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Mash & Grind
The Bruery
- From:
- The Bruery
- California, United States
- Style:
- English Barleywine
- ABV:
- 12.5%
- Score:
- 94
- Avg:
- 4.21 | pDev: 8.31%
- Reviews:
- 59
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 20, 2020
- Added:
- Jul 06, 2013
- Wants:
- 104
- Gots:
- 102
An English-style classic with rich flavors from time spent aging in Bourbon barrels, plus fresh roasted coffee from Portola Coffee Lab.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina
4.2/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
4.2/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Look: It pours brown and is quite hazy with a tan head. Head retention is low.
Smell: Coffee is the initial aroma. With a bit of warming notes of caramel and bourbon with alcohol becomes apparent. There are also vanilla elements with hints of dark fruit.
Taste: There is more of a balance between the coffee and caramel with low levels of toffee. There are bourbon elements with wood and vanilla.
Feel: It has a full and chewy body with lots of alcohol warming. The alcohol is warming, not hot.
Overall, the coffee works well with the overall presentation and the barleywine.
Nov 20, 2020Smell: Coffee is the initial aroma. With a bit of warming notes of caramel and bourbon with alcohol becomes apparent. There are also vanilla elements with hints of dark fruit.
Taste: There is more of a balance between the coffee and caramel with low levels of toffee. There are bourbon elements with wood and vanilla.
Feel: It has a full and chewy body with lots of alcohol warming. The alcohol is warming, not hot.
Overall, the coffee works well with the overall presentation and the barleywine.
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
4.53/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.53/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Man springtime is rough, the last couple of days I've been sleepy after lunch. I think this beer would pick me right up.
Pours a rich brown looking color with amber on the edges. 1/3" beige head. Pretty. The aroma, oh man, so much coffee, if you've ever had a beer with Portola coffee, they come hard, when I think of the biggest coffee noses and flavors in beer, they drop it like its hot coffee. Its here and pungent, and only after that can you find a pleasant compliment of bourbon behind it. Damn good.
Taste is almost as good. Bourbon more present, but still second fiddle. The oak is nice, its not drying oak, its just a little hint of creamer (vanilla) and wooden pairing to keep the beer nuanced yet powerful. I swear its not hot, drinks so effortlessly for something so huge. Stuff like this is what Bruery does best. Big double digit beers in bourbon barrels that pair so well with a cigar. Damn I'm making myself wanna crack one of these tonight. Hints of chocolate, maris, bourbon and oak to compliment some hefty coffee notes all day long. World class mang.
May 05, 2020Pours a rich brown looking color with amber on the edges. 1/3" beige head. Pretty. The aroma, oh man, so much coffee, if you've ever had a beer with Portola coffee, they come hard, when I think of the biggest coffee noses and flavors in beer, they drop it like its hot coffee. Its here and pungent, and only after that can you find a pleasant compliment of bourbon behind it. Damn good.
Taste is almost as good. Bourbon more present, but still second fiddle. The oak is nice, its not drying oak, its just a little hint of creamer (vanilla) and wooden pairing to keep the beer nuanced yet powerful. I swear its not hot, drinks so effortlessly for something so huge. Stuff like this is what Bruery does best. Big double digit beers in bourbon barrels that pair so well with a cigar. Damn I'm making myself wanna crack one of these tonight. Hints of chocolate, maris, bourbon and oak to compliment some hefty coffee notes all day long. World class mang.
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.09/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Bottled 10/27/14; drank 8/8/15 @ Harvest Hop Haus.
Muddy brown appearance.
Small khaki head; minimal lace.
Black coffee, smoke & milk chocolate notes in the nose.
Medium thick mouthfeel.
Chocolate syrup & black coffee flavors up front; burnt firewood & bakers chocolate notes on the finish. Booze heat emerged as this warmed.
A dark, unforgiving RIS vibe here; challenging but very enjoyable.
May 12, 2019Muddy brown appearance.
Small khaki head; minimal lace.
Black coffee, smoke & milk chocolate notes in the nose.
Medium thick mouthfeel.
Chocolate syrup & black coffee flavors up front; burnt firewood & bakers chocolate notes on the finish. Booze heat emerged as this warmed.
A dark, unforgiving RIS vibe here; challenging but very enjoyable.
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio
3.78/5 rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.78/5 rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Burnt caramel with a bubbly tan ring--if not for which it would look like straight bourbon.
Smell has a sharp acidic or spicy coffee almost hinting at pepper, with musty bourbon oak, rich caramel and hot prune.
Taste is more smooth and rich than expected, with caramel, tingly bourbon, and oak. Heat begins to rise, and then a hint of cola and raisin come in.
This is a sticky, medium bodied delight with a dry finish. A little weird to drink in the blazing sunlight on the patio, but I ain't mad at it.
2014 vintage
Jul 17, 2017Smell has a sharp acidic or spicy coffee almost hinting at pepper, with musty bourbon oak, rich caramel and hot prune.
Taste is more smooth and rich than expected, with caramel, tingly bourbon, and oak. Heat begins to rise, and then a hint of cola and raisin come in.
This is a sticky, medium bodied delight with a dry finish. A little weird to drink in the blazing sunlight on the patio, but I ain't mad at it.
2014 vintage
Reviewed by macrosmatic from Florida
4.29/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Reviewed from notes. This was a 2013 vintage bottle, consumed on 10/30/16. Poured from a 750 mL bottle into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass.
A: Quite hazy to turbid, and ruddy rich coffee brown. Forms a thin tan head that fades quickly, as does the initial blush of visible carbonation.
S: Coffee and bourbon up front. Toffee and caramel, oak and vanilla. Fainter dark fruits and raisins. Sweet molasses and brown sugars are only partially balanced by the dry tannins. Overall it comes across as sweet and boozy, but not cloying or singeing off nose hair. Nice, and I'm glad to see the coffee aroma has held up well through the years.
T: Coffee, bourbon and oak. While still a big flavor, the coffee isn't quite as strong as the nose suggested. Then some toasted caramel, toffee, and vanilla. Sticky brown sugar, and just mild booze-soaked raisins. Toasted malt sweetness. More coffee and caramel sweetness in the hang with mild bourbon flavors.
M: Average body for style, though the low carbonation sensation makes it seem a little thinner. The alcohol is extraordinarily well-hidden. This doesn't taste anything like 12.5%.
O: Really enjoyable. Very well-balanced coffee/bourbon/oak flavors, and the alcohol is scarily hidden. Maybe not the best barrel-aged barleywine I’ve ever had, but one that I wouldn’t hesitate to drink again.
Feb 19, 2017A: Quite hazy to turbid, and ruddy rich coffee brown. Forms a thin tan head that fades quickly, as does the initial blush of visible carbonation.
S: Coffee and bourbon up front. Toffee and caramel, oak and vanilla. Fainter dark fruits and raisins. Sweet molasses and brown sugars are only partially balanced by the dry tannins. Overall it comes across as sweet and boozy, but not cloying or singeing off nose hair. Nice, and I'm glad to see the coffee aroma has held up well through the years.
T: Coffee, bourbon and oak. While still a big flavor, the coffee isn't quite as strong as the nose suggested. Then some toasted caramel, toffee, and vanilla. Sticky brown sugar, and just mild booze-soaked raisins. Toasted malt sweetness. More coffee and caramel sweetness in the hang with mild bourbon flavors.
M: Average body for style, though the low carbonation sensation makes it seem a little thinner. The alcohol is extraordinarily well-hidden. This doesn't taste anything like 12.5%.
O: Really enjoyable. Very well-balanced coffee/bourbon/oak flavors, and the alcohol is scarily hidden. Maybe not the best barrel-aged barleywine I’ve ever had, but one that I wouldn’t hesitate to drink again.
Reviewed by rand from California
3.43/5 rDev -18.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.43/5 rDev -18.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
750 mL bottle to snifter. 2014 batch, opened the day of this post
Dark-brown in appearance, more like a porter than a barleywine. Wispy head recedes quickly, leaving scant lacing.
Nose is roasty coffee and distinct boozy bourbon, accented by caramel and earthy grains.
Flavor profile is overwhelmed by booze and coffee. Some notes of vanilla and carob try to sneak through, but swatted back by boozy, bitter aspects. Finishes long and boozy hot, sticky lingering residuals between sips.
Too much coffee in this one to be enjoyable. From the reviews I was hoping some of the coffee notes would have better integrated, but this is kind of a coffee-bomb.
Sep 23, 2016Dark-brown in appearance, more like a porter than a barleywine. Wispy head recedes quickly, leaving scant lacing.
Nose is roasty coffee and distinct boozy bourbon, accented by caramel and earthy grains.
Flavor profile is overwhelmed by booze and coffee. Some notes of vanilla and carob try to sneak through, but swatted back by boozy, bitter aspects. Finishes long and boozy hot, sticky lingering residuals between sips.
Too much coffee in this one to be enjoyable. From the reviews I was hoping some of the coffee notes would have better integrated, but this is kind of a coffee-bomb.
Mash & Grind from The Bruery
Beer rating:
94 out of
100 with
476 ratings
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