Fruet - The Bruery

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Founders tulip.

Appearance: Cloudy dark caramel/brown. Small tan head that dissipates quickly leaving no lacing.

Smell: Lost of candied sugar, molasses, figs, caramel, bourbon, some mild vanilla and oakiness in there too.

Taste: Basically the same as the nose. The bourbon and oakiness really linger in your mouth.

Mouthfeel: Viscous. The beer grabs hold of your mouth and really sticks the favors to them. Only mild carbonation.

Overall: This is one intense beer. Each of the flavors and smells is very intense. Personally I like them to blend together a bit more, but thats just my personal feelings. I feel like this will age very well and smooth off some of the rough edges.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 03:11:51 | More by stereosforgeeks

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from the Reserve Society. Served in a Bruery tulip, shared with Amyliz4. The appearance is a dark caramel with a thin, bubbly head that very quickly dissipates.

Nose is incredibly smooth and full of bourbon, oak, and vanilla. Flavor adds some caramel sweetness. Super rich and creamy. The flavor has a bit of tannin and alcohol toward the finishi, but is otherwise quite nice. Overall, this is quite excellent.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 15:29:04 | More by Thorpe429

SkiBum22

New York

4.5/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours hazy brown in color. Nice layer of large bubbles covering the surface and left a collar around the edge.

S - The smell is all fruit and bourbon, big cherry and plum mixing in with vanilla, oak, and hints of alcohol.

T - Tastes of sweet dark fruits, bourbon, oak, caramel malts, toffee, wood, sugar, molasses & vanilla. Sweeter than the nose for sure.

M - Full bodied with low to medium carbonation, extremely smooth and surprisingly easy drinking.

O - Amazing beer. I had this then a few months later I had Cuir 100% with a year on it. Both amazing beers and makes me really excited to see how this one ages. I somehow managed to drink this bottle by myself. It took a while but I enjoyed every sip.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 16:38:37 | More by SkiBum22

philbe311

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Opened to close out 2012 and welcome in 2013... Bottle #00861... Cheers...

A - Two finger's worth of actively cascading, audibly fizzy, rich and dense dark khaki colored head... Decent retention... What remains is a mostly full veil of lacing and thin collar... The color is a slightly murky medium-to-dark mahogany... Some medium sized carbonation bubbles sit on the bottom of the tulip and the rest rise at a medium to quick pace towards the top of the glass...

S - The rich robust bourbon barrel aging notes are first and foremost... They are smooth and well rounded... A bit beneath the surface lies a malt bomb... Toffee... Caramel... Dark sweet desert breads... Molasses... Perhaps some dark fruit notes as well... Raisins mixed brown sugar... Fairly intoxicating...

T - Toffee and caramel... Caramel and toffee... The malty sweetness overtakes the boozey bourbon no the palate... Brown sugar notes... Raisins... Dark fruits... Some candied apple notes... Vanilla... The bourbon notes are ultra smooth, ultra rich and ultra satisfying...

M - On the fuller side of medium bodied... A bit chewy... There's smooth and smoother, but this may be the smoothest... Limited carbonation... Sleek... A bit sticky... An absolute pleasure...

D - Wow - I could nick name this brew "Captain Smooth..." It's like liquid seduction in a bottle... It's delectable and delicious in every facet... This one was worth every bit (and then some) of the inflated price I paid... I wish I could get by grubby little paws on some more... If you stumble across any - buy it... If you're sitting on a bottle - what are you waiting for? This is an excellent world class beer in every sense... Oh yeah, I almost forgot - It's a sipper...

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 03:05:17 | More by philbe311

Lerxst

Florida

4.33/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle 13757 poured into a tulip

A-Pours a murky, very dark brown. Hints of light coming through around the edges creating dark ruby highlights with a bubbly one finger beige head that receded quickly and left just a few spots of lace.

S-There is a lot going on here. Its tough to describe it all, but I'll give it a go. Ripe, dark fruit, toffee, caramel, molasses, bourbon, butterscotch, vanilla, brown sugar. A rich dessert type aroma permeates the nose. A cornucopia of decadent, rich goodness. Well done.

T-As with the nose, there is a lot going on here. Dark fruit-figs, plums, dates. Bourbon comes in mid palate but acts as a complement to the other flavors without trying to dominate. Some toffee, caramel, butterscotch, vanilla swirl around the taste buds with just a hint of boozy heat on the back end but I'd never guess this beer is 15.5%. All of these aspects work well together making this one an old ale to savor and sip. There is an ample sweetness that I suspected might become cloying but it never did. This beer just works!

M-Not quite full bodied but almost there with light carbonation that works well. Coats the palate, slick and somewhat creamy.

O-An excellent beer from the Bruery. This is a big, bold sipper perfect for cold nights. The nose and taste are very luxurious. This one was a pleasure.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 00:57:15 | More by Lerxst

ehammond1

California

4.83/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle (2012)

Windmill Farms
San Diego, CA

Liquified caramel and toffee in a glass with a moderately-sized (surprising!) dark brown head that fades away relatively quickly to become a thin ring atop the beer. Leaves irregular spots and long splotches of stick down the glass. A gorgeous barrel-aged old ale.

Lots of caramels and melted toffee candies collide in the aroma, along with chocolate covered cherries and raisins, rich butterscotch; compelling, integrated, rich bourbon and barrel, with a very mild vanilla presence, and just a hint of alcohol warmth. Staggering.

Sweet toffees, caramel, raisins, bourbon, alcohol warmth, and oak combine for a supreme drinking experience. This is rich, coating, complex, evolving, and simply delicious. I'm not sure I've had a better example of a barrel-aged old ale.

Medium-full body with a coating, creamy, yet low carbonation. Appropriately rich and decadent.

Perhaps The Bruery's best barrel-aged beer yet (that I've had the pleasure of tasting).

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 00:53:49 | More by ehammond1

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.68/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Bottle 15737 poured a thick syrupy mix into my Delirium tulip. Dark molasses caramel in color with a hug head that stuck around for most of the drink and had heavy settling at the edges within a few minutes.

S: Aroma of mixed toffee , plum, caramelized sugars, leather, tobacco, oak and bourbon. Lots of bourbon here on the 100 percent Barrel aged mix, more than I have tasted in the past from the other anniversary ales from The Bruery.

T: Wow there is really a good mix of bourbon in the mix here. I have not traditionally tasted this much bourbon in Coton or Cuir. There is a ton of leather and oak barrel up front along with sweet plum and dark fruit flavors and old ale yeast mixing together nicely. A nice bitterness level for an old ale and the long slow roast flavors of an English old ale with Solera method.

M: Thick and chewy with a little too much carbonation.

O: Overall this is a very good Old ale. Glad to have a few of these to save for special occasions and enjoy for years to come. I enjoyed this more than I remember Cuir pleasing me with more bourbon and less unintentional aftertastes / burnt flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 18:14:21 | More by alpinebryant

harrymel

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle 14280

Pours dark tawny, with a little caramel foam atop. Nougat, alcohol, bourbon, vanilla, toffee, caramel, gobs of sugary malts - decadent nose. Taste is rich as fuck - lots more caramel, toffee, almond roca, wood, bourbon, nougat, vanilla, alcohol, candied apricot, and a touch of syrup (maple). Medium bodied with really low carb and a wet yet dry feel comes together silky and long lasting. Goddam Bruery, I really wish I didn't like their higher end beers, but this is outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 07:11:25 | More by harrymel

spicelab

Australia

4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle shared at a tasting. Reviewed from notes.

Deep mahogany with a minimal beige head that falls to a slight collar.

Big rich aromas of pungent marmite, brandy snap, treacle, butterscotch, Anzac biscuits and dark dried fruits, leavened slightly by a nice wooden edge.

More intense fortified notes of booze soaked muscatels, toffee fondue and gingerbread.

Thick and gigantic. Carbonation feeds into a bit of a rough boozy edge, but that's kind of expected really.

Pretty garagantuan beer, with just enough wood to rein in its excesses. Reminiscent of a bigger, ballsier version of HotD Adam From The Wood.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 04:52:43 | More by spicelab

Brandywine

Washington

4.85/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Deep brown verging into red, sunset orange and then golden yellow. Poured a thin head that's the exact same color as the golden beige wax on the bottle. Huge alcohol legs. Tight bubbled lacing stays around the rim.

Smell: Rum soaked apples baked in brown sugar, bourbon, caramel, raisins, dark fruits, fig, clover honey. Absolutely no booze at all!

Taste: Honey, caramel, toffee, brown sugar baked apples. There's a surprising apple tartness that acts as an amazing counterbalance to the sweetness. No booze in the flavor either. The end of the tongue has a sweet but subtly off sweet grapefruit, orange or lime citrus note drizzled in honey. As it warms up the dark fruit and bourbon really explode, maybe black cherries. As it approaches room temperature it picks up brandy characters with the bourbon.

Mouthfeel: Definitely full but not cloying.

Overall: This is one of the most rich and decadent beers I've ever had. Super complex but somehow balanced between epic sweetness and subtle tartness and huge alcohol that doesn't even register in the flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 06:06:04 | More by Brandywine

merc7186

New York

4.58/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

, Bomber into tulip glass.

A: Dark Brown Hue, Passes Very Mild Light, White Head, Some Lacing

S: Bourbon, Oak, Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Mildly Boozy

T: Bourbon, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Dark Fruit

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium to Full Bodied, Smooth, Mildly Bozy

Overall, a really strong old ale with a solid smoothe taste that masks the booze. Solid Solid Solid.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 02:59:15 | More by merc7186

draheim

Washington

4.53/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL into a tulip. Pours a murky brownish mahogany w/ a thin tan head that dissipates to a ring of foam.

Aroma is bourbon, rum-soaked dates, molasses, toffee, tobacco, leather, booze... Just a complex swirl of rich aromas, one layered on top of another.

Taste follows nose. Dark macerated dried fruits, bourbon, oak, vanilla, brown sugar, and a nice warming alcohol presence.

Mouthfeel is sticky, coating, syrupy. About right for what this beer is.

Overall, as expected, this is a rich, big, bold, complex creation.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 05:41:36 | More by draheim

matttttYCE

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle #12701. Pours a murky dark brown with red hues. Head is tan colored, small (less than a finger), and lacing and retention are both quite low (but expected from a 15.5% beer). Aroma has alcohol heat up front, then oak, buttery bourbon, toffee, big toffee, straight vanilla extract, brown sugar, stone fruit comes in more as it warms, dark roast, and chocolate covered cherries. The taste is bourbon forward but a little more integrated than the nose. Still plenty of toffee, vanilla, brown sugar, maybe some caramel, stone fruits and roast malts, light chocolate covered cherries, maybe even some peanut brittle. Maybe I'm just imagining things. The body is medium-full, carbonation light-medium, consistency is creamy smooth, but leaning towards full and viscous, and the finish is lengthy.

Overall this isn't my favorite BA old ale but very it's nice. It's hot and could easily benefit from some aging, but that doesn't take away from it. The mouthfeel is wonderful and scarily drinkable for a 'hot' beer at 15.5%. Yeah, good shit.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 05:40:51 | More by matttttYCE

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

750ml bottle into a snifter

A: Pours a dark brown with a finger of head. Poor retention and lacing, but the beer is 15.5%.

S: Strong bourbon with a ton of toffee and caramel. Very intense, very nice.

T: Very sweet, caramel comes out upfront with a very nice bourbon character. Coconut, dark fruits - the bourbon comes out so well in this.

M: On the thick side with low carbonation.

O: Very sweet, very big, but very good. The bourbon comes through amazingly in this beer. So dam good.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 16:14:15 | More by coreyfmcdonald

drabmuh

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer is pretty amazing. Served in a Bruery tulip. Beer is dark brown and clear with a lazy but nice tan head of small bubbles, some lacing, moderate retention, low carbonation.

Aroma is great, bourbon, heat, malt, wonderful.

Beer is nice, easy drinking, smooth going down. LIke all the anniversary beers available, this beer is wonderful. Nice heat without being boozy, nice mouthfeel, not too thick, nice sweetness without being cloying. I love anniversary time of year, every year. I will definitely have this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 15:20:16 | More by drabmuh

beerhan

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-poured into a snifter. Dark brown with a thin white head and ridiculously sticky.

S-wood, molasses, brown sugar, bourbon .

T-lots of tasty oak with vanilla and brown sugar shining through. A sour bourbon kick with a milk chocolate taste. Very sweet when cold but when warmer it is nice and rich with a woody finish.

M-very light body, almost no carbonation. A little too drinkable.

O-very solid beer but super thin. A beer this strong should not be so drinkable but this was thoroughly enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 04:02:51 | More by beerhan

nlmartin

Ohio

4.23/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer was chilled and served in a snifter. The beer was a little closed up from the cold and had to sit awhile.

A- The body of the beer is a rusy chestnut brown coloration. The head was white but immediatly disappeared.

S- The aroma of the beer is super sweet! Molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, lots and lots of bourbon, dark fruits dates, figs, and raisins, earthy leathery notes finish the aroma.

T- The flavor of the beer is way sweet at first taste. Brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, loads and loads of bourbon, dark fruits dates, figs and raisins. This would all be way too sweet; however, the burnt notes of the sugars, cocoa, alcohol heat, a bit of tannins from the fruit keep this beer in check.

M- The mouthfeel of the beer is smooth, oily and slick very full bodied. The carbonation is low. The alcohol heat of the beer is very restrained. The beer is very sweet upfront but dries out from alcohol and tannins.

O- This beer is a sipper. Its a nice boozey beer treat for a cold morning. Nicely done!

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 13:19:01 | More by nlmartin

ao125

Virginia

4.8/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is just a brilliant beer. I think my favorite from 2012. I think at one point I said I wanted this beer to have my babies. I still stand by that. The only kicker is the price tag, at around $30 a bottle, give or take - depending on where you find it.

A: Pours a chestnut brown with a finger of head, that dissipates quickly.

S: Big vanilla, oak, bourbon, and stone fruits

T: Tastes exactly like how it smells, and it's glorious. It's sweet, bordering on cloying - but everything about this beer is so over the top, that it works.

M: Thick, chewy, and mouth-coating. I wouldn't expect anything less.

O: Just, wow. Despite the high price, I bought six bottles of it to age and drink over the next few months. At 15.5% abv, this can only get better.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 11:59:26 | More by ao125

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle poured into tulip

Pours a lightly hazed deep caramel brown color with a thin layering of beige head. Large, bubbly collar retains throughout the pour while leaving little lacing on the glass.

Intensely boozy, rich and sweet in the nose. Bourbon and caramel mixed with toffee, brown sugar and burnt notes. Oak, leather and vanilla with heavy alcohol warmth.

Sticky sweetness up front driven by vanilla, caramel, brown sugar and toffee. Incredibly rich and complex with roasted layers of dark malt. The bourbon character is up front and slightly aggressive throughout the profile, which I enjoy. Hints of dark fruit with candied notes. Finishes sweet, boozy and warm.

Full body, milder carbonation, sticky, full and heavy on the tongue. Creamy and smooth while drinking, although this is definitely a slow sipper. I wasn't as blown away with this as I was 100% Cuir, but this really brought the barrel heat in a way that I truly love. I don't see buying many more at $30+ per bottle, but this was definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 03:09:54 | More by xnicknj

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.55/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle #09408 poured in to Bruery tulip.

A - Very dark brown; almost completely opaque with only slight traces of light penetrating around the edges. One finger of cream coloured head that reduced to a few scattered bubbles across the top of the glass.

S - A huge bourbon aroma up front. Plenty of vanilla and oak notes round out a large barrel presence in the nose. Some roast, dark fruit, smoke and cherry notes from the base beer in the background. The barrel definitely dominates the nose.

T - Bourbon notes up front with oak and vanilla flavours come through from the barrel but the presence of the base beer is much more pronounced than the nose indicated. Brown sugar, toffee, chocolate, raisin, plum and cherry flavours all come through from the base beer along with a hint of smoke. Great integration of the barrel and the base beer.

M -Medium to full body. Thick and chewy. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 14:47:18 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Netdigger2

South Carolina

4.93/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

It pours a deep brown with an off white head and had a bunch of lacing.

The smell has a bunch of caramel, toffee, oak, bourbon, vanilla notes, with traces of fresh fudge. It smells very rich.

The taste is caramel, oak, bourbon, vanilla and has a decadence that I've very rarely ever experienced.

The carbonation is on the lower side, but enough to keep the mouthfeel on the medium side and highlight the beauty of this beer.

Absolutely fantastic! ISO.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 12:25:29 | More by Netdigger2

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Single waxed-top bottle enjoyed at a recent tasting, courtesy of a stalwart gentleman of virtue true. Cheers, Brad!

Poured into a goblet sampler glass. Caramel-chocolate brown in colour, murky, and with a small but sturdy head of foam that survives as a thick ring. The viscosity of this brew is evident with the pour - this brew has some heft to it.

Nose is bloody spectacular, with rich caramel sweetness, cocoa, vanilla, bourbon, figs, dates, raisins perhaps, toffee and a rich warming booziness. Divine.

Similar tasting notes as in the nose, and man is it doing it for me. A terrific blend of sweet caramel, booze, vanilla and fruit that, on top of everything else, tastes more like something in the 10% range (minus the thickness, of course). Thick, syrupy, but with sufficient carbonation to keep the sweetness at bay.

Another knockout from the Bruery - a pleasure to drink and share.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 16:31:43 | More by JohnnyBarman

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: dark brown with minimal head, very thick looking

S: bourbon, dark fruit, caramel, roasted sugar

T: very sweet, but full of dark fruit character with tons of caramel sweetness along with wood flavor, which wasn't as prominent as I thought it would be.

M: thick, well carbonated, but thick and sticky

O: only the sweetness is keeping this from a much better score. Amazing that the barrel is so wonderful for the beer, but doesn't take too much away from the regular old ale flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 01:04:21 | More by Holland

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.7/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Share with rudzud as part of our RS membership.

Light fizzy fluffy head covering surprising for the abv, super dark molasses like no light coming through beer.

Nose, awwww, so good, dreamy, full of bourbon, vanilla, oak barrel, toasted oak, sweet caramel malts, toffee, light cocoa, chewy malts, barleywine-esque, brandy soaked raisins, plums, hint of booze, light bready malts, bread pudding, hint of booze, light pie like spices. Oh man so good.

Taste sweet! Sugar, fruit flavors, fig, date, raisin, etc in brandy and syrup. Chewy malts, darker malts, plenty of caramel, toffee, etc. Booze is heavy and hot, almost tingly, with hint of esters even. Light cocoa, vanilla, tons of bourbon, oak, toasty, etc. Cognac like raisin and fig, etc. Finish is pure awesomeness, vanilla, bourbon, light booze, brandy soaked raisin, light cocoa, caramel, toffee, hint of bitterness, toasty oak. I think I'll be sipping this for hours, not because it's boozy or syrupy, but because its so delicious and I just want to prolong the greatness as long as I can.

Mouth is velvet smooth with a heavy mouth, plenty of booze, decent carb for the overall beer.

Overall, gluuuggggmmmggggrrraahhhh!!! Just friggen delicious, I can almost feel it melting in my mouth as I go even. Damn so good! This is close to a desert island beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 13:18:09 | More by jlindros

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle from our Bruery's membership and split with JLindros.

A - Poured a deep dark hue with a half finger khaki head that faded to leave light haloing.

S - Aromas floor me. Huge bourbon ans vanilla notes with nice caramel and toffee with faint barrel. No alcohol on the nose...is this 15.5%?!

T - Taste is almost mind melting. Sweet candy brown sugars, tons of vanilla so so much vanilla. Lots of rich bourbon notes with just some light alcohol. Soft chocolates with subtle dark fruits. This is a masterfully done olde ale.

M - Mouthfeel is exceptional for an old ale. Its almost too carbonated the alcohol on the tongue is masked by the carbonation.

O - Overall this beer exceeds my expectations. Delicious old ale with tons of vanilla and bourbon. So much toasted oak and vanilla. This beer is awesome!

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 00:07:00 | More by rudzud