White Zin
The Bruery

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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.21 | pDev: 9.98%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
32
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 25, 2014
Added:
Mar 15, 2009
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Swimsum:
Photo of Swimsum
Reviewed by Swimsum from Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Just found some old reviews from 2009. Had this on tap at Belmont Station on 7/15/09. Served in a tulip glass

Came a copper color in the glass with a small white head that settled to a ring around the glass within a couple minutes of getting the glass. When held to the light it's a mandarin orange color. Swirling the glass brings the head back for a bit but eventually fades again. No lacing is left down the glass.

Smells of funk and white zinfandel grapes. Not overly sour from the smell, pretty interesting.

A lot of white wine flavor comes though in the taste right away. A bit of funk is also present. There is also a tart/slight sour taste in the finish of this one. I'm not the biggest white wine fan so I wish there was a bit more complexity to this.

Tons of carbonation in this one. Almost champagne like feel on the tongue. I would have liked this to be a bit less carbonated to my taste.

I could only have one of these due to the overwhelming white wine characteristics of this beer. I'm glad I got to try this one though. If there had been more complexity to this, I would have rated it much higher.

Note: I had this back when I really wasn't experienced with sours and I believe this was my first light body colored sour (ie stuff like Temptation). I believe that if I were to have this today, I would rate it much differently but I stand by this review for where I was in the drinking experience at the time.
Jan 03, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by wethorseblanket from California

Oct 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by deniserat from California

Oct 27, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by zestar from California

Oct 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by t0rin0 from California

Mar 02, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by Chambic from California

Jul 30, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by Jstark5150 from California

Nov 19, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by jerz from California

Nov 16, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by bombadil from California

Nov 15, 2011
 
Rated: 4.25 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of kbutler1
Reviewed by kbutler1 from Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On tap at the Bruery Reserve Initiation party 2011. Pours a murky apricot orange color with very little head. Sour fruit (grape) type notes in the nose that are fairly light and delicate, nothing to in your face but nice and subtle. Light mouthfeel. The taste is more pronounced than the nose with nice fruit flavors of grape, peach, and apricot. Ends semi dry. Not a complete stand out but very drinkable and pleasant.
Jan 10, 2011
Photo of thagr81us
Reviewed by thagr81us from South Carolina

4.42/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Served from tap into a Bruery sampler imperial pint at the Reserve Society Party. Poured a hazy yellow-orange with a minimal white head. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, sour, and grapes. The flavor was of sweet malt, sour, tart, and dark fruit. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this brew was excellent in all aspects. Had very nice light sour notes in this one that blended extremely well with the dark fruit that was present. This one goes down really smooth and was quite enjoyable. Definitely glad I got to try this one.
Jan 10, 2011
Photo of Gobzilla
Reviewed by Gobzilla from California

4.47/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a golden orange with pale yellow highlights that had a thin frothy head and left some good lacing sticking to the glass. Lots of fruit character pop out on the nose consisting of peaches, pineapple, and grapes along with oaky, vinous, citrusy wine notes. The taste blended the wine citrusy sour flavors quite well with peach pineapple vinous fruit accents with a touch of oaky acidic notes. The brew was light to medium in body with a nice amount of tingly carbonation which had a winey, fruity, oaky, and sour finish. It was one of my favorite beers of the day that was very tasty and drank really good I'm really glad I got to try this brew.
Jan 10, 2011
Photo of FosterJM
Reviewed by FosterJM from California

4.1/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
169th review on BA
On tap at RS Party

App- Orangish/reddish color that matches with a grapefruit. Little bit of head to it from the pour.

Smell-Big bit of zin grapes with an acidic tartiness. Had a detectable sweetness to it as well. 7.5% got no trace of the booze on the nose. Wasn't able to pick up any hops/malt.

Taste-A very strong flavor of the grapes. I mean a beer brewed with 1000 pounds should right? It was tarty and a slight bit sweet.

Mouth- A bit dry but I expected that after talking to some people at the event before the keg was tapped. It was medium bodied with a small carbonation. Very nice on the palate one of my favs of the day.

Drink- It was quite different and I was looking for that today. I was excited to try this one and it didn't dissapoint.
Jan 10, 2011
Photo of bulletrain76
Reviewed by bulletrain76 from California

3.5/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Draught at The Bruery's anniversary. Orange with a small head. The aroma is funky and tart, but with a much bigger fruity, vinous character and less funk that the cuvee juene. The flavor has plenty of grape-fruitiness with medium tartness and a low a amount of funk. Light bodied and too carbonated. Pretty cool stuff, but while interesting, not as good as the juene in my book.
Nov 07, 2009
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On draught at Belmont Station's Pucker Fest. Served in a Delirium Tremens snifter, White Zin is a hazy peach with a white collar that left little to no lace, but had a nice glow and steady column of bubbles streaming up from the elephant etching on the bottom of the glass.

Smell is apricot and watermelon, wine grapes for sure, but over all not very strong.

Taste is also very vinous, fruity, a little rubbery phenols, some tartness, but not a ton, with a bit of pucker on the finish. Pretty good but not as much complexity as better examples of the style.

Mouthfeel is dry, with a medium body and crisp carbonation.

Drinkability is good but not great. Needs more souring and less wine.
Aug 19, 2009
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

4.32/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Stone, served in a snifter

A: Amber with a thin white head. Retention is pretty good.

S: Great vinous combination of sourness and grapes. Mildly sweet with some caramel. Sourness is very clean with a light acetic character with some lemony sourness as well. Excellent

T/M: On the palate, it's similar, opening up with lemony sourness and a strong grape character. Medium in body with a mild sweetness with caramel and honey. Tart and drying on the finish with crisp carbonation.

D: The Bruery continues to impress me after a disappointing start, and this beer is no exception. Very drinkable.
Jul 30, 2009
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Stone.

A: Cloudy peach type color, no visibility through the glass at all. No head.

S: Interesting combination of sweet and sour. Lots of fruit, some unripe, some ripe. The ones I noticed were grapes (not surprising since it's aged in Zin barrels), apples, and maybe it was just the color, but peaches.

T: Excellent tartness, but good sweet flavor as well. Grapes and peaches after the initial (intense) sourness. Very good balance.

M: Kind of flat, medium bodied.

D: Great sour beer, I wish I could have had more of this.
Jul 28, 2009
Photo of Overlord
Reviewed by Overlord from California

4.32/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My favorite of the Bruery offerings at the fest.

Pours an interesting cloudy amber. I expected it to be, I don't know, closer to white in color. Nice frothy head.

Smells like unripe pears, apples, peaches, and some other familiar fruits. Got a nice, vinegar vinous quality to it. Some funk in nose.

Funk a bit more predominant in flavor, but it's a "fruit forward" beer. Slightly, just slightly, sweet, and some nice controlled funk and sourness.
Jul 20, 2009
Photo of abecall98
Reviewed by abecall98 from California

4.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had this on tap at SacBrew.

A - This is one of the most beutiful beers I have ever laid eyes upon. A nice amber like red color, with an amazing white lacing head. The best part however, was the constant carbonation, with the addition of more head after every drink. It never went away.

S - This beer smelled very sour and sweet upon the first sniff. After a few more wiffs, I notice the sweet grapes and vinager.

T - This beer had me puckering. The first taste started out sour, lead into a tangy grape taste, and finished with a smooth pop.

M - Very dry, and an explosion of sour mother watering puckerness. Can't really describe it to non-sour beer drinkers, but this is a very dry pleasant mouthfeel.

D - at 7.5%, you wouldn't even notice there was alcohol in this brew. The beer stays well carbonated, flavors up as it warms, and every drink makes you want more. Very drinkable beer.

For a bruery that is just over a year old, I have to say, I am amazed at what this brewery, the bruery is capable of. This beer is proof of a recession proof brewery that has a statement to make in America. They have potential to be one of the most saught after breweries with beers like White Zin.
Jul 06, 2009
White Zin from The Bruery
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 32 ratings