5 Golden Rings - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
The Bruery

5 Golden Rings - Bourbon Barrel-Aged5 Golden Rings - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
16.2%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.71 | pDev: 14.29%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
170
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 28, 2023
Added:
Dec 10, 2013
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  39
5 Golden Rings is the 5th verse in our '12 Days of Christmas' winter seasonal ale series. The only golden ale in the bunch, we spiced up the natural pause in the classic song with cinnamon, allspice and ginger along with the delicious sweet and tangy flavor of pineapple. The barrel aged edition has taken on notable flavors from the time spent in oak, adding a level of burnt wood, sweet boubron and under-ripe fruit.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by notchucknorris:
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Rated by notchucknorris from California

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

Jan 28, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.15 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Apr 28, 2023
 
Rated: 3.77 by KAP1356 from Pennsylvania

Dec 30, 2022
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Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Nearly clear honey amber pour with thin fizzy white head. Minimal lacing.

S: Booze and sweets. Fruit and bourbon.

T.F: Sweet up front. Bourbon, cherry, alcohol, and malts. Sherry and vanilla... a bit of spice. Apple and citrus... more cherry. Medium bodied and smooth.

O: An outstanding Belgian strong. The barrel works wonders and this is a complex booze bomb of a sipper. Years in the cellar haven't done this any harm.
Jun 27, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by imperialking from Illinois

Feb 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.27 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Jan 31, 2022
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Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2020 vintage poured into a tulip

A- pours a clear golden color with a one-finger foamy white head that has great retention and leaves some lacing behind

S- notes of candied pineapple lead the aroma, followed by peppery & spicy Belgian yeast that gives notes of ripe pear, red apples and some phenolic notes. Undertones of oak, vanilla and a hint of booze

T- fresh, almost juicy pineapple leads the way up front, followed by fruit notes of ripe pear, red apples, citrus peel, even a hint of banana. Mid-palate brings out the spicy and peppery note of the yeast, that adds a bit of clove. The finish is slightly sweet, with some oak barrel, vanilla and spicy phenols on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns creamy into a sticky, warming finish. Plenty of alcohol, but doesn't show it all given the abv

O- the pineapple work well with the base beer. The abv is surprisingly hidden pretty well, given that it's an over 15% Belgian Pale
Dec 24, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by Stengelfoot from California

Dec 17, 2021
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Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: Poured into a snifter to a ruddy golden orange beer which is topped by half a finger of dense and slightly rocky off white head which fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of pineapple and caramel with some vanilla and a touch of orchard fruits.
T: Taste is pineapple and orchard fruits up front with some drying oak, caramel, and vanilla from the barrel Hints of peppery spice as well. On the swallow there's more pineapple, orchard fruits, peppery spice, drying oak, caramel and vanilla.
M: This beer has a body with a moderate amount of heft and a slightly syrupy feel on the palate. Carbonation is adequate and slightly effervescent while the beer has a drying finish due to the ABV.
O: Overall the normal version of this beer was a little goofy and the barrel aged iteration is no different. It tastes okay and has a decent amount of complexity but it's still just a little too disjointed to be really good.
Feb 15, 2021
 
Rated: 3.93 by michiganmatt from California

Dec 31, 2020
 
Rated: 3.97 by Cpmitchno1 from Virginia

Dec 08, 2019
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Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 11/20/2013. Pours fairly hazy deep golden/orange/amber color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with poor retention, that reduces to a minimal ring of lace pretty quickly. Minimal spotty lacing, and a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lightly tart/tangy pineapples, peach, plum, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, honey, candi sugar, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and white bread dough; with lighter notes of caramel, toffee, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, clove, allspice, herbal, and yeast/oak earthiness. Mild booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of pineapples, spices, fruity/spicy yeast, bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of huge lightly tart/tangy pineapples, peach, plum, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, honey, candi sugar, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and white bread dough; with lighter notes of caramel, toffee, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, clove, allspice, herbal, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light cinnamon, ginger, peppery yeast, bourbon/oak tannin spiciness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy pineapples, peach, plum, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, honey, candi sugar, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, white bread dough, caramel, toffee, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, clove, allspice, herbal, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of pineapples, spices, fruity/spicy yeast, bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/spiciness and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering spiciness and fruit tang/tartness. Medium-plus carbonation and medium-full body; with a very creamy/silky/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/acidic/tangy/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Light increasing warmth of 16.2%, and mild lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an excellent fruited/spiced barrel aged Belgian strong pale ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of pineapples, spices, fruity/spicy yeast, bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and bready malt flavors; smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly spicy/tangy/tannic/drying finish; great soft feel for the ABV. Awesome balance between rich malts/sugars, spices, Belgian yeast, and bourbon barrel presence/integration. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example. Significant improvement over the base beer review I did in 2014. My palate has changed a lot since then, so who knows if I would feel the same about it today. This aged really well otherwise.
Sep 01, 2019
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Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts

3.64/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Split with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice crystal clear chestnut with a thin head that fades to leave great legs.

S - Aromas of cheese, dark fruits, little barrel notes.

T - Taste is similar to the nose ultra cloyingly sweet, dark fruits, light vanilla and malts. Alcohol is hidden nicely.

M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, very sticky and cloy.

O - Overall this was a rather underwhelming beer. Decent but incredibly sweet.

Serving Type: bottle
Dec 01, 2018
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Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Split with rudzud

Light fizzy head fades fairly quickly, almost no lacing, clear iced tea brown color, decent legs

Nose sweet candy, cheap rum and pineapple, just a touch of bourbon and barrel, weird fermented fruit molasses thing, candy, alcohol little fusel

Taste sweet candy. super sweet, syrupy and boozy, fusel alcohol, little pineapple syrup and apple brandy, syrupy mess as well, rummy pineapple and a touch of bourbon vanilla barrel but barely, more generic fruits and burnt pineapple candy, bitter rind, tannic

Mouth is med bod but very syrupy and fair boozy hot alcohol, decent carb

Overall eh, a bit too messy and hot but not too bad
Dec 01, 2018
 
Rated: 3.94 by nickfl from Florida

Dec 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by jeff1973 from California

Aug 12, 2016
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Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4.36/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
On tap at Pangaea. Thick, sticky, murky copper pour. The little bit of head clings to the ring of the glass, afraid to go any further. Rum barrel notes greet the nose, taste should be done in sips, strong taste and finish, warmth from the get-go. Slow going but worth it.
Jun 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.81 by spycow from Illinois

Mar 31, 2016
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Reviewed by BWood from California

3.36/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Hazy orange beer with a ton of pineapple smell. This is basically pineapple juice aged in bourbon barrels with alcohol added. That being said it wasn't horrible. I'm glad I got a chance to taste this beer but I would not seek it out again.
Jan 14, 2016
 
Rated: 3.03 by nmann08 from Virginia

Dec 20, 2015
5 Golden Rings - Bourbon Barrel-Aged from The Bruery
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 170 ratings