Wineification II
The Bruery

Wineification IIWineification II
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
13.7%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.29 | pDev: 10.26%
Reviews:
22
Ratings:
167
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 05, 2023
Added:
Oct 06, 2014
Wants:
  60
Gots:
  30
In this second rendition of Wineification, the Rues and Parkers continue to vanquish the boundaries between wine and beer. Again they have combined their brains and brawn on a blend of juicy Rodney's Vineyard Petite Sirah grapes with The Bruery's imperial stout, then aged this wine/beer hybrid in French Oak barrels. The flavor profile is remarkable. Notes of black cherry, vanilla, cinnamon, oak, aged balsamic, port wine and a sherry-like oxidation from the barrels. This beer is like nothing that you have ever tried before...besides, perhaps, Wineification I.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mdaschaf:
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Rated by mdaschaf from Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

Nov 17, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by imperialking from Illinois

Apr 05, 2023
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Reviewed by StraightNoChaser from Georgia

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look: dark ruby brown, pink head.
Smell: Black Tuesday toned down mixed with red wine. A drier smell than BT as expected.
Taste: like the nose. Dialed down BT, and red wine. Mostly dry finish
Nov 07, 2020
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Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.34/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Really light black edging toward brown body, tiny brown ring. Smell is incredible: rich grapes, vinous earthiness and booze, very expressive french oak, decadent cassis liqueur, with accenting toasted caramel, leather, and vanillins. Taste is also a revelation in how the wine elements really star but still fits the stout range with the malt flavors, add some light sherry, char and molasses to the mix. Feel, like the appearance, is thinner than one would expect, very vinous, smooth yet malt stands up to the barrel enough to balance.
Sep 12, 2020
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Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.37/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 9/11/2014. Pours opaque ruby red/purple/black color with a small fairly foamy and fluffy pink head with poor retention, that reduces to nothing pretty quickly. Minimal lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge tart/tangy red grape/wine, blackberry, black currant, fruit skin/seed, cherry, raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, apricot, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted oak, and dark bread; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, licorice, coffee, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, peppercorn, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Amazing aromas with fantastic complexity and balance of dark grapes, dark/bready/light roasted malts, french oak, and fruity yeast notes; with huge strength. Taste of huge tart/tangy red grape/wine, blackberry, black currant, fruit skin/seed, cherry, raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, apricot, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted oak, and dark bread; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, licorice, coffee, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, peppercorn, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light grape tang/tartness; herbal, roasted bitterness; and grape/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. lingering notes of tart/tangy red grape/wine, blackberry, black currant, fruit skin/seed, cherry, raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, apricot, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted oak, dark bread, molasses, licorice, coffee, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, peppercorn, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark grapes, dark/bready/light roasted malts, french oak, and fruity yeast flavors; with zero cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/tang/tartness, and spicy oak. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/acidic/tannic, and lightly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 13.7%, with minimal lingering booze after the finish. Overall this is an amazing oak aged fruited imperial stout. All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark grapes, dark/bready/light roasted malts, french oak, and fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mellowly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish. Fantastic soft feel for the ABV, and not overly tannic. Perfectly balanced between super juicy/jammy grapes, dark/bready malts, and French oak presence. Not a ton of roast, but the base beer is the same way. Tastes just like a 50/50 blend of Petite Sirah wine and Black Tuesday. A highly amazing experimental offering. This hit all expectations.
Sep 12, 2019
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Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

4.71/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
I had an opportunity to purchase this beer two years back. I decided to fork over the cash for this bottle. Today is Christmas it is fitting to try this beer with family. The beer is 50 degrees and served in a tulip glass. The pour on the beer produced a pinkish tan head that fizzled quickly. Pouring the beer into the glass, it looked like well use cutting oil for a pipe machine. The beer has this dark brown murkiness and is opaque.

The initial aromas of the beer are fruity and earthy with dark roasted malts. Next, I smell chocolate, raisins, anise, bready, oaky, vanilla, molasses, and toffee. Lastly, I detect yeast alcohol and citrus.

Oh wow, what flavors this beer has. I taste the Syrah grapes, jammy notes, fruity, and earthy/dirt. Next, I taste the stout anise, bready, oaky, vanilla, molasses, toffee, chocolate, raisins, dark roasted malts, and oranges.

The mouthfeel of the beer is thick and round.

The body of the beer is full, low-plus carbonation, and a full finish.

This beer is an incredible feat in the craft movement. The wine barrel and stout flavors are harmoniously like professional ballroom dancer winning competitions. I loved the flavors in the beer, but sad to see the head showing rather poor. This beer was worth the money spent, I want another to one to enjoy. I loved this beer.
Dec 26, 2018
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Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.74/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
I never thought I'd see a relatively clear, red tinged Black Tuesday, especially one with a bubbly pinkish-tan collar.

Smell is toasted yet milky oak with cedary, almost smoked, red wine.

Taste and body is exceptionally wine-like, gliding into a smooth, slick fluid. I know, look at the name--but I really wasn't expecting this, especially via the delivery method of Black Tuesday. I'm quite surprised by how sweet and juicy it has become. The grapes have a cabernet note that helps mellow out the intensity of BT while adding some seedy berries and dry tannins in the finish.

Overall, the stout is actually drowned out, and it's also less hot. It's a unique experience, but also sort of confusing.
Oct 15, 2018
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Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts

3.72/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Finally split with JLindros.

A - Poured into a standard tulip a nice ruby mud light head but really phenomenal legs.

S - Aromas of nice juicy Syrah grapes, light chocolate, old almost stale beer. Almost metallic and tinny. Super fruity and juicy grapes. Stale bread too

T - Taste is similar to the nose with light dark chocolate. Sticky sweet, little grape jelly, light wine notes. The grapes are tart and little sour. Fair amount of stale bread as well.

M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, little sweet and sticky. Finish is really flemmy.

O -Overall this was a rather solid black Tuesday treatment. Interesting wine notes but sadly sour.

Serving Type: bottle
Aug 11, 2018
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Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.66/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Split with rudzud
Light fizzy head fades sticky, dark murky chestnut color

Nose sour grapes, red musty grapes that went sour but super juicy, weird acidity with like a cinnamon spice and light metallic thing, stale bread,

Taste tart but big juicy grapes, reddish sweet grapes and little candy sweet wine, little port wine, little chocolate cocoa, syrupy molasses, toffee butterscotch, oak and wine barrel notes, finish sticky sweet

Mouth is heavy bod sticky sweet, decent carb

Overall eh
Aug 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Mar 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by Gotti311 from Wisconsin

Dec 27, 2016
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Reviewed by THANAT0PSIS from Wisconsin

4.64/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5
The Bruery Wineification II

A: This wine-stout hybrid pours not unlike a deep red wine. It is not quite black like its base beer but rather it takes on a deep, purple hue, reminiscent of dusk after a day of storms has finally cleared away. The scant finger of head also showcases purple tinges, appearing the color of a blueberry muffin before disappearing quickly and completely. Lacing is spotty at best, but at 13.7% ABV, this is unsurprising. Alcohol legs are prominent. The lack of head and lacing is fitting for a wine hybrid. Still, it would be nice to have a little more head and lacing, even in a hefty, barrel-aged beer like this one. 4.5/5

A: it is difficult to determine which element of the beer is most prominent, as both Black Tuesday and he Syrah grapes (not to mention the wine barrel) are present in spades. They do not fight, however; it is more of an intimate discussion between two perfectly complimentary components. There are the classic BT notes of caramel, toffee, dark fruits, tobacco, molasses, smoke, and chocolate, of course. Seamlessly, the wine shows up with black currants, blackberries, cherry, leather, spice box, cedar, rich grape jelly, almond, and plenty of oak. It is subtle, intense, refined, and classy. The wine does end up winning our eventually, making this taste perhaps a little too much like wine and not enough like beer. Fantastic, sexy, and alluring. 4.75/5

T: If possible, the taste is shifted even more toward wine. Given a blind tasting, many would probably peg this as a wine alone, as the imperial stout characteristics are quite subdued. Slightly tart berries greet the tongue up front, raspberry and blackberry, with tobacco, currants, cherry, raisin, almond, and spicy oak all following up. Black Tuesday bleeds through with toffee sweetness, rich cigar smoke, caramel, plenty of dark fruits, and gives an impression of sweetness to the otherwise quite dry profile. Dark chocolate is also present, giving the overall impression of a chocolate-covered, candied black currant. Many drinkers will wonder where the beer is, but it is still wonderful overall. 4.5/5

M: Here again, it feels more like wine than beer. The carbonation is so low that it could be mistaken for typical wine acidity, and the body is medium light yet oily (though not in a bad way) and with a slight stickiness that lingers. Alcohol warmth is moderate but not oppressive. The finish is mostly dry and very pleasant, but it is a little thin and a little too wine-y 4.25/5

O: So here is where my personal bias for this sub-substyle will be perfectly clear: despite not giving it glowing remarks above (which were necessary since even as a wine-influenced stout, it should exhibit a little bit more stout character), I love this beer. Wine barrel-aged imperial stouts are one of my favorite things in beer, and this one toes (and even steps over) the line better than any before it (save MAYBE Goose Island Napa County Stout). This is totally worth seeking out of you are at all interested in wine, as it drinks much more like a very rich red than Black Tuesday. The most remarkable thing is how not cloying it is (in contrast with the base beer). Leave it to the Bruery to pull off a beer of this off the deep end. Pair with the refined, genre-bending masterpiece "California" by Mr. Bungle. 5/5
Nov 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.12 by IrishColonial from Texas

Oct 14, 2016
 
Rated: 4.47 by JoshBrews from Missouri

Jun 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.71 by ItsYourBoyBlue from Washington

May 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

May 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by DeadeyeOTDO from Arizona

May 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by drummermattie02 from Texas

May 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by t2grogan from Arizona

May 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by teamwiggum from Wisconsin

Apr 20, 2016
Wineification II from The Bruery
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 167 ratings