Mélange No. 15
The Bruery

Look: dark ruby/copper, plush off white head on the pour.
Smell: obtained a few bottles. 1st was infected. 2nd was wonderful. Chocolate, vanilla, nutty, richness. 5 years in, mellow as hell.
Taste: like the nose. Fantastic.

About to get all pastry old ale up in this.

Pours a brown color, looks kind of thin. Smells like chocolate chip cookies, in bourbon. Smells like that possibly short evil girl who likes decadent shit with a red wine note to it.

Taste oh no, I thought it would start to separate that stuff into more discreet feels like marshmallow and walnut compliment the chocolate bourbon cookie note. Unfortunately, it set a record for the strongest unintentionally soured beer I've ever had. Thinned out body and a bunch of cranberry and chocolate sensations. Ugh. What a bummer. A little bit impressed that an infection could survive in this high alcohol environment. Shit I dunno if I even got my money back for this one. Drank what we could, in November 2017.

 

 

 

750 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 7/19/2016. This was infected as noted in other reviews, but not too bad. Pours a hazy dark ruby red/brown color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, toffee, vanilla, cream, cocoa, walnuts, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of raisin, plum, prune, fig, cherry, date, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, leathery/musty/lacto funk, hay, straw, grass, peppercorn, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, cocoa, walnuts, vanilla, lactose, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, toffee, vanilla, cream, cocoa, walnuts, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of raisin, plum, prune, fig, cherry, date, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, leathery/musty/lacto funk, hay, straw, grass, peppercorn, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness; and Brett, bourbon, oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, toffee, vanilla, cream, cocoa, walnuts, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, brown bread/crust, dark fruit, cherry, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, leathery/musty/lacto funk, hay, straw, grass, peppercorn, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, cocoa, walnuts, vanilla, lactose, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast flavors; with a nice malt/tart/sourness, and yeast/oak tannin spiciness balance. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tart/sourness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is good. Mild puckering sourness and tannic astringency through the glass, but not overwhelming. Mild increasing warmth of 14.8%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a very nice barrel aged infected strong ale for being infected. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, cocoa, walnuts, vanilla, lactose, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast flavors; smooth and easy to sip on slowly for the huge ABV, with the modestely acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish; not overly lactic. From an imperial dark sour standpoint this was really enjoyable. The initial strong ale malt/barrel character is noticed in the nose and the front of the palate; but the Brett and Lacto take over immediately and clean the sweetness on the finish. Got better as it warmed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is over the top infected, real good and sour. Everyone else I had it with hated it, I actually didn't mind it, but it would clearly work a lot better if it wasn't sour.

750ml

A- pours a clear deep ruby-brown color with a small fizzy off-white head that has short retention

S- big marshmallow aroma up front with lots of sweet vanilla. Sweet caramel and toffee mix with bourbon barrel and plenty of booze

T- sweet caramel and tobacco up front give way to creamy marshmallow and vanilla sweetness. Mid-palate gives plenty of bourbon barrel, the finish gives more caramel and a linger of toasted nuts

M- medium viscous body with low carbonation leads to a slightly foamy mouthfeel and a long boozy linger

O- pretty good blend with a noticeable walnut presence

 

At nearly 15% alcohol it is incredible that I get no alcohol heat here. And the pour almost seems thin when you're expecting motor oil; but the mouthfeel is impeccable. The aromas and flavors are too: walnuts, bourbon, oak, vanilla, some coffee, and good amounts of dark fruit flavors come through as well.

Infected beyond belief... picked this up to share with my wonderful wife on our 20th anniversary... she's always loved walnuts, and hey, Rocky Road ice cream cuz we're old school like that...

on the bright side, I'm enjoying the aftertaste of battery acid with hints of rancid cherry yogurt showing through... yay.

 

750 ml bottle poured into snifter

A: good clarity, caramel body very little head as you pour light off white khaki.

S: lots of sweet bourbon, toffee, vanilla, caramel. Vanilla is fairly prominent.

T: lots of chocolate, vanilla, toffee, caramel very sweet a little alcohol heat too.

M: medium bodied to slightly watery a little more carbonation than I expected.

O: this beer is sweet it's boozy and it's not bad, really wish I had shared it with someone. I'm surprised how much chocolate comes out in the front I'm wondering if I'm mistaking some of the chocolate for some of the walnuts because the finish is definitely walnuty.