Tumescence | The Bruery

3.77/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This was one of those bottles that when it came out, I read the description, and ordered zero bottles of it. When I saw it was a $1 taster on site at the Bruery, I figured this was gonna be the lowest rent attempt I would prolly find, so I might as well throw it in the tasting lineup, it was #3 of 6 that day.

Looks like a bright mix of color between yellow and orange, 2/3" white head. The aroma was more fruit than some of the most proprietary hops. I guess there's like, actual fruit in this one. Mostly tropical in nature.

Taste is way better than I expected (and these reviews indicate). Hid the alcohol well in the mouth feel, dropped plenty of levity and fruit sweetness, but still had a smidge of that light saison rustic base. Good counter balancing from the brett. Its like a fruit stripe gum imperial saison. Light sour character in the 3.5 range on a 10pt scale, nicely done. A hint of bitterness in the 30ibu range I would guess. Good stuff, I'd buy a bottle if they make it again.

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4.21/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750ml bottle dated 12/30/2013 poured into snifter.

A: Pours bright, clear, dark orange with a frothy billowing off-white head that foamed up after the pour. The soft looking head slowly faded into a fuzzy collar leaving wispy of lace down the glass.
S: Very sweet, juicy, and brett-forward nose with tons of tropical fruit notes mixed with creamy, doughy yeast. To me, the most dominate note is dried mango and maybe canned mandarin oranges in syrup. I get hints of raspberry behind the tropical notes, but it’s slightly medicinal and cough syrup-like.
T: Less mango than the nose but way more brett character. The syrupy raspberry is still present in the background, but it has a light jammy quality to it as well. I get hints of ambiguous tropical fruit mixed with the mango. The finish is full of bitter, slightly medicinal brett, and the aftertaste is lightly doughy and fruity.
M: Medium body, clean and drying mouthfeel with very frothy, soft, carbonation. Carbonation is very fine and soft but really froths up on my palate.
O: Awesome nose, solid flavor. The fruit has faded a bit but this drinks well with a developed brett flavored.

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3.75/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

750ml bottle served in a teku glass. Pours an orange/pink color. Nose has promise of raspberry. Taste is raspberry and slight mango. Very slight tartness. Mouthfeel is light.

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3.58/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into a tulip appears a clear copper with 3 fingers pinkish stained head that holds well fading leaving spotty lace.

Aroma is fruity like raspberry, yet herbal and almost perfume-like.

Taste has a medley of herbs and light raspberry character. Whereas the nose is fruity and juicy the taste is much more herbal, dry and bitter like a tea tincture.

Light in body, modestly carbonated. Interesting yet forgettable.

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3.26/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a light raspberry red with three solid fingers of bubbly foam. Very pretty aside from the off-putting chunks of something that fell into the glass that were rust orange.

Very fruity, mango, raspberry, red berries, and some yeasty funk.

Raspberry, mango, tart, but not a good fruitiness. The acidic funk overpowers the flavor and makes you wish it were more subdued.

Light-bodied, high carbonation, acidic, astringent, too much sediment.

Overall, this looks pretty and smells nice, but the flavor and huge chunks of sediment are entirely off-putting.

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2.99/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - poured a three fingers thick off-white head into a tulip glass that left a thick ring of lace and sheeting throughout. The body was a cloudy and ruddy orange color.
S - mango and Belgian yeast.
T - mango, raspberry, fruity sour.
M - medium and coating.
O - interesting but the flavors don't seem to blend that well.

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4/5  rDev +13.6%

Appearance: raspberry mango color
Smell: raspberry fruits sweets yeast
Mouthfeel: sweet and full bodied
Tasted: mango puree, funk ending. Tastes like taking a mango puree with raspberry.
Overall: funky, fruity, think, I love the attempt, no my favorite but not spoiled and a hard beer to pull off.

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3.52/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Type: 750ml bottle (25.4 oz.)
Glass: High ball glass
From: Beer Advocate’s heresy22
Price: N/A
Purchased: N/A
Consumed: Oct. 25, 2014
Misc.: Collaboration with Bottle Logic Brewing; Had about 3/4 of the bottle left when I got it

Thanks Chris!

Poured a honey, caramel, hazy color with 1-to-2 fingers of frothy white head. The occasional stream of bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. Minimal foggy lacing on the sides of the glass. Minimal to no retention on the top. (Sight - 3.50)

Smelled juniper berry, blueberry, raspberry, mango, plum, purple grape, Blue Raspberry Blow Pop and floral notes. (Smell - 4.00)

Taste wasn’t nearly as good as the nose and much boozier. Got brett notes, raspberry, blueberry, juniper berry, Blue Raspberry Blow Pop, purple grape, mango and plum. (Taste - 3.25)

Light body. Oily texture. Lively carbonation. Longer, boozy finish. (Feel - 3.50)

Not a big fan of this beer and I don’t know why. It could have been the brett, which I really am only guessing on what I think it is. Either way, I probably won’t have it again. (Overall - 3.50)

3.52 | 80 | B

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3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

A: poured into a duvel tulip to a deep and cloudy orange with a big pillowy pinkish three finger head that retains well and leaves some lacing
S: smells of mangos, fruitiness, and brett
T: taste is fruitiness and mangoes with some slight funk and a little tart raspberry. swallow is herbs and spices with a little funk and some cracker malt
M: fairly light on the palate with slightly prickly carbonation and a slightly drying finish
O: Not bad but not the greatest. I don't know if this is trying to be a fruit beer or a saison but it isn't doing either particularly well. I think some time should do this some help by bringing out the funk.

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4.5/5  rDev +27.8%

Wow impressed by the fruity Belgian. Super interesting, for being so fruity its not overly sweet. Bottle logic and bruery should do more together they a such good neighbors

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3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

A - Pours a cloudy peach or milky pink color with a head that fades quickly. Just not a great beer to look at, at all.

S - Tart raspberries, sweet mangoes and a bit of funk. The raspberry is really dominate over the mangoes, funk and spices.

T - A whirlwind of tart raspberry and sweet fruits. Light funk and spices. A bit over done on the sweetness.

M - Light bodied and medium carbonation. It has a dry finish.

O - Not a saison at all. A bit overdone with the fruit and comes off more as a sour. Just not well put together at all. I expected a bit more from The Bruery.

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3.66/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottle opened on 5.18.14
Bottled: 12/11/13

A - Pours a cloudy, very murky orange with a large-bubbled white-orange head that fades fast.

S - Lots of raspberry and some sour mangos.

T - Brett hits first, then hard to decifer fruitiness, raspberry and mango come out in the finish.

D - Medium body with mild carbonation.

O - Fruity and Brett is there. Flavor is a bit vomit like.

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3.54/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed out of a brown 750 mL bottle with a bottling date of 12/30/13 etched on the curvature between the neck and bottle. Poured into a Boulevard Smokestack Series tulip glass.

Appearance - Pours a murky red-orange hue that is pretty uniform in color throughout due to the inability of light to pass through the heavily-clouded liquid. Atop the body sits a massive three-finger tower of tight foam that quickly begins to disintegrate, leaving a sticky honeycomb of lacing behind and tracings on the sides of the glass after it completely disappears.

Smell - The predominant characteristic is that of the fruit blended into this saison--mango and raspberry--and even some fruit notes that aren't specifically part of the beer. Passionfruit and nectarine. Underlying it all is a subtle bit of Brett characteristic, but it's nothing like the funky, almost tart sensation that I love from many Brett-infused beers.

Taste - Again the raspberry, mango and passionfruit are the upfront profiles, with not a light bit of grain and some yeasty spice coming through with the fruitiness as well. White pepper and perhaps ginger? Still, as far as I'm concerned, this might as well be a fruit beer. None of the wonderful yeasty spice saison characteristics or funk is coming through to turn this into an interesting beer. It's decent, but nothing mind-blowing or even close to it.

Mouthfeel - Medium-to-light bodied with moderate to low carbonation and a juicy feel but a drying finish on the tongue that seems to belie the fruity sweetness you might expect from it.

Overall, just an average beer, where I'm concerned. Based on looking at some other reviews, my bottle was not the trainwreck that others experienced, and I did get nice character from the fruit puree component, but this could have been so much more, it seems.

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3.03/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

S- bottle, shipped from Cali
A-Cloudy ,
S- raspberry
T- bland, boring. Exact same raz flavor as Rubaeus but tamer.
M- lacking any significant mouthfeel
O- in summation: nothing great or inspirational about this. A flop, shot down in flames, crash/burn waste of time

Windowsill was much more interesting

I try everything I can get from Bruery, and really like most of it : this was lame for such a heralded brewery

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3.4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 2.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip. Brett saison made with raspberries, mango, and some unnamed herbs & spices.

Murky dark orange color, kind of looks like carrot juice. Huge bubbly white head that quickly fades to nothing. No lacing. Kind of weird looking.

Big raspberry smell on the nose, followed by a little brett and earthy funk. The mango is more subtle. Some kind of spices. Nice.

Raspberries and brett also lead on the taste, with the spices lending some flavor and bitterness. I'm guessing there's grains of paradise in there. Very fruity, comes on sweet/tart and ends dry. Some alcohol presence.

Light bodied but kind of viscous. Ends dry but feels kind of filmy in my mouth.

I'm a little torn on this beer. It definitely doesn't taste or look much like a saison, and it could stand to be lower in alcohol. I think they went a little overboard with the fruit too. But it was pretty tasty, like a brett fruit beer. I probably wouldn't buy it again but it was certainly worth buying once.

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3.61/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Looks like apricot nectar with a soda foam head that quickly fades, leaving no lacing

Smell: Raspberry, passion fruit and mango - some sweetness but the tones are mostly tart

Taste: Puréed fruit, up front, with the tart raspberry and passion fruit tones dominant; the mango adds sweetness but is overwhelmed by the tart fruit; the Brett makes an appearance in the finish as do the herbs - perhaps herbs of paradise

Mouthfeel: Very flabby and undercarbonated

Overall: A saison gone wrong but a decent fruit beer

Thanks, lincolnbeard, for the opportunity

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3.81/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

750mL bottle acquired through the Hoarders Society. Bottled 12/31/13. Served in a Bruery snifter.

Pours a murky, peach hued pale brown with three fingers of pale head. The bubbles clear quickly but leave a smallish halo and only a few tiny specks of lace. It's admittedly fairly ugly but I'm just fine with it.

Smells of sweet fruit puree, faint mango, berries, hay, earth, a vague sweetness and a little nondescript spice.

Flavors kick off with yeasty Belgianesque notes of clove, peppercorn and mild bananna. The fruit additions soon become quite apparent. Mango and raspberry are obviously the stars but the is plenty of depth here. Guava, pear, orange rind, earthy leather, old wet hay, bubblegum, floral stems, some bready malt and just a hint of booze. Dry, fruity, semi tart and only mildly funky this is an interesting mix that hides it's alcohol well.

Medium body with fairly sharp carbonation. Finishes dry, bitter and floral with the notes of the mango and berries present but they fade long before a lingering earthy vegetal spice.

I'm not typically a fan of saisons but I found this one enjoyable. I get the dry, yeasty, spicey, grassiness that I have come to associate with the style but the fruits bring some nice flavor that I can appreciate. So while this is perhaps not something true fans of saisons might like, anyone like me that is just dabbling in the style (and doesn't mind a fruit-forward brew) might be ok with this loose interpretation.

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3.76/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. There is mango gunk on the lip of the bottle.

Deep orange and cloudy. Big opaque body and murky, almost rust colored orange and looking like a glass of tomato juice. Head at first forms real nicely, three fingers, sort of a light tan brown color, but really breaks into huge soapy bubbles and no retention quickly. Minimal thin collar. This almost looks like a Michelada.

Nice brett pepper black sensations. Some good tropical fruit. Clean, a bit wet sensing it seems. Strange herbality, and it does seem somewhat vegetative strangely but only slightly (tomato?). Maybe I am reading too much into this michelada appearance.

Palate brings much fruit angle suggested. Gone are vegetables and replaced with berried fruit, hints of tropical mush, and a nice spritzy finish. THere's even some nice crisp malt like sensations on this and some bakery fresh bread quality. Some good carbonation, and mineral wine like character, if a hint of wetness. Some faint brett and earthy character comes matching also slowly after some time.

Overall this had me scared at first, but it turned out fairly alright in the end.

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4.02/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottle poured into Bruery stemware.

A - Big effervescent champagne-esque head that quickly dissipated to nothing. Leaving behind an orange-red, swamp water murky body.

S - Tomango.

T - Big bubblegum year, mango and a touch of raspberry. I can also pick up some herbal notes. I dig it.

M - Pretty light and ALMOST as refreshing as a saison should be. Fruit juice residual sugars make it a touch too sticky.

O - Excellent, one of a kind, off the wall brew. It may be a muddled, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink saison, but it's tasty.

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3.83/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 750ml bottle into my Bruery tulip. Bought one bottle in the RS this year.

a - Pours a very murky orange-brown color with one finger of lightly reddish brown head and high carbonation evident. No head left on the glass.

s - Smells of tropical fruits, mangos, sweet fruity malts, oak, pineapples, citrus hops, raspberries, and oranges. Brett is very light. Very nice nose, like it a lot.

t - Tastes of spices, pepper, floral notes, citrus hops, bitter grapefruit, light tropical fruits, and light mangos. Tastes is bitter, brett is light, mangos are light. Step down from the nose.

m - Light to medium body and moderate to high carbonation, with a bitter bite. Touch over carbonated.

o - Overall an interesting beer. Doesn't look great and was a touch over carbonated, but the nose was very fruity and really good. The Tate wasn't as fruit or bright, and was more bitter than expected, with more spice. Could smell it all day but worth splitting a bottle.

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3.72/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle poured into a Bruery tulip.

A - Pours a very odd looking color - pinkish, orangish, brownish, super murky/muddy and with a tall cap of loosely bubbled head that fizzes away rather quickly leaving a loose collar around the edge of the glass. Attractive...not really - consistent with a true farmhouse saison - maybe.

S - Aroma is much more promising...so much fresh raspberry aroma - really nice. Mangoes add some sweet tropical touches with a bit of an over-ripe character. Brett...if they say so - can't say I am getting much in the aroma anyway. Hard to get much else beyond the fruit.

T - Ok...brett makes its appearance in the flavor anyway. Earthy and bitter brett character - no funk though. Balance of tropical mango and juicy raspberry more or less equal in intensity mixed in with a bit of strawberry-ish fruit as well. Bitterness plants the fruit flavors more into the background and almost into a supporting role. Herbs and spices are there, but a bit muddled - having a difficult time placing any of the individual spices distinctly. Bitterness is quite odd - almost like dandelion greens. Balance seems off a bit.

M - Medium body with a lowish carbonation. Herbal, medicinal bitterness, earthiness are a bit harsh and overpower the rather nice fruit contributions. Lingers far past the swallow and as the fruit fades, the bitterness holds on giving a less than outstanding lasting contribution.

O - I really wanted to love this, but only find it to be passable. Definitely drinkable - I will finish the bottle by myself no problem, but it isn't something I am savoring either. Interesting experiment for sure, but with mixed results. Odd...even for a saison. Worthy of a try, but probably is hit or miss depending on the individual palate.

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3.27/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

750ml, 12/31/13
The Bruery tulip

A: Pours like mango purée. Very murky cloudy deeper orange color. Some pinkish hues. It was a full two fingers of head initially but very loose bubbled, like home brew carbonation. Fizzled to nothing. Collar of off white.

S: Not getting the Brett, but lots of mango and raspberry. Not sure what the herbs and spices were in here, but strange nose while cold.

T: Really not like any saison I've had recently. I wish there was more funky Brett character. Get a good amount of acidic tart fruit. That strange spice bill. Finish isn't as dry as other saisons.

M: Medium bodied. Slightly under carbonated.

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3.69/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

bottled on 12/13/13
Poured into a standard tulip

Appearance: (3.25)
Pours an extremely murky, opaque dark orange with some dark reddish highlights in the body. A loosely bubbled, 2.5 finger tall orange head slowly rises out of the cloudy body, only to quickly recede, leaving no lace behind. Truly bizarre looking beer.

Aroma: (3.5)
As soon as the beer is poured, you're struck by the usual suspects of the Bruery's saisons; sweet, yeast driven phenolics, mostly banana and spicy clove. Buried underneath the yeast are some of the fruit purees that were added to the beer; subtle mango and a very soft tart twang of raspberry. As the beer warms, the fruitiness comes out more and more, alongside bready malt sweetness. For being partially fermented with Brettanomyces, there is little to no funk, beside a subtle mustiness.

Taste: (3.75)
Similar to the aroma, the sweet, Belgian yeast hits your palate right away with it's notes of banana, white pepper and clove. Swooping in right underneath the yeast are subtle notes of raspberry and mango, the mango is surprisingly more dominant and compliments the light, malty sweetness on the back end of the beer. The beer finishes pleasantly dry and crisp with long, lingering notes of spices, banana, pear, white pepper, light mango and faint raspberry flesh and only a mere suggestion of a barnyard funk. For 8% the alcohol is very well hidden.

Mouthfeel: (4)
Full bodied with crisp, high carbonation that really lifts the malt off of your palate.

Overall: (3.75)
The Bruery and Bottle Logic really tried something unique here with this saison by adding mango and raspberry puree and brettanomyces to the ale. I think the beer drinks great, but while the addition of fruit purees certainly are evident in the appearance and aroma, they were unfortunately lacking in the flavor of the beer. This is a very refreshing saison, despite being 8%. Recommended to some one who wants to try something off the beaten path of American Saisons.

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3.54/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 750mL bottle into my Drie de Fonteinen tumbler.

Muddy, guava-puree-colored body with an active and very soapy papaya whip crown. Hints of pink throughout. Soapy lacing, decent retention.

The aroma is pure mango and a faint floral element with some vague pepper and funk notes from the Brett. Hard to detect anything else.

Tropical fruit pith, Seville orange (rind and all), sweet, floral, intensely fruity, but rapidly drying to a bracing peppery finish. The raspberries and mango play off one another well, though they completely dominate the flavor profile - the Brett. only cutting through in the finish and the rest of the yeast adding flavor more on a subliminal level in comparison.

Creamy, medium-light bodied, not too thick, with well controlled alcohol.

First and foremost a fruit beer, the saison base blends well as a foil to the sweetness, but this is more like a beer smoothie than a proper ale. Very fresh and original, and while I'm not sure if this is a successful beer, it certainly isn't mediocre.

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3.6/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Really tough to rate. Looks like a V8 Splash but with a huge, orangish head. Settles down to zero head and no lacing.

S - Smells like a smoothie! Lots of mango, pineapple, passion fruit. Really odd, but smells very refreshing.

T - Lots of tart raspberries right up front followed very heavily by the mango. Not getting as much of the herbs as I would have liked. Not really sure how to rate this beer either. I feel like I could take a Bud and add purees to it and it would turn out the same way. Kudos for trying something new, but I hope this doesn't catch on.

M - Like drinking a glass of pulp free juice. Very thick.

O - Strays a little far from the beer flavor for me. I want to taste the malts/hops and brett more. Probably a fun summer beer, but I'm one and done on this brew.

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