Batch 50: Grand Funk Ale Road - The Bruery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Enormous waftng geuze aroma, pleasant. Yellow bodied, lots of yeast chunks, of course particularly at the last sample. Smooth mouthfeel. The potential tartness, which increases by sample, is well malted, so that drinkability is very good. A very good geuze.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 21:50:18 | More by northyorksammy

womencantsail

California

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

Lightly carbonated hazed orange cold with a small white head. A really nice nose. Quite a bit of funk with some grass, green apple, lemon, and lemon peel. There’s even a bit of peach to it. The flavor has quite a bit of peach, melon, and some slight sweetness. A light grass and funk note, and a moderate tartness (could use more).

Looking forward to seeing how this one ages.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 21:29:36 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by craytonic. Served in a Cantillon tumbler.

Pours a clear deep golden color with a good fizzy white head and a bit in the way of lace. The nose is quite cheesy and brings a good dosage of funk to go with that. Low-to-moderate acidity. I really dig the cheesiness.

The flavor pulls back and loses some of the funk that was so promising in the nose. Some lemon and citrus and lactic sourness throughout the finish. Light body and a nice, dry finish. Solid beer. I'm excited to see how this one develops.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 11:42:25 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a honey color; very cloudy with hardly any carbonation and no head or lacing

Smell: Cheesy, cidery, lemony, funky and tart but with a hint of underlying toffee

Taste: Lactic sourness, up front, with layers of green apple, stone fruit and lemon along with just a hint of toffee that develops in the middle; cheesy funk arrives at mid-palate and builds, after the swallow, to complement the other elements

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body; flat but somewhat puckery

Overall: A beer dearly in need of carbonation but otherwise an interesting and complex geuze

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 22:53:39 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.95/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle pour at the Bruery Reserve Society initiation party at The Phoenix Club in Anaheim, CA.

Pours a hazy golden yellow with a tan head that fades to nothing. No lacing on this one. Smell is of sour, tart, and funky aromas with slight vinegar notes. Taste is the same and is very tart and funky. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good gueuze that is pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 23:57:01 | More by UCLABrewN84

drabmuh

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Bruery tulip. At the time of this review, this is the #31 beer on the "Top Beers - Gueuze" list on beeradvocate.com

Beer is yellow, really hazy, undercarbonated for sure, big bubbles, no head, very murky, no retention no lacing. An aggressive pour forms a head for a few seconds but swirling does nothing.

Aroma is sweet, acetic, succinic, lactic, oak, a lot of lactic, cheese.

Beer is light in body and bright on the palate, a seriously drinkable beer. It is tart and sour without overwhelming. The lactic creaminess and cheesiness comes through a lot. Not my favorite sour from them but a good one.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 14:22:07 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

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

Thanks to Saucer Sam for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a yellow color with a few white bubbles. The aroma has a good bit of leathery funk to it, as well as some lemon notes and a bit of wheat. The flavor is similar. The funk notes are fairly strong, but I also get some tart, acidic lemon character. There is also a bit of leather, as well as some biscuit and oranges. Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 03:45:29 | More by Mora2000

Halcyondays

California

3.88/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle,

A: Pours a hazy orange yellow with a minimal white head. Below average retention, no lace. A fair amount of floaties are in the beer.

S: Peaches, apricot, honey, light amount of wildflowers.

T: Lots of lemon, has some good complex fruit flavours, big stone fruit on the finish. Light note of pineapple juice in there as well. Not really traditional gueuze flavours, no one will mistake this for Belgian, but an enjoyable effort.

M: Medium acidity, light hints of acetic. Light-bodied with a mild, crisp carbonation.

O: It's good, it's not really good unfortunately which makes it a bit of a disappointment because of the price. An interesting beer to age I would think though.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 03:46:35 | More by Halcyondays

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.53/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a vibrant yellow with tons of miniscule bubbles all around, pristine white virgin like head to it, good lacing. Tart aroma, lemony, green apple.

Plenty sour taste, more lemon, light body, nice carbonation makes it so easy to drink. Grassy and peachy. No barnyard funkishness.

This one is going to be a prime contender for aging, really see only a diminished role for the lemon and green apple as it puckers up even more from what is a considerable amount to begin with.

Another total winner of a sour from the Bruery. This will sell out fast at Provisions. Like tart of darkness fast (damn I hope they make that beer again).

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 18:29:15 | More by Beerandraiderfan

HopHead84

California

4.15/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12/9/2011

Bottle opened by Overlord at the motel of broken dreams.

A: Yellow orange with a diminutive white head.

S: Lactic and earthy with pronounced notes of cheese and leather. Brackish and musty, with earth and barnyard characteristics. Fruit is reminiscent of lemon.

T: Tart and salty immediately with evident leather. The beer has a moderate lactic sourness with some lemon and apple. There's a light citric acidity with an acetic element in the terminus.

M: Lower medium body with low carbonation.

Overall: This is very drinkable and damn enjoyable. I think a higher level of carbonation would do the beer much credit.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 17:20:15 | More by HopHead84

stakem

Pennsylvania

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

Thanks to Orangesol for sharing one of these at a recent tasting. Poured into a taster glass, the brew appears a haze straw yellow color with a slim white frothy lacing for a cap. Some spotty lacing sticks to the glass and a light swirl agitates some bubbles from solution.

The smell of this brew is cheesy enough that I wrote cheese as a descriptor 3 times. There is some funk mingled with lemony rinds and a solid herbal component. This brew smells quite earthy to me and almost a bit dirty as it warns up and breaths.

The taste is lemony with a minor fruit to rindy oil component. Stinky cheese is present along with herbs and funk. As it warns up, more citrus zest flavoring comes out and mingles with the tartness throughout. Not a bad offering by any means, just unique and a bit different from the norm.

This is a medium bodied brew with a light level of carbonation. It had a light oily feel to it that almost cools the mouth with a lasting cling. The coolness is almost menthol like which is interesting and increases the ease of drinkability. A good arrangement of flavor an worth trying if you have the chance. My only complaint is that this seems a little one-noted and not as complex as you would expect for the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 20:34:06 | More by stakem

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.96/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Served from bottle into a Bruery snifter. Poured a golden yellow-orange that had a minimal white head that subsided to none quickly. Maintain minimal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised sweet malt, tart, fruit, acetic acid, wood, earth, and funk. The flavor was of sweet malt, tart, vinegar, fruit, wood, and subtle funk. It had a light feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. Based on the name I was seriously expecting to be completely overwhelmed by funk. However what I found was a rather acidic offering. This was a pretty nice thing though if you ask my palate. I was able to easily crush the full bottle of this. Nice job on this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 22:49:08 | More by thagr81us

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt.

The beer appears an apricot hue with minimal head that rapidly fades to nothing. The aroma offers apricots, funk. Smells acetic. The flavor is a lesser Fou' Foune. I wonder if any apricots were used in the brewing process? Gueuze character with some stone fruits, a touch of lemon, wild yeast. I expected the finish to be lactic, acetic, and slightly harsh, but there is no bite at all. Quite drinkable and refreshing. Overall, a solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 00:50:43 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

California

3.63/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear yellow pour with a thin head that dissipates quickly. Pleasantly funky nose, pineapple and barnyard, light graininess, lactic and citrus sourness. Palate has a really nice lemon sourness, light lacto, pineapple fruitiness. It's sweeter than I'd like, however. Light body, not much carbonation at this point; hopefully that aspect improves. Nice finish, lactic with a little lingering oak. Pretty good stuff, hopefully age will improve it.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 23:52:30 | More by largadeer

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

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

Thanks to orangesol for sharing this...enjoyed from a cervoise.

The color is sunny golden with thick haze and tiny bead with spots of lace clinging. The smell is fruity, lemony and slightly floral with some nice sour esters from the wild yeast and other funky organisms. The odor is sour but a nice woody presence augments it. The feel is good with dry, slightly sour tinge and fruity acidity with a moderately high amount of carbonation and subtle tannic/acidic tinge with spicy accent and toasted finish.

The GFA is a somewhat lactic sour flavor with tangy and dry aspect from the start. There is a lemony and kumquat flavor with subtle tropical note giving a little complexity as the woody note seems to provide a gentle earthy, yet faint spice in the background. This is a tasty beer with slight green quality and tangy taste from the yeast, perhaps some wheat too.

Overall I liked this a lot it is good and would probably benefit from a little age - the acidity is not over the top and the gentle tropical sweetness in the mix makes it pretty high in drinkability

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 18:01:26 | More by Slatetank

FosterJM

California

3.48/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1008th Review on BA
Bottle to Bruery Tulip
750 Ml

App- A clear apple juice orange/yellow with a bit of gold mixed in. No head, no bubbles or cling behind it.

Smell- A very juice like nose. Has alot of oaky leather behind it. A small touch of funk with with a little bit of sweet behind it. You could say a little damp with some earthy leaves.

Taste- I must say I really did expect more from this one. A little above average but not much more. Very juicy with a lot of citrus. Tempered fruits from apple and pear. Had a seemingly large of oaky malt behind it w/o a balance.

Mouth- A lighter medium body with a low medium carbontion. Lacked a prickly carbonation to make this shine. I would think more bubbles would make this one pop a bit more.

Drink- Damn I so wanted this to be more than what it was. I wanted that dry, funky, hay, barn, dampness. Its much like just a fruity malty beer. I probably wont spring for a 2nd bottle of this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 20:00:48 | More by FosterJM

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a fairly clear golden-orange color with a thin layer of frothy white head. The head fades down pretty quickly leaving behind very little lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of sourness, funk, green apple and other light fruits, lemon, and some oak.

T - Starts off with some sharp sourness and funk with some acidic lemon and some green apple tartness. Through the middle, some oak comes through with a touch of vanilla, other light fruit sweetness and some more funk and wild yeasts. The finish is a mix of sourness, funk, light acidity, lemon, vanilla, and oak.

M - Medium-light bodied with moderate-mild carbonation. Feels smooth with a tart and sour finish.

D - Very drinkable. I really like the tartness and sourness of this one. Nice balance and complexity from start to end.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 05:18:13 | More by ngeunit1

ehammond1

California

3.73/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (2011)

The Bruery Provisions
Orange, CA

Slightly hazed light golden orange with very little visible carbonation--almost none. There is a whisper of a white head, but then it's gone instantly. This leaves the glass clean and a touch oily on its way down.

The aroma truly shines, even before this beer is poured the aroma is spilling out from the bottleneck. The aroma is quite fruity (peaches, orange, and lemon) and also extremely funky with just a hint of sulfur at the beginning of each whiff. There's a stinging sourness throughout as well, bring it on! Just about perfect.

The flavor too is quite nice--the funky yeast plays a larger role than in the aroma, as the lemon and peach elements take a back seat. The funk is fabulous though! This is quite sour as well from sip to swallow. Nicely balanced, though awesomely funky.

The major detractor to this beer is its mouthfeel. It's lifeless, there's almost no carbonation here whatsoever.

With better carbonation, I think this beer has the elements to be phenomenal. But the mouthfeel is such an important element in a beer's success, that ultimately, this one just doesn't quite cut it.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 17:11:16 | More by ehammond1

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.2/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a crystal clear deep golden color with a miniscule head that dissipates almost instantly. Smells of tart citrus, lemons and oranges with a bit of funk. Taste is citric tart up front with lots of lemons and green apples. A bit of oak tannin and vanilla pop in for a second then, there's a nice candy sweetness that does a great job balancing the tart. Sweet and sour linger on the palette long after each sip. Medium body with moderate level of carbonation and a sugary tart mouthfeel. That is a nice sour beer, it could use a few more bubbles but damn that's tasty.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 22:32:23 | More by johnnnniee

Overlord

California

4.35/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Consumed from a tulip manufactured in October of 2008 by Chilean laborers conscripted to toil in the African Congo by Chinese overseers. The glass is mainly formed from deposits located in Lesotho. Drabmuh's name is emblazoned upon it.

Whoa, where'd the peach come from? I had Mrs. Overlord try a sip, to see what she thought, and she mentioned the same thing that struck me about this beer: sour, unripe quasi-sweet peaches.

Pours a very, very light golden yellow. Nice white foam topping, though it doesn't last long. Beer could use more bubbles.

Smells like peaches, unripe pears, a bit of ... I don't know ... apple peel, some very, very muted funk/barnyard notes, and a bit of ... I don't know ... kind of oak-y wine-i-ness.

Taste is very fruit forward. Surprised there's no fruit in this. The aforementioned peaches, pears (the apple notes vanish), a nice biting sour zing, and the funk which is so light in the nose is also pretty light in the flavor. Could maybe use a month or so to develop a bit of musty funkiness. Then again, I am just struck by the peach notes. Oak/wood is a nice contrast.

This is a very, very light beer. Not much carbonation, not much ... heft ... to it. Not a flavor bomb though it has a good medley of somewhat unexpected notes.

Going to get some more.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 05:35:14 | More by Overlord

mdaschaf

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Scott for sending this my way!

A: Pours a clear orange color with a very small white fizzy head upon pouring that is gone in an instant. No lacing at all.

S: Nice stone fruit aromas, some peach and a little apricot, some green apple as well. There is a little bit of tartness and a slight funk as well.

T: A good bit of lemon and a little tart green apple. There is a slight mineraly taste and a little bit of oak.

M: Light to medium bodied with low carbonation, a bit more carbonation/bubbles I think would have helped a little bit.

O: A solid gueuze, not quite as good as some of the Belgian offerings, but easy drinking. I think a bit more carbonation really would have improved this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 01:47:15 | More by mdaschaf

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.11/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Sammy, 750ml into a tulip.

Unfiltered browned yellow, with some chunks of yeast. Only a wee bit of head and lacing. Nose is relatively malty, some oak, lemon and tart citrus, mild spice character but the fruity notes are quite nice. Taste has again a really nice malt profile, citrus character, mild oak and tartness is quite gentle. Medium body, medium low carbonation. A beautiful beer, easily consumed with enough complexity to keep me entertained.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 18:10:08 | More by liamt07

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle opened on 4.12. Thanks Bobby.

A - Pours a clear bright orange with a few large white bubbles that are gone almost instantly.

S - Funk, green apples and some white grapes.

T - Slight funk, mild gree apple again and grapes.

D - Lower carbonation with a very thin body.

O - Smooth and easy drinking. I was expecting a bit more of a funk punch, pretty mild.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 21:00:51 | More by HuskyinPDX

Sean9689

Illinois

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

750ml purchased from the Reserve Society. Poured into Darkness tulip.

A - Pours a golden yellow color, very bright and hazy, quick dissipating white head, some bubbles here and there, almost flat.

S - Solid funky aroma, light to medium levels of tart/sour notes, slight sweetness in there as well. Perahps some citrus notes in there too.

T - More of the same from the nose. Nice tartness, light sour, some fruity citrus sweetness. Super-easy to drink and very enjoyable.

M - Light, almost flat, refreshing, semi-dry finish.

O - This one really surprised me. It's just a very easy-drinking Wild that I could drink all day long. The sour/tart notes are there enough to enjoy without fatiguing my palate. Give it a try!

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 18:24:04 | More by Sean9689

scottfrie

California

3.45/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Snifter.

A: Pours a cloudy straw/golden color with no head or trace of lace.
S: Big notes of vinegar, golden fruits and straw. Tart smelling and gueuzey.
T: Follows the nose with flavors of golden fruits, straw, a touch of acetone and sharp vinegar. It’s not as tart as I was expecting though. Other flavors include lemon peel, peach and fruit skins/tannins.
M: A very greasy mouthfeel and low carbonation. Body is heavy and viscous.
O: I wish it had a few more bubbles but the flavors were pretty good in this one. Nothing spectacular but refreshing enough.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 23:57:13 | More by scottfrie