Arbre - Alligator Char
The Bruery

Bottled in 2015; the final version in the series of three. Definitely past its prime, a bit too syrupy and cloying, with an odd flavor to the charred malt at this point. Out of the three, 'Light Toast' held up the best over time.

2017 edition. 10.8% ABV. Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a very dark brown hue with half inch light tan head with decent retention.
S: Definitely loads of wood char (hits from a foot away), molasses, burnt caramel malt, leather, vanilla, and a hint of marshmallow cream.
T: Wood char, smooth dark caramel, creme brûlée, vanilla, and hints of molasses and leather.
M: Moderately heavy body. Dark roasty layers. Malt sweetness. Smooth with a touch of stickiness. ABV is very well hidden. Lingers nicely on the palate.
D: An interesting brew to be sure. It definitely delivers on the alligator char notes. A nice autumn sipper.

Type: 750-ml. bottle
Reviewed as: American Double / Imperial Stout
Glass: Pure Project 16-oz. snifter glass
Price: $5.00
From: From a Facebook San Diego beer trading group
Purchased: Dec. 3, 2020
Consumed: Dec. 20, 2020
Misc.: Bottled on July 27, 2015

Picked this out on a Facebook San Diego beer trading group from a guy that was trying to get rid of a bunch of stuff. Ended up paying $40 for five 22-oz. barrel-aged beers, including this for just $5. This was the Alligator Char version after I gave the Light Toast one a 4.21 on Dec. 13, 2020 and Medium Toast a 4.13 on Dec. 18, 2020. Since this appears to be even more oak than Medium, I’d say this will be right around a 4.00. Back of the bottle read “The Arbre series is an exploration of barrel toast. We brewed a rich, malty imperial stout and divided it into three parts, laying each down in brand new American oak barrels from our friends at Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky. This variation of Arbre spent time resting in barrels treated with the deepest, boldest char possible - called alligator char, imparting characteristics of burnt marshmallows, black currant, caramelized brown sugar, charred oak and dense dark chocolate fudge. A remarkable beer on its own, but even more exciting when tasted side-by-side with its light toast and dark char counterparts for a truly educational experience.”

Poured a black color with 1-to-2 fingers of khaki tan frothy head. Mostly calm underneath the head with just a few bubbles coming up from the sides of the glass. Below average spotty lacing. Average retention. (Sight - 3.25)

Smelled milk chocolate, vanilla, burnt marshmallow, oaky barrel, smooth bourbon, chocolate syrup, caramel, toffee, toasted brown sugar, semi-char wood, dark fruit and plum. Not quite as good from the bottle. (Smell - 4.50)

Taste was not as good as the nose, but still pretty solid. In order got woody oak, char wood, milk chocolate, burnt marshmallow, chocolate syrup, toasted brown sugar, caramel, toffee, smooth bourbon, dark fruit, vanilla and hints of port wine. (Taste - 4.25)

Full body. Sticky texture. Soft carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 4.50)

Wow. Was pleasantly surprised. This was the best of the three Arbres I had. Excellent. (Overall - 4.25)

4.28 | 95 | A

 

 

Thick and heavy like a woman sitting at bus stop in leggings. Between the weight and the char this is a sipper. The flavors are bold and you get a good amount of char. The downside is that the char flavor outweighs the barrel here. You still get SOME barrel, dont get me wrong, but when you buy a beer with "Alligator Char" on the label, what do you expect? This is a perfect cold weather, by the fire, beer.

 

Q's favorite of the three. Pete, Jon and Jay's second favorite.

Thanks @2beerdogs

L - snifter pour. Murky deep brown. Frothy light mocha lacing.

S - I smelled bourbon as soon as I cracked the cap. In the snifter it's vanilla, oaky, sugary, toffee, brown sugar, oily butter, and cheesecake?

T - unique. Beyond your standard double stout. Not at all charred or roasty like the name presumes. Very, very sweet. Lots of raisen and fruit. Certainly bourbon, very vanilla forward bourbon.

M - strangely watery. Very dry and attenuated. Heavy alcohol presence. This beer would be world class to me if it were thicker.

Overall. Taste on point. Mouthfeel failed to round it out. Still, an above average stout. The more I drink this the more I can't agree with it being a stout. There is SO little roast, chocolate or smoke that this imo is better categorized as an American strong ale.

 

 

A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer topped by a half finger of dense tan head that fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of fudge, coffee, vanilla, toasted marshmallows, and some barrel char
T: Taste is toasted marshmallows and vanilla with some chocolate, charred wood, roasted malts, and light caramel. The beer has a slight fruity note as well. Swallow is burnt wood with some more marshmallows, coffee and roasted malt
M: This beer is full in body with soft but adequate carbonation and a dry finish
O: Overall this beer is pretty good. This was a fun concept and it's tough to declate a favorite. This beer has a nice complexity and it's interesting to see the effect the barrel can have on the beer. The barrel influence was really nice as well.

I did a side-by-side tasting of all three Bruery Arbre and this one was my favorite; none of them was particularly outstanding, but all of them were tasty and fun to compare.

The char is unabashed in all of them- few nuances. It is all about oakiness and burnt barrel. As such, it can get tiring after a while, and for me it did.

It was three of us and none of us finished every glass, but we all had fun tasting.

I just wish the Arbre series had a bit more depth and a bit of a bourbon taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Split with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice dark brown hue with a nice mocha head.

S - Aromas of nice chocolate, good char, fudge, oak.

T - Taste is similar to the nose, very nice chocolate, good dark roast and char. Char is a bit light than I thought it would be.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, alcohol hidden well.

O - Overall this was a solid beer, the char though wasn't nearly as strong though as the previous bottle

Serving Type: bottle

Split with rudzud
Smaller head, little lacing, pitch black long legs

Nose super dark fudgey cocoa, little Smokey and char, toasted oak, toasted malts, little saw dust, sweet chocolate syrup, caramel and little candy, big fudge little charred barrel.

Taste brings big chewy nougat and chocolate fudge, little Smokey char, fruity flavors, weird dark fruit, little booze warmth and phenol, chemical char and some thing, dark choc fudge char, little smoke, fair oak and toasted char.
Unfortunately very little barrel.
Mouth thicker chewy like little warming booze, lighter carb.

Overall ok, thankfully not nearly as crazy char oak as expected after the last two.

750 mL bottle to snifter

A: Sludgy, jet-black appearance. Crude oil. A tiny rim of bubbles touch the glass at top of the brew, otherwise scant head.

S: Oak and booze anchor the bouquet and penetrate the orofactory organs. Suggestions of unsweetened chocolate, molasses and smoke are noted.

M/T: Burnt oak at the front of the sip, but more layered and complex than the nose portends. Notes of tobacco contrast with carob. Earthy-sweet molasses is smoothed-out by creamy dextrins. Ripe fruit and caramel offset smoky undertones. Closes with a fairly long finish.

From the description, I was expecting something more harsh and thought this had the potential to go off the rails. It's actually damn tasty and instead of adding big, burn-y, smoky aspects, the extra char adds complexion and depth of flavor.

Black and silver striped foil cappped 750mL bottle acquired through The Bruery's Society. Bottled 7/27/15. Served in a Bruery snifter.

Pours black with a a little more than a finger of pale khaki head. The bubbles shrink back, leaving a thin donut-patterned layer of haze and a full crown that imparts some scattered splotches of lace.

Smells of dark chocolate, burnt sugar, mild barrel char, sweet pitted fruit and some caramel. Enjoyable.

Tastes of bittersweet dark chocolate, wet oak, burnt caramel, barrel char, dark fruit skins, brown sugar and a little alcohol. This doesn't have the sweeter, rounder flavors I enjoyed in Light Toast but the full on burnt notes work well in their own way.

Creamy, medium full body with soft carbonation. Burnt oak, over cooked fudge, caramel and dark fruit linger in the aftertaste.

The Bruery continues their impressive track record of mighty fine stouts. While not quite to my liking as much as Light Toast, Alligator Char fully committed to its particular blend of chocolate and char in a way that appealed to me a bit more than Medium Toast. This was a cool and educational experiment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More depth and a savory note to balance out the fruit and sweetness that seems present in the base.