it had less cough syrup flavor, maybe more bourbon or more hops to add a tad more bitterness? This beer seems to have aged well. I only wonder how it was fresh.
Apr 08, 2017
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
2011 vintage; drank 4/1/16 @ Harvest Hop Haus.

Opaque brown/orange appearance.

Nice khaki head; decent lace.

Caramel & brandy notes in the nose.

Thick, smooth mouthfeel.

Caramel & brandy flavors up front; dry raisin notes on the finish. Surprisingly light on booze heat. Simple, but a nice treat.
Feb 20, 2017
Cuir from The Bruery
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 608 ratings