Brainless On Peaches Belgian-Style Ale - Epic Brewing Co.

womencantsail

California

3.18/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks for sharing, Richard.

The pour is a quite pale yellow color with a white head. Definitely has some peach aroma to it as well as some other sweet fruit notes. A little bit malty with some sugar and bread notes. Not really all that complex. The flavor is similar, but perhaps more dull. Sugar, bread, and sweet peaches and other fruits are really about it. There’s some mild straw notes, maybe a bit of yeast. The body is medium and so is the carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 17:00:16 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle opened by bmanning. Thanks, Ben. Served in a SAVOR snifter.

Pour brings forward a light apricot-bodied beer with a good white head and a bit of lacing as it goes down. The nose has plenty of peach character along with some mild grain and a bit of light spicing. The flavor is also quite peachy with a good amount of yeasty spice. Light malt character lingering in the background. Body is fairly light and crisp. Overall, a nice offering.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 20:41:43 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

3.48/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Release # 9.

Pours a hazy honey orange with a 1/2 inch fizzy tan head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form sparsely around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grain/malt, spices, yeast, and very subtle peach aromas. Taste is of grain/malt, wood, yeast, and fermented peaches. There is a pretty strong alcohol kick in the back of the throat with each sip. This beer has a pretty high level of carbonation with a very bubbly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but the peach doesn't really stand out in the nose but is detected in the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 03:16:11 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +11%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Release #1, tasted 3/24/12

Appearance: A volcanic gusher, spuming foam as soon as the cap is popped, and pours all foam though there is little retention, leaving a clear golden liquid behind

Smell: Peaches 'n Cream, with oaky vanilla undertones

Taste: Peach shortbread topped with cream, up front, with spicy clove arriving by mid-palate, bringing a lot of puckery tartness; after the swallow, the oak barrel elements take over, adding a white wine grape element to the finish, though there is a lot of residual, fruity sweetness in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A really interesting beer and, for all the complexity, I wish I liked it more; I think that the chardonnay barrel detracts rather than adds and the sweetness on the end was a bit much for my palate

Thanks, Douglas88, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 22:46:27 | More by brentk56

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a hazy orangey color ale with a nice thick foam head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of peach puree is quite intense and quiet sweet as well. Taste is bizarrely not as intense on peach with a nice mix between some funky notes with a slightly oversweet malt base with subtle peach in the background. Body is quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol notes. Chardonnay and champagne yeast notes are very hard to distinguish and the beer maybe a tad too sweet but this is an interesting experience after all.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 19:33:12 | More by Phyl21ca

drabmuh

Maryland

2.3/5  rDev -35.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Brainless on peaches is a complete miss for me. It is too sweet, too yeasty, too hot, the peaches didn't work with the base beer, overall a complete disaster.

Beer is yellow and hazy with a soft white head of small bubbles, some lacing moderate carbonation, so far so good.

Aroma is bready, yeasty, almost like a hefeweizen but all fruit all the way, fusel, hot, offputting but not a disaster.

Beer is medium to light in body, some peach flavor on the back half but the front is dominated by a strong bright harsh alcohol and sweetness that makes me want to stop drinking it immediately. It tastes like poison and that's about as nice as I can get.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2011 20:11:49 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is caramel malt, oranges, alcohol and some peaches. The flavor is peaches, bready malt, low bitterness and some lightly tart notes from the fruit. Fairly dry and you can definitely tell the base beer is Belgian in origin. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2010 19:32:23 | More by Mora2000

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured out as a very nice looking clear yellow color with a good size white head on top. The retention and lacing were minimal. The smell of the beer is slightly tart, probably coming from the oak barrels. There are light notes of peach on the nose also. The taste of the beer is slightly fruity and also slightly tart. The french oak comes out more as the beer warms up as well as the peach flavors. The mouthfeel is light, like a carbonated wine. Overall I enjoyed it, I like the subtle aspects of this beer. I found it to be drinkable, I wouldn't need to have it again but it was nice to try.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 16:10:26 | More by Knapp85

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.85/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled September 2011
Batch #3; Sampled September 2011
A steady pour into my Lost Abbey Teku glass produces a two finger, pale, off-white colored head. The beer is a deep gold hue that shows a bright, clear, yellow golden hue when held up to the light. My first smell of the aroma has me noticing something akin to a yeast cake. The beer has a fair amount of phenolic clove notes, a definite musty edge (the previously mentioned yeast aromatic is wrapped up in this), a definite floral note (that seems to be contributed by the peaches), some sharp oak spiciness towards the finish as well as some warming alcohol there as well. There is a general fruitiness here that contributes notes of green apples, not quite ripe melon and perhaps a touch of pear. The oak is quite constrained in the nose, but does also contribute a very soft woodiness; the oak combines with some of the fruitiness to become a sort of green, not ripe fruit like note.. Overall the aroma is not bad, if I didn’t know about the peaches I would never have guessed they were used by smelling this beer, as it really just smells like a typical, albeit decent example, of a strong, golden Belgian ale.

The beer has a prickly carbonation that accentuates a dryness at the front of my first sip, but the beer quickly picks up a cider like fruitiness that accentuates a perceived sweetness towards the finish. The finish then dries out again and also has a sort of peppery / spicy note as well as a touch of astringency from the oak. There is a soft tartness to this beer that might be contributed by the peaches, and this definitely has a floral fruitiness to it that I typically associate with peaches as well. The oak character is quite subtle here, but really helps to dry things out nicely, plus it adds a subtle woody flavor, touches of oak spice and some texture to this beer as well. The oak combines with the fruit character to really remind me of an oaky Chardonnay at times, this beer certainly has a certain vinous quality to it. Speaking of texture, this beer has a fullness to it, but is far from cloying, this is a sipping beer, but more because of its strength than because it is overly heavy; still this could be perhaps a touch lighter. As the beer warms up soft, slightly tart, peach notes become a touch more noticeable in the flavor

Peaches are notorious for having most / all of their character stripped away during the fermentation process and this beer is certainly not one to be different; there are some subtle peach like notes and perhaps a bit more fruit character than is typical, but this is by no means an in-your-face fruit beer. Evaluated as a fruit beer this might be a bit of a dud, but the peach character that is here works quite well with the base beer where it melds in and boosts the natural flavors and aromas already found in the beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 03:00:46 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

4.55/5  rDev +27.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bomber, Release No. 11,

A: Pours a brilliant full orange with a medium white head, good lace and retention.

S: Lovely peaches and cream with a distinct Belgian tilt. Yeast, pepper, along with the fruitiness, quite lovely. As the beer warms the peaches come much more to the forefront, if you enjoy this smell like I do, dont serve this under 55F.

T: Peach attacks right away, but then goes into something distinctly more Belgian. Grassy hops, yeast and white pepper, spicy for sure. Gets this interesting dessert peach puree flavour there at the end, but just as soon as I found it, it goes back to Belgium and dries out heavily for the denouement.

M: Full-bodied, frothy but does have some crisp carbonation character. Off-dry overall with a very mild acidity. Complex.

O: This is a fun beer to delve into. Everything is in balance and the peach flavour is true and delicious. Certainly not an over the top fruit beer. Can't wait to try the Cherry version.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 02:26:38 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours an orange color with a two inch head. Spotty lace develops.

Smell: peaches ands light Brett flavors come through.

Taste: caramel, peach, pear, a hint of vanilla, some oakiness, and a mild bitterness is well balanced with some mild Brett flavors.

Mouthfeel: medum bodied. Lightly crisp throughout.

Overall: easily drinkable and uniquely flavored. Definitely worthy of a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 22:52:36 | More by Gavage

Wasatch

Utah

2.85/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a orange color, some carbonation, little white foamy head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, with some citrus notes. The taste is sweet, malty, with some yeast notes. Medium body. Drinkable, not that good of a brew taste wise, but another Epic brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 01:33:23 | More by Wasatch

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First had: on tap at Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids & Solids, Longmont, CO

Wow...so good. I totally fell in love with this one on the first sip, and it's a shame I'll probably never have it again. Poured a clear, thin, peach-orange color with just a tiny layer of delicate bubbles for a head. Didn't look like much from the get go, but I gave it a chance. Aroma of pale malts, reminiscent of a golden or blonde ale, light with peaches and apricots, with some herbal notes and a touch of funk. Taste: a pale malt base overlaid with peach, apricot, oaked white wine. Sweet, but done just right. Not at all syrupy...just right. Light herbal and floral hops for a great balance of flavors. Light-medium body, slight alcohol burn that doesn't affect the taste, and very drinkable all over.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2011 11:31:41 | More by Rifugium

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.75/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle at Papago, the dudes at the Bruery (after they were all out of it) were all raving about this so I gave it a go. Pours yellow, looks like a belgian strong pale ale or tripel, white head, 1" high. Moderate lacing. Aroma was mild peach, lots of chardonnay barrel oak and a milder, cleaner belgian yeast than many.

Taste, pretty nice, I think I was expecting more tartness, figured, peach, chardonnay barrel, this is going to have more going for it, but instead, it was very dry, hid alcohol quite well, nice soft peach touch. Its definitely one of my more favorite belgians out there, the peach puree probably took a big edge out of the yeast phenols usually present.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 20:01:34 | More by Beerandraiderfan

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Release #2

Pours a hazy dark gold color with a two finger white foam head that slowly settles into a thin ring. Minimal spots of lacing left behind.

Slightly funky aroma with a prominent earthy oak character along with some sweet alcohol, spice, peaches and other light fruit. As it warms the peaches stand out a bit more in the nose but the oak barrel dominates.

Medium bodied with lots of tight carbonation up front followed by some sweet fruit and hot booze that lingers into a dry finish. Dry and funky with a very strong barrel presence that overpowers the peach flavor. Lots of dry, toasted/charred oak along with some funky, dry yeast. Similarly to the aroma, the peach flavor becomes a bit stronger as the beer warms but it's still buried under the other flavors. A bit of sweetness in the finish with a lot of boozy heat.

I've liked most of what I've had from Epic so far but this was a disappointment. Just too one dimensional for my taste with hardly any peach flavor.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 05:41:07 | More by corby112

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.1/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle purchased from The Beermongers in Portland, OR.

Coming from Australia, I've seen a lot of New Zealand's Epic Brewery, and I was keen to try some of their American namesake's. Randomly, this is the first one I came across. Pours a very slightly hazed yellow colour, with a filmy ring of white foam forming the head. Plenty of carbonation streaming through a body that is surprisingly light for a super-10% ABV beer. Overall, an inauspicious start for Epic.

Nose is dominated by Belgian yeast, not by oak, not by wine and not by peaches, leaving a rounded, earthy and slightly funky character at its core. There's a peppery twist to it as it warms, and perhaps a hint of vinous tartness, but it's mild at best. Slightly disappointing.

The peach finally makes an appearance on the palate, but subordinate to the big, husky booziness, the peppery, leafy, rank bitterness and more of those phenolic notes from the yeast. In fact, the peach has a medicinal, biting quality to it as it slews in with the booze, making it taste like backyard peach-schnapps. Blech.

I'm sure I'll end up having better experiences with this Epic. I truly believe it. But this feels like an experiment gone wrong. Unfortunately, though, my impression is that the problem is with the base beer, not the post-treatment it has been given; if anything, more peach and more oak would have made this a much superior beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 23:09:10 | More by lacqueredmouse

kojevergas

California

3.08/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Release #8 - 10.5% ABV. 1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a 2011 Antwerp Beer Passion Weekend Beer Sommelier stemglass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Acquired at a Whole Foods in Glendale. Reviewed live. Expectations are high as I've heard great things about Epic Brewing; this is my first beer from Epic.

Served refrigerator cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a two finger head - quite thin, without any real cream, and of great retention for the high ABV. Colour is a hazy nontransparent dirty orange.

Sm: Orange citrus notes, lactic milk notes, wood barrel notes, and white wine. A pretty strong aroma. I don't care for this aroma; it kind of turns me off.

T: White wine alongside orange fruit esters. I get hardly any peaches at all. Hints of wood are largely buried. Lactic notes are present yet restrained. Clean malts form the foundation. Decently balanced but largely empty in terms of flavour. Built in a simple boring fashion. No alcohol or yeast comes through. I don't know how they hid the ABV - it certainly wasn't with flavour. Bland compared to my expectations. The orange fruit is overwhelming and nowhere near fresh.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Nicely light on the palate for the high ABV. Adequately carbonated. It's tingly. Probably the best component of this beer. Better than the flavours.

Dr: Unrefreshing. Drinkable but bland compared to what it could be. I expected so much more based on what I heard about Epic. I wouldn't get this again, but I'm willing to give Epic more chances. Maybe this just wasn't my glass of beer. I should say I'm very impressed by how well it hides its ABV - I've given this category a 4 because it does hide the ABV incredibly well, and my method of reviewing still counts this category as drinkability.

C+

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 04:46:11 | More by kojevergas

mactrail

California

3.65/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

An attractive golden color but the foam wells up and subsides to not much. The carbonation in the mouth is alright, though. Big aroma of cooked peaches, like a cobbler.

A very nice peach flavor. Tart and tangy. The Belgian yeasty flavor is quite evident. Fairly hot with alcohol, but it tastes kind of pleasant with the fruit, like some kind of dry liqueur. Just a little sugar. You might wish for a more creamy mouthfeel. Interesting and quite sippable, but I'll hope to find it fresher next time.

From the 22 oz bottle. The label says Release #20 and that it is 11.7% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 04:54:43 | More by mactrail

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to kbutler1 for sharing this one

Poured into tulip.

Pours a finger of white head. Decent retention leaving some lace. Color is a clear golden orange.

Aroma: Smell is straight up golden ale with peaches. Some lemon zest, hay, yeast, bready malts, and some herbal flavors.

Taste: Yeast, herbal and floral notes, lemon zest, coriander, yeast, bready malts, and sweet peaches. It is a great golden ale and the peaches add a nice layer to the style.

Mouthfeel: Dry, crisp, and smooth. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends dry and spiced.

Overall, this is a pretty nice golden ale. The peaches really compliment the style well adding a good amount of sweetness. I dig it.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 03:03:11 | More by mothman

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.08/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Inflatablechair hooked this one up... Buckeyeboy and I shared the 22 and had pretty differing opinions.

Poured into my Old Guardian goblet.. short lasting white head... hazy lite orange brew.. little lacing despite a pretty righteous body.

Pretty descent BSPA qualities, but I am gonna try and focus on the fruit for this review.

We're serving this one a tad cold.. but there is still a pretty substantial vinous quality.. lite oak.... really everything is lighter than I was expecting.. The fruitiness is there, but could easily be masked by yeasty esters. Nice yet minor bits and pieces of peach, pear, and tiny parts of apricot.

For a 10% Belgian , with WHITE PEACHES (I love white peaches), I was hoping for a bit more.. delicate fruits and some minor clove phenols.... I can pick out hints of green apple and pear that actually pushes the peach up to the front.

This is apparently aged in Chardonnay barrels.. Again, I can see vinous parts... but the oak is something that may be in my imagination.. but it is a tasty part of the imagination.

The body is on the heavier side of medium.. carbonation is about right, but seriously, given the ABV and the Belgian moniker, I personally think it is a touch too thick.

3.5/4/4/4/4.5

Despite my lack luster review.... I am really digging this one.. I just want to see it dialed in a notch or two. I plan on getting some to cellar and see how future batches pare against the first. Thanks Sammy... Fun for a Friday!!!

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 07:19:30 | More by JohnGalt1

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Semi clouded lemony gold color with a tall lathery topping of soft yet firmly set white foam. Tons of lacing coats the goblet with heavy set, thick sheeting.

Aroma is soft and mildly toned with an alluring Belgian candied sweetness of soggy fruit bread, the obvious peachyness, but it also pulls in some dull mango and pineapple tones too. There's a slight dry fruit skin and yeastyness peeping into the nose as well. It's quite nice just not not on the booming huge, explode out of the glass noce I was hoping for.

Alas, the taste is just as good as the aroma with soggy sweet, fruit cake breadyness smeared with peach jam and lightly glazed with caramel. I really dig its overall blend of candied tangy sweetness and bready doughyness along with its minimal dryness of yeast and fruit skin liquesent hoppyness that skirts along the finish.

Feel is firm, smooth, fruity(peach rendered)tanged and sweetened bolder medium bodied with a nice lasting tone that sinks into the palate with a doughy, fruity gooeyness puffed lightly with a well placed dryness of yeasty fruit skin dryness.

I quite liked this "Brainless on Peaches"! It has the doughy, bready maltyness dulled with the peaches that's appetizing. Plus the touch of feathery dryness of yeasty fruit skins really makes for a solid session and the 10.5% is not found anywhere until the bottom of the bomber.
Very solid stuff!

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 00:57:56 | More by tavernjef

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to beeruser for sharing this one at a recent tasting! Served from bottle into a Sweetwater 15th Anniversary snifter. Poured golden yellow with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, peaches, funk, fruit, and earth. The flavor was of sweet malt, peaches, fruit, and funk. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. The peach aspect that one would expect on this one was definitely there and quite pronounced. I was kind of delighted to find that this one wasn’t really sour or tart as I would have thought it would have been. However, this was a pretty good brew in just about all aspects. The aroma going on was quite inviting and very well balanced. Really glad I got the chance to try this one as it was quite enjoyable and definitely wouldn’t argue with having it again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 10:44:52 | More by thagr81us

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy yellow to orange-ish color with a white head. In the aroma, a small tartness and dry peach skin. In the taste, tart dry peaches and ends a bit boozy and oaky. A nice tart bite and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry oak, almost bourbon like in the aftertaste. Big alcohol presence, nice tart peach flavor, interesting of how close to bourbon like it was.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 18:28:03 | More by OWSLEY069

dirtylou

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

served in a snifter - carefully selected from blackie's "cellar"

cellphone notes

appearance: golden-straw body, sticky white lacing

smell: belgian yeast, oak, sweet fruit

taste: this was pretty tasty - belgian yeast, sugar, over-ripe peaches, grape, white pepper, citrus hops. a little abrasive and off balanced, but i'd drink it again

mouthfeel: adequate carbonation

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 17:29:52 | More by dirtylou

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

i wanted this to be so much better than it was. expensive and strong from epic usually means an alltime beer, but not here. pours a very bright golden color with a tint of pale orange and a brassy shine. very smell white bubbly head. smells overly sugary, like ripe peaches. alcoholic like brandy, and a bit woody too. flavor is very sweet, like apple juice or something, boozy, honey essence, and a little yeast at the end. feel is very thick and sticky for a golden ale, kind of bogs this one down for me, and frankly the flavor is just not that good, the best part of the peaches isnt captured here, and the lower carbonation makes it a bit of a task to drink. my least favorite of the epic beers i got to try while in utah.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 17:04:15 | More by StonedTrippin