Smokey And The Bois
The Bruery

Smokey And The BoisSmokey And The Bois
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
16.2%
Score:
96
Avg:
4.32 | pDev: 8.1%
Reviews:
35
Ratings:
260
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 12, 2022
Added:
Jun 11, 2014
Wants:
  34
Gots:
  67
Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels with Vanilla Beans & Cacao Nibs. Collaboration with Rare Beer.

A careful blend of Black Tuesday (a much-coveted, bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stout), Smoking Wood (an imperial rye porter, offering malts smoked with beech- and cherrywood), and Bois (an exceptional, bourbon-barrel-aged old ale). This exclusive release also uses Nacional cacao nibs from Mindo Chocolate Makers, a bean-to-bar chocolatier who works directly with Ecuadorian growers.

Aroma on this is quite generous: vanilla, almond, powdered doughnuts, cotton candy. Notes of bitter chocolate, coffee, and smoke are met by mellowing influences like crème brûlée and milk chocolate. A warming integrated vein of alcohol provides a nice lift. The finely bubbled, and relatively subtle, CO2 adds just enough extra texture for everything to present itself fully.

Color, a deep, chocolate brown lightens to a cola color, a maple-syrup-ness at the edge. From Black Tuesday's contributions: char, burnt caramel, bitter chocolate. Those are matched with the layered, caramel-y richness this gets from Bois, adding heavily detailed core notes of toffee, nougat, and the caramelized sugars that serve as a crucial note for this beer. Then that third blending, the Smoking Wood, adds in softer bittering elements from its beechwood- and cherrywood-smoked malts.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Gotti311:
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Rated by Gotti311 from Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 1

Nov 10, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by EMV from Pennsylvania

Jul 12, 2022
 
Rated: 4.43 by JohnofUpton from Massachusetts

Feb 17, 2021
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Reviewed by stortore from Illinois

4.49/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
750 ml bottle into a tulip snifter. Bottled 6/10/14, had 3/16/19.

Pours dark brown and opaque, with a short head and some spotty cling. Aromas of bourbon, chocolate, figs, dates, molasses, toffee, coconut, cocoa, tobacco, char, light smoke, some oak, some malt. Smells terrific. The flavor is not quite as expressive, but as good as the aroma. Bourbon, caramel, figs, chocolate, malt, dates, tobacco, oak, light molasses and raisins. Incredibly smooth for the ABV, a great full body, well carbonated.

Purchased from the Rare Beer Club a few weeks before having. Terrific aromas and flavors, lots of layers. The barrels are prevalent, but allow the base beers to shine. Really well blended. Glad I got to try this, and still have one more bottle.
Mar 18, 2020
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Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
Received from @2beerdogs in NBS BIF 10 – Thanks Derek! Reviewed 1/12/20.
“2014 Edition”. Etched on the shoulder above the label “#142 06/10/14” above “14:25 001489”. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 55 degrees (as stated on the label) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 62 degrees F.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Dark brown, clear.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque. When held to direct light, the same.
Head – Average (Maximum 2.3 cm, aggressive center pour), gone in a few seconds after the pour is completed, leaving a featureless surface. While not fizzy, the head demonstrates no tendency to last. At 16.2% ABV, this is not surprising.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Initially, cocoa predominates. This is followed by omnipresent bourbon and some light smokiness, much weaker than a good rauchbier.
Flavor – 4.75 – Initially, slightly sweet bourbon assaults the taste buds, followed by vanilla rolling up the flanks. Cocoa and smoke provide cover for the alcohol. No alcohol (16.2% ABV as marked on label) aroma or flavor. However, the first swallow is marked by both short-lived esophageal burning and a continual background gastric smoldering. No diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide, no hops.
Palate – 4 – Full, approaching syrupy, watery, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.75. Damn, this is GOOD! I was going to save the second half of the bottle for later, but it now looks like I’m going to sleep through “Noir Alley”. Flavor, texture, and aroma all combine to force me to finish the 750 mL bottle – soon!
Jan 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4.24 by hopkrid from Florida

Nov 11, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Brewed in collaboration with the Rare Beer Club.

Bottled 6/10/14; drank 11/21/15 @ Harvest Hop Haus.

Black/brown appearance.

Almost no khaki head; almost no lace.

Brandy, marshmallow, milk chocolate, bourbon, black licorice & spicy rye notes in the nose.

Thick mouthfeel. Milk chocolate & spicy rye flavors up front; bourbon heat on the finish.

Although the nose promised transcendence, this didn't quite deliver.
Sep 28, 2019
 
Rated: 4.17 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Aug 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Scott17Taylor from Iowa

Jun 08, 2019
 
Rated: 5 by Kwright from North Carolina

Jan 23, 2019
Photo of Fordcoyote15
Reviewed by Fordcoyote15 from Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
RIP Burt Reynolds.

2014 vintage

L - teku pour. Paper thin. Looks like coca cola. 1 finger fizzy head that lasted less time than it took to load ba.com

S - classic bruery. Big sticky sweet sugar/alcohol. Dates, plums, raisins, caramel, vanilla, oak, toffee, light peat smoke, ocean water (strangely), and more alcohol.

T - Alcohol! And then LEATHER, equal parts peat smoke and wood smoke. Cherry taste is very big as in most big bruery beers but it's somewhat clouded by the iodine like peat smoke.

It's more one dimensional than I hoped. It's hot, peaty and less flavorful than most of their offerings. I enjoy it, but it's not on par with their more renowned offerings.

F - slick, oily, thin but sugary. Carbonation still big 4 years later. Hot. Very, very hot. If beers indeed do "mellow out" with time I'd be scared to drink this fresh.

O - it's hard to rate a beer with this much flavor and punch less than slightly above average (isnt average like a deschutes fresh squeezed?). That being said I'm let down by the bruery with this beer. I'm giving this a 4.25 but that's only because I'm rounding up from 4.13

-----

Drinking this again 11/22/23 and my review is dead nuts. No real age detected in this now 9 year old 2014 vintage... wild really. Only thing I'd edit about my prior review is that its predominantly peat smoke and im not getting much campfire. Its all sugar (typical bruery), cherries, and iodine like islay peat.
Sep 09, 2018
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Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.11/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Sometimes you read about a beer and think oh man, this is gonna be like drinking shit, but then your reality hits expectations right in the mouth. Pours a dark color in between Black Tuesday and the dark anniversary series. Brown head on the top, 1/4". Aroma had a little bit of everything, the bourbon, the smoke, the vanilla, the drizzled caramel and toffee cracker jack like notes.

Taste, wow, I actually like this! At the time, I was anti anything Smoking Wood, it just wouldn't go away, every month, some new Smoking Wood beer, variant etc. . . This covered the alcohol well and the sum of its parts was nice, the vanilla helped chill the excessive smoke out. Very layered, chocolate, caramel, smoke, roast, charred oak and other woods, bourbon, vanilla, you name it.

I mean, this beer is strong as shit, but enjoyable to drink. And I totally thought I would hate it. Shows what I know.
Apr 10, 2018
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Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.81/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Purchased from the Bruery and cellared 3 years prior to consuming. The brew appears black in color with a brown head that fades leaving spotty lace.

Aroma is roasty and smokey with an earthen feel almost anise-like with chocolate, caramel and vanilla.

Taste brings the smoke with earth and roastiness with plenty of booze, dustiness, caramel and vanilla.

Full body with modest carbonation. Pretty decent stuff. The smokiness helps to cut the monotony of booze/sweetness but at 3 years old this is still a little rough around the edges.
Jul 14, 2017
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Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

4.4/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Had this one at a tasting a ways back, from notes…I think I got this bottle from billverstien
Dark cola liquid, bourbon galore, cinnamon out of nowhere? Not the smoke I was expecting, molasses, brown sugar, chocolate syrup, caramel all over, some leather and I’d never guess this was 16.2%
May 01, 2017
 
Rated: 4.67 by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

Dec 19, 2016
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Reviewed by cvm4 from Mississippi

4.31/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L - Pours a black coffee body with little to no head. What head that did appear was medium khaki in nature. Not really any retention to the head or lacing on the glass.

S - Overall smell of bourbon with vanilla entrenched. Definitely Black Tuesday dominate with sweet chocolate and roasted malts. Mild smokey aroma on the back.

T - Dark fruits intertwined with chocolate and vanilla along with a mild smokey backbone.

F - On the light side of full bodied with low carbonation. Velvety and creamy mouthfeel. Obviously, with the abv there is some heat.

O - Fantastic beer here! It's everything I'm looking for: complex, boozy and decadent.
Nov 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4.11 by SimcoeKid from California

Oct 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by suckaj from Florida

Oct 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4.46 by mbw314 from California

Oct 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by Svyturys30 from Illinois

Aug 25, 2016
Smokey And The Bois from The Bruery
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 260 ratings