Provisions Series: Burly Gourd - The Bruery

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.13/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a St. Bernardus goblet. Presumably brewed for Halloween 2011. I appreciate the 6.66% ABV.

A: Two fingers of thick, fluffy brownish-tan head. Very dark brown. Very opaque.

S: Super spicy. Loads of cloves and allspice. Overpowering, but pumpkiny, I guess.

T/M: Mmm, silky smooth and full of chocolate. Still, there's a sort of tart fruitiness lurking in the background along with a spicy-clean finish laced with cloves. Mm. Perhaps the best pumpkin porter I've come across.

O: Highly recommended! Delicious and excellent. Everything is well-balanced, but the lactose makes it with an excellently smooth mouthfeel accentuated by tingly spices.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 06:23:18 | More by AgentMunky

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

2.68/5  rDev -27%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A pumpkin milk stout with spices aged on cedar, Finally!
Severe carbonation makes this one a challenge to pour but leaves a solid black liquid with a creamy foamy tan head that takes forever to recede and litters the glass with webs of lace. Smells like a cigar box mostly. Heavy cedar aroma with hints of vegetables are really all I can find in the aroma. I thought cigar city had the lock on over cedar-ed beers, but apparently the Bruery is right up there too. The flavor is sweet at first with a hint of chocolate and caramel before the cedar takes over. Earthy, spicy, woody, and herbal with barely a beer to counter it. Medium body with an insane level of carbonation and a sweet tannic mouthfeel. ?Uhm yeah I'm not sure what this was supposed to be, but there is a good chance that we are not going to be able to finish this bottle. Too much cedar!

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 00:04:38 | More by johnnnniee

Gatch

Massachusetts

2.58/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Purchased at The Bruery Provisions in Orange, CA.

A: Deep dark amber with a medium brown head.

S: Watered down, slightly spiced apple cider. Cinnamon. Pumpkin. Spice. Weak.

T: Basically dark, strong apple cider with pumpkin spice. Not much body at all. Strange.

M: Smooth and easy drinking. Otherwise bad.

O: Not good at all. Disappointed. I wouldn't recommend this at all. Seems like they worried too much about ingredients and not enough about the beer part.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 02:42:24 | More by Gatch

cosmicevan

New York

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bottle courtesy of reserve society buddy CAbeerCAbeerCA enjoyed from a bruery snifter.

a - brew poured a watery jet black with about 90% of the glass filling with a mocha like foamy head from a hard pour. as it vanished, it left chunky milk shake like lacing in huge chunks.

s - VERY zety and potpouri. how could this be a milk stout? it smells like a craft store. VERY pumpkin, VERY autumn, VERY art craft store. very nice, but just surprising and unexpected.

t - much like the nose, this is predominantly an autumn pumpkin art store beer. i swear, i'm in the midst of bath and body works in the throws of autumn. a milk stout, this is not. a pumpkin beer, this is tops. hard to really put a score since i was expecting a milk stout, but if you are to look at this as burly gourd, well you don't get much more autumn than this beer. shokingly autumn. lots of cinnamon and spice.

m - a bit fizzy and definitely a bit of a alc buzz in my mouth.

o - overall, i am knocked out with surprise. i did NOT expect these wild craft store pot pouri flavors. i expected a devilish milk stout. paint me surprised. however, that being said, if you are looking for a fall beer, this one is marvelously balanced and tickles your craft store autumn senses. be ready and prepared. for what it is, it is excellent...just wasn't expecting this. truly enjoyable and a pleasant surprise.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 03:36:06 | More by cosmicevan

jsanford

Georgia

2.75/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a dark cola-brown with a foamy khaki-colored head that settles to a thick cap. Spice (cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg) and cedar dominates the nose, along with some sweet pumpkin, dark roasted malt, and cream. Taste is similarly spice-dominated, with more nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. A bit too spicy for my liking, this moves away from being a "pumpkin beer" into "spice beer" territory. The Milk Stout base is a nice touch, but can't hide (or balance) the high spice quantity. Mouthfeel is fairly smooth and creamy, with a medium body and a touch too-high carbonation. Overall a decent experiment, but not a very good beer. A rare Bruery miss for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 02:46:13 | More by jsanford

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark brown-ruby with a finger of frothy chocolate colored head. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of roasted milk chocolate, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices, nutmeg, allspice, cedar, and a touch of vanilla.

T - Starts off with roasted milk chocolate malts with some pumpkin, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and a bit of vanilla. Through the middle, some more roasted sweet milk chocolate comes through with some cedar, and some stronger spices. The finish is a mix of roasted dark malts, spices, pumpkin, cedar, and vanilla.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a roasted, spicy, and sweet finish.

D - Very drinkable. I like the combination of pumpkin flavor and milk stout. I also think the balance of spices is just right here.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 04:54:40 | More by ngeunit1

GregSVT

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml capped bottle into a tulip - 2011 Vintage

A: Pours a dark brown with a huge rocky dark tan head that fades to a small layering and leaves a lot of lacing on the glass.

S: The aromas are pumpkin, nutmeg, allspice, a lactose sweetness, and a hint of chocolate.

T: The taste is the same along with a mild roasted malt flavor. Not too impressed with the flavor compared to the nose.

M: The feel is the biggest disappointment as it's pretty thin and very over carbonated. There are barely any flavors on the finish.

O: The aromas and flavors are good but the mouthfeel is way off here. Granted this is a low ABV beer but I expected at least a decent finish with all the spices.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 02:07:49 | More by GregSVT

Beerenauslese

California

4.03/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Body is dark brown. Poured into a Bruery chalice, it easily produces a thick head that has good retention and minimal lacing.

Smells of milk chocolate, pumpkin. Well, I guess the odd smell is the cedar wood.

Tastes like a milk stout, lots of roasted malt and some ash and milk chocolate. To that is added a roasted sweet pumpkin character and it is pretty highly spiced with clove, cinnamon, and what else. The cedar wood also adds some notes of cedar chest. It is quite a mouthful, and is better accompanied by food.

Body is medium and carbonation is too, producing a creamy mouthfeel. The char acidity is strong, and it is a bit dry and slightly ashy in the finish.

This is an assault of different flavors that do come reasonably well together to produce a good autumnal beer. The ABV is low, and while it is a nice drinkable beer, the flavor is burly, and goes better with a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream consumed by a cedar wood fire.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 04:47:25 | More by Beerenauslese

beagle75

Iowa

3.55/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Opaque black color with over two fingers of light beige foam head that is slow to collapse. No lacing remains on the glass.

S: Windy carbon dioxide dominates and disperses honest cooked pumpkin and select baking spices. Malt is generally underrepresented.

T: Begins sweet, with refined dark malt and faint coffee that suffers from aggressive carbonic acidity. Fruitiness is predictably dark and earthy, followed by floral spices then turning husky in the finish.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, very smooth and soft on the palate, with low carbonation.

D/O: This dark pumpkin beer has a lot of bold sensory qualities, but they seem to run together so fluidly at times as to seem muddled. It is better suited to casual quaffing than careful analysis, although it does live up to the pumpkin branding, transmitting the characteristic in both flavor and smell.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 22:39:24 | More by beagle75

bashiba

Iowa

4.03/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours like a typical bruery beer, by that I mean a giant massive head, otherwise a nice deep brown with tons of lacing and head retention.

The nose is very spicy, with a big blast of pepper, light pumpkin spices, and a bit of roasted malt.

The flavor is very nice, big and malty with roasty grains and chocolate along with spicy classic nutmeg pumpkin flavors. A great mix of flavors and very big at that.

The mouthfeel is thick and creamy.

Very nice, tasty beer, I like the strange complexity.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 23:15:03 | More by bashiba

Blakaeris

Iowa

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours bery dark brown, almost black with a massive, dense and creamy tan head.

Aroma is charred dark grain and caramel malt sweetness. Intense spice cake - nutmeg, clove, and allspice. Mild pumpkin barely shines through.

Taste is malty and chocolatey sweetness up front. Mild charred smokey grain. Dark fruit and woody, aromatic cedar, and earthy hop jumps in. Then the dramatic spice overshadows everything with an intesity that makes it hard to differentiate distinct notes, along with a slight alcohol heat.

Mouthfeel is light-medium bodied.

Overall, interesting but the spice profile is too vague, but extremely intense. Needs more unification.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 23:06:20 | More by Blakaeris

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle opened on 1-22-12.

A - Pours a dark brown with a bit tan head. Great retention and lacing.

S - Pumpkin, wood, and oak.

T - Smokey pumpkin, and some chocolate.

D - Tons of carbonation and an average medium body.

O - Pumpkin forward, subtle chcolate, and a nice balance.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 04:34:06 | More by HuskyinPDX

gford217

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle.

Pours a deep chocolate brown with some burgundy hints around the edges. The most noticeable part of the appearance is the enormous creamy tan head that sits atop the beer and goes nowhere throughout.

First thing I noticed in the aroma is the spices, nutmeg and allspice mainly. The pumpkin is present but not as prevalent as the spices, and maybe a little chocolate and roasted dark malts.

Taste is more of the same though there is a bit of tartness to the taste in addition to the pumpkin spices, fresh pumpkin and chocolate malts.

Mouthfeel is lively, overcarbonated a little, which makes it come across as lighter bodied than it really is.

Lots of spices and chocolate in this beer though the carbonation takes away from the heft more than it should. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 03:06:46 | More by gford217

mdfb79

New York

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Got this one in the 2012 Birthday BIF from futhurgone; Thanks Rob! Another want of mine. Poured from a 750ml bottle into my Bruery tulip. Boom.

a - Pours a very dark brown, almost black color, with two fingers of dark tan ehad and moderate carbonation evident. Head lasts for 4-5 minutes and leaves an inch drinking throughout. Very tiny bit of lacing left on the glass.

s - Smells of cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread, roasted malts, chocolate, spices, vanilla/cream, and light pumpkin. Pretty good actually, what I imagine they were going for.

t - Tastes of spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, roasted malts, lightly sweet chocolate, vanilla, cream, some hops, pepper, and pumpkin. A little spicer then I would have liked, and not as nice as the nose.

m - Medium body and high carbonation. A little bit overcarbonated which hurts the body.

o - Overall a pretty decent beer. Aside from the taste being a little heavy on the spices and the body being a little overcarbonated, I imagine this is what they were looking to do. If you like pumpkin ales you'll probably enjoy this one. Would give it another shot.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 01:38:54 | More by mdfb79

eclipse54

Idaho

4.4/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A 750 mL bottle from barfdiggs; thank you! Split into two tulips.

A standard pour produces a primarily black body with dark brown and garnet hues. About two and a half finger’s worth of tan head develops with moderate retention and lacing. A steady stream of bubbles fuels a large patch in the center of the surface. Definitely a gorgeous looking brew.

The aroma is of pumpkin/yam, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, a bit of cacao, cane sugar, and a touch of roasted malt. Great scent, only wish it jumped out a bit more (minor gripe really).

Taste begins with the “pumpkin” spices: yam, pumpkin seed, allspice, clove, nutmeg, hint of cinnamon and some brown sugar. Finishes more like a milk stout, with the cacao, lightly roasted malt, and cane sugar coming through. A bi of nutmeg and clove linger on the aftertaste, and a hint of the cedar is noticeable on the exhale.

Mouthfeel is wonderful; carbonation is spot on, cutting through the spices and keeping them from sticking to the palate. The mouth feels thinly coated by this moderate/thick bodied beer, but the finish is relatively clean (no syrupy or cloying residue) and dry, perhaps aided by the cedar.

Overall, this is a great pumpkin ale with a lot of complexity and dimension. Slightly reminiscent of TREAT, but taken in a different direction and masterfully done.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 01:48:10 | More by eclipse54

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured a massively dark brown with a one finger tan head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, cedar, pumpkin, spice, and brown sugar. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, wood, pumpkin, spice, fruit, and subtle brown sugar. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. The cedar on this one definitely ran the show in this brew. The cedar dominated the aroma on this one and the flavor while having loads of cedar in it, still allowed the more subtle flavors to come through. Quite a nice brew from the Bruery.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 02:29:33 | More by thagr81us

drabmuh

Maryland

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

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a Bruery tulip, why wouldn't I?

Beer is overcarbonated, dark brown, clear at the corners, big tan head, medium retention, high carbonation, some lacing.

Aroma is sweet, spice, nutmeg, pumpkin, allspice, mild cinnamon.

Beer is thin and spicy, mildly solventy but OK, the spices come through nicely and it feels fine. I don't think it is one of their better beers but an interesting "milk stout" or pumpkin ale whatever people want to call it, it doesn't really matter.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 04:18:36 | More by drabmuh

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.08/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Dark brown pour with a brown head, some lacing
Smell: pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling spices, chocolate and roasted malts, cedar
Taste: Again, the fall pumpkin and associated spices make a strong showing, odd yeast element and some woodiness
mouthfeel: full body
Overall: I might lump it in with the pumpkin beers, either way it isn't very impressive.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 22:12:49 | More by craytonic

BdubleEdubleRUN

California

3.9/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a creamy black with a light tan and sticky head. The nose contains some pumpkin, cinnamon, chocolate and nutmeg. The taste pretty much match the nose but presents itself a bit more then it does on the nose. It's got a medium body with good carbonation and a pretty easy drink-ability. Would gladly have again.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 02:10:59 | More by BdubleEdubleRUN

merc7186

New York

3.3/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer poured from a bomber into a tulip glass.

A: Dark Opaque Hue, Passes No Light, Light Brown Head, Good Lacing

S: Strong Cedar, Smoke, Pumpkin

T: Smoked Cedar, Sweet Potatoes, Vanilla, Milk Chocolate, Mild Lactose

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium To Full Bodied, Mildly Bitter, Somewhat Watery

Overall, this beer retains a lot of the cedar flavor and smokiness but it seems like there is too much going on at one time and almost cancels each thing out, way too complex.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 20:36:02 | More by merc7186

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Draft at Bruery Provisions.

Pours pitch black and opaque with a one finger beige had that slowly settles into lasting ring. Streaks of lace left behind.

Sweet and spicy aroma with tons of pumpkin, autumnal spice and chocolate. Hints of ginger, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, pumpkin purée, allspice, clove and vanilla. Subtle wood presence with decent dark malt profile.

Medium bodied with a really weird combination of flavors.  Lots of lactic cream and dark malts that are quickly countered by an aggressively overspiced character.  Lots of pumpkin, ginger and pumpkin but it's not as complex as the nose hinted at.  The heavy spiciness clashed with the lactic sugar and dark malts making it a bit tough to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2012 02:13:00 | More by corby112

UCLABrewN84

California

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at The Bruery Provisions in Orange, CA.

Pours an opaque dark brown with a khaki head that fades to a film on the top of the beer. Random streaks of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark malt, cocoa, pumpkin, and spices. Taste is the same along with some gingersnap and molasses flavors. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with an almost acidic mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer and I am enjoying the stout and pumpkin spice combination they went for on this one.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2012 21:04:46 | More by UCLABrewN84

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at The Bruery Tasting room. Some sour aroma and sour taste, with some pumpkin and roasted pumpkin seed. Reddish brown, sugar to offset it. An OK pumpkin beer slash Belgian, with some flavour and OK drinkability, would like more bold spice. Average mouthfeel.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2012 03:55:43 | More by northyorksammy

Murrhey

Montana

2.88/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured on tap at the Bruery. 7oz in a tulip glass. Looked quite tasty. Reviewed from notes.

A- Finger and a half mocha head. Minute long retention with an opaque mahogany head.

S- So creamy and pumpkiny. The mashed gourd sort of smell was nice, but very muted.

T- Not what I was expecting it to taste like. Woody flavors and distinct coffee notes. Can taste a bit of the creaminess from the milk, but not a lot. Muted as well.

M- Medium to heavy bodied, maybe a tad overcarbonated which is especially unfortunate due to the low retention rate.

O- Ok beer, but failed at what it was trying to do in my opinion. Might buy again, but with lower expectations.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2012 01:35:03 | More by Murrhey

Sean9689

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle, split with the fiancé. Poured into Portsmouth tulip.

A - Pours a darker brownish color, off-white frothy head, spotty lace, thick collar, and some wisps left on top.

S - A nice level of pumpkin, spices, and a touch of creamy chocolate. The milk stout definitely takes a back seat to the pumpkin and spices, but is still there a bit.

T - Not quite as good as the nose. Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, oak, slight chocolate. Still a nice pumpkin flavor, but there's a slightly harsh oak/spice note on the finish that deters me.

M - Medium to full, smooth, good carbonation, creamy oak finish.

O - A nice pumpkin beer, being a pretty big fan of the style. That said, not the best I've had but also not the worst. I'd say above average for sure and I'd have again, but I would want to split the bottle more then two ways (we didn't finish it between the two of us). Give it a whirl...

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 16:15:12 | More by Sean9689