9 Ladies Dancing
The Bruery

9 Ladies Dancing9 Ladies Dancing
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
11.3%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.64 | pDev: 14.56%
Reviews:
70
Ratings:
245
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 15, 2024
Added:
Sep 20, 2016
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  49
American Strong ale brewed with cacao nibs, vanilla, coffee and lactose.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by LiquidAmber:
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

3.94/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a The Bruery tulip. Pours a dark orange-red with a one finger khaki head with good retention and lots of lacing. Aroma of caramel malt, dark and light stone fruit, Belgian yeast, brown sugar. Flavor is caramel malt, plums, light stone fruit, brown sugar, clove, hints of cocoa and vanilla. Finishes with a slight tartness and Belgian spices. Medium bodied with nice light creaminess and great carbonation. This tasted to me like an Americanized Belgian strong dark ale; the person I shared it with was sure it was Belgian. There are strong suggestions of Belgian yeast and the dark fruit profile from that style. There were also lighter cocoa and dark malt flavors more typical of the strong ale style. The finish was sharply spicy, almost bordering on medicinal, but close to a holiday spiced dark Belgian. A nice festive holiday ale.
Dec 25, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.29/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottled October 2016 - how long it sat on the top shelf of a local bottle shop, I have no idea. Rescued it a few weeks ago.
Poured a murky chestnut color and a huge light brown head, which considering the age and storage, is amazing.
The taste is a melange of dark fruit and caramelized brown sugar, a touch of banana and cloves. No bitter edges, no idea if any ever existed in this.
The feel is a delight of soft carbonation and gentle viscosity. I may finish the bottle in one night.
OA, wish I could have tried this when it was fresh, but we all know what wishes are good for.
Jan 15, 2024
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

4.02/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Review: 1993
Name: 9 Ladies Dancing
Brewery: The Bruery
Location: Placentia, CA
Style: American Strong Ale
A.B.V.: 11.3%
Date: 06 Oct 2016
I am drinking 9 Ladies Dancing today using a tulip glass. I served it at 46 degrees. Prying the cap off, this seven-year-old beer emits a lovely hiss of carbonation. The pour created a creamy, foamy, two-fingered, light tan head with above-average retention. The color is brown, with reddish hues, charting around S.R.M. 30. The beer is semi-opaque. The slow dissipation left little lacing on the glass. The appearance is above average for this style.
The initial aromas are caramel, bready, chocolate, and floral. There are a few off-flavors in the beer; I noticed oxidation and cardboard. Nosing the glass, I pick up earthiness, toffee, leather, dried cherries, and light herbal notes. The off-flavor aromas are not potent but noticeable.
That is good because the oxidation and cardboard are minimal in the taste. Flavors in the beer are floral, dried cherries, leather toffee, caramel, toasted malts, malty sweetness, light raisins, yeasty, chocolate, and bready.
The mouthfeel is astringent and finishes tannic and warm. The body is medium-plus, and the carbonation is medium as well.
I love discussing Bruery beers; however, this one must be revised. It is well-made, but nothing is unique for a 12 Days of Christmas beer. So far, from what I have seen and tasted, the other beer has a place, and this one fell short. When I think of 9 Ladies dancing, I conjure up two scenarios: something sultry and sexy or spicy and loud.
Dec 27, 2023
Photo of Orca
Reviewed by Orca from Washington

3.75/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
750mL (packaged 10/14/2016) into a tulip. Pours a deep mahogany brown with a khaki head.

Aroma is fruity and sweet. Ripe berries, bing cherries, toffee, leather.

Taste is likewise fruity, complex, seems a little muddled. Hard to pin down any distinguishable flavors. It’s fine, it’s just hard to describe. Brown sugar, molasses, Tootsie Rolls maybe. Maybe a slight sourness on the finish.

Mouthfeel is medium, a bit sticky.

Overall it’s good but not my favorite. Maybe they were going for Christmas sticky buns/caramel rolls?
Oct 27, 2023
Photo of BubbleBobble
Reviewed by BubbleBobble from New York

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Rating the rebrew. Pours a murky dark brown, brief 1.5" tan head that recedes to a collar of foam, spotty lacing. Nose is coffee, cinnamon, dates, prunes; almost like a hyper-sweetened black coffee. Taste is roasted coffee beans, prunes, and dates; could be convinced that there is vanilla in there, but it's very light. Mouthfeel is good - decent weight with a bit of carbonation, full without being heavy. This is pretty interesting - I think the coffee is pretty well done, and while I don't love the combination with dark fruits, it is definitely worth a try.
Dec 31, 2022
 
Rated: 3.89 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Nov 28, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by RMW66 from Australia

Nov 02, 2021
 
Rated: 3.44 by SFC21 from Florida

Jan 30, 2021
Photo of HattedClassic
Reviewed by HattedClassic from Virginia

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a off-white and creamy head that dissipates quickly. The beer itself is a hazy brown red color that looks really nice.

The smell is good. It has a variety of spices surrounding the dark fruit note, which is the strongest and central note. The dark fruit note is a ripe plum. The central is then followed by a combination of cacao nibs and a light coffee note. There are some light lactose notes that blend well with the coffee notes.

The taste is good. It has a more unified and complex mix of the different notes and more strongly resembles tiramisu. The dark fruit note isn't there anymore and is replaced by a coffee mixed with lactose and a light vanilla note. The cacao nib comes out as well but is really light and gets lost in the coffee.

The feel is good. It has a heavy but thin body with tingling carbonation.

Overall, one of the better and indulgent beers in the series. This is good after being aged for a year but would probably have been better fresh.
Jan 05, 2021
 
Rated: 3.84 by jbdpsu82 from Pennsylvania

Jan 05, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by Stengelfoot from California

Jan 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.85 by brocktune from Virginia

Dec 23, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by ClePaul from Ohio

Dec 20, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

Apr 05, 2020
Photo of Parmesan
Reviewed by Parmesan from Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
L: Pours a muddy brown with a small white head and very little lacing on the glass.

S: Sweet caramel, a bit of earthiness, dirt, vanilla, hints of bourbon even though it isn't bourbon barrel aged. Smell of alcohol, smells solid.

T: Sweet caramel, vanilla, cherry and a touch of bourbon, some alcohol burn. Feels like something is missing.

F: Slick and oily, big body.

O: This is average, though I might have held on to my bottle for a little too long.
Mar 15, 2020
Photo of IvoryFoxhole
Reviewed by IvoryFoxhole from Virginia

3.83/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
2019 rebrew - 375 ml. bottle poured into Trillium The Six States glass.

L: Medium to dark brown beer, 2F foamy slightly off-white head, leaves no lacing and a tiny cap and ring.

S: I get more vanilla and cocoa nibs, though muted, than anything else. Not much coffee or malt. If I use my imagination, I sort of get the boiled vegetables note some reviewers mention. That could also be an effect of aging or recipe change since I think this may be the only review of the rebrew to date.

T: Again, muted vanilla and cocoa nibs. You definitely notice them along with the strong ale malt. Coffee does appear a bit underneath on the back end. The dairy sugar definitely is present, but doesn't do a whole lot. ABV is well-hidden and there is little heat or bitterness. The trouble here is you go from ale to stout at something in between and it never gets comfortable.

F; Medium to full-bodied, little carbonation. Construction is meh, balance the same. It really doesn't know what it wants to be, when it comes down to it.

O: Wicked Weed does this sort of thing much, much better. It was a nice try, though.
Mar 09, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by bigred89 from Maryland

Dec 30, 2019
 
Rated: 3.81 by GetTheYayo from Pennsylvania

Dec 29, 2019
 
Rated: 3.97 by Budlum from Maryland

Dec 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by JamieDuncan from Maryland

Dec 03, 2019
9 Ladies Dancing from The Bruery
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 245 ratings