Buff BBLs
The Bruery

Another beer from that 2016 flight at the Bruery. This was a blend of Black Tuesday, Mash, vanilla, nutmeg and White Oak Sap via Buffalo Trace barrel. Another dark brown pour with a head that just doesn't stick around.

Aroma imparts a weird fruity aspect. From there it has a egg nog meets Black Tuesday + bourbon feel to it. Weird, but pretty cool at the same time.

Taste continues with the "where did that come from?" kind of fruit aspect. Did someone drop some fruit stripe gum into this? Its still smaller than the bourbon feels, but I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Usual drenching of booze soaked toffee and caramel cracker jack kind of mouth feel. Lower carb and lots of vanilla help this from being too massive of a perception and drinking experience. Even with that, there is still a dark fruit raisin like bitterness that persists. But at least it isn't combining up with harsh booziness, so I can see how their efforts worked to a degree.

Ultimately its one of those giant ass beers that Bruery does better than anybody.

On tap at The Bruery in Placentia, CA.

This one pours a dark murky brown, with basically no head or lacing.

Smells like vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet bourbon, oak, chocolate, and lots of fruitiness.

The vanilla beans here are awesome, and provide a nice earthiness to counteract the heavy sweetness of the blend. The bourbon character is strong but well integrated. The nutmeg is certainly present- I worried it would be too overwhelming, but it's not too spicy. The base is nice, fudgy, sweet caramel, toffee, with lots of dark fruitiness. This is classic Bruery.

This is medium bodied, thick and slick, with a low level of carbonation.

The Bruery is excellent at making these sorts of beers and this is no exception.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On-tap at Surly Goat. A blend of Black Tuesday, Mash & White Oak Sap aged in Buffalo Trace Barrels with vanilla & nutmeg.

Look: impenetrable brown hue, very murky, hints of red as well, somewhere between oxblood and brown. Barely any head when served, but a ring around the glass stays there and doesn't go away.

Smell: big ripe dark fruits and berries soaked in bourbon with some strong oaky fragrances. Lots of vanilla, some oaky tannins, hints of chocolate, dark cherries. Big boozy tart and sweet nose. Booze is huge, but it hides among all the other big fragrances.

Taste: Ripe dark fruits, dark cherries, candied green apples, oak, chocolate, hint of coffee and blackberries, some graham cracker, and a distinct agave like sweetness, also a touch of dill. Sweet and boozy. This one is hot from the abv. Dark fruits are most prominent on the front with vanilla, oak and bourbon on mid palate, then a tingly boozy finish. There's a dark cherry tartness throughout as well, which is interesting.

Mouthfeel: Big and complex, not quite syrupy, but definitely heavy, low end of medium carbonation.

Overall: Very complex, almost too much so, there's just so much going on. Like a dark berry and dark cherry pie with a graham cracker crust that was cooked over oak with a dark chocolate covered espresso bean and a shot of buffalo trace on the side.