American Anthem
The Bruery

American AnthemAmerican Anthem
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
Ranked #47
ABV:
13.6%
Score:
93
Ranked #4,047
Avg:
4.22 | pDev: 6.4%
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
41
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 08, 2023
Added:
Jul 01, 2018
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  4
We added peaches and apricots to our barrel-aged ale, dusted the dessert-style beer with cinnamon and added vanilla to impart sweet, creamy ripples.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Roguer:
Photo of Roguer
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Such a very strange beer! It doesn't look or smell amazing; it's a touch murky, an odd brown color, and definitely implies a ton of cinnamon and sugar.

On the palate, the peaches and cinnamon combine to give a cobbler-like taste, and coupled with the high ABV, a sweet, boozy, and very pleasant experience. It's difficult to describe, almost a combination of apple pie and peach cobbler soaked in bourbon. The apricot and vanilla add to the overall profile without particularly standing out.
Jul 02, 2019
More User Ratings:
Photo of BalancingBrooms
Reviewed by BalancingBrooms from California

4.06/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 cc 2018, drank 10/2023

Malty brown and mostly clear with a quickly dissipating 2 finger off white head. Nose is full of cinnamon, vanilla ice cream, some bourbon, peach, and caramel. Taste opens with a peach, bourbon, and oak that quickly transitions to a big hit of cinnamon and vanilla, that ends with a lingering cinnamon caramel. Body is medium with similar carbonation. Ends with a lingering apple and spice. Overall it delivers on exactly what it says. Personally I wish the cinnamon was dialed back a tad, but it might be the age, fresh it might have been much more balanced. A fun beer, glad I tried it, but not worth the price tag again.
Oct 08, 2023
Photo of stortore
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois

4.24/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
750 ml bottle into a snifter. A 2018 release, had 8/25/23.

Pours a cloudy medium amber color, with a quarter inch foamy head and speckled cling. Aromas of cinnamon, caramel, peach, some bourbon, light vanilla and apricot, light oak. The flavors are mostly the same- cinnamon, caramel, bourbon, peach, vanilla, malt, some apricot, light oak. Smooth, a very good lighter medium body, well carbonated.

A really nice recipe. The cinnamon is the most prominent and there’s a good barrel presence. It’s more fruity than peaches and apricots, but both show well at times. Very enjoyable.
Sep 11, 2023
 
Rated: 3.57 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Jul 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4.15 by SayBoom from Ukraine

Apr 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.99 by Ristaccia from Nebraska

May 10, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by aasher from Indiana

Mar 26, 2021
 
Rated: 4.3 by DangerDawg from Ohio

Jan 07, 2021
 
Rated: 4.45 by Buck_Jones from Michigan

Jul 04, 2020
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Oooh, I think this might have been my favorite Bruery beer I tried for the first time in 2019. I know I went right ahead and ordered another bottle right after I consumed the first one.

Pours one of those auburn/amber colors, the mix of dark orange and light brown, 3/4" beige head. The aroma, damn they nailed this, everything the commercial tug job speaks of checks out, the bourbon, peach, lesser apricot, vanilla, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, "the gang's all here".

Hot damn, this shit is so good. Wonderful interplay between all the aforementioned ingredients. Pretty rare when something this strong makes you desire for more. Even though we split this, I believe I could easily sip all 25.7 ounces over the course of an hour or two solo. How in the hell did the mouth feel come across light, yet flavorful, yet almost no alcohol heat inhibiting the rate of consumption.

I really dug Pie Thief and Thee Cobbler a lot over Thanksgiving, but holy moly, this is the real deal. Will buy minimum 1 bottle every vintage, but prolly more. Its exactly what they say it is.
May 08, 2020
Photo of RMW66
Reviewed by RMW66 from Australia

4.09/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Interesting but a bit too sweet for my taste. I prefer bourbon barrel aged beers that are darker, such as stouts and porters, and without sugar added.
May 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4.23 by Beer21 from Florida

Mar 25, 2020
Photo of IKR
Reviewed by IKR from California

4.22/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Serving Type: Bottle

Appearance: Cloudy medium-brown in color with a medium sized beige head that dissipated quickly. Not much to look at.

Smell: Moderate Bourbon , peaches/apricots, cinnamon, and faint toffee notes. There is a definite peach cobbler aroma to this one.

Taste: Bourbon, cinnamon, peaches/apricots and mild brown sugar notes. All of the flavor notes are nicely balanced and produce a peach cobbler dessert taste profile. it seems as though this was the intent and the Bruery succeeded in achieving the desired taste profile. The alcohol presence is very restrained for the listed ABV.

Mouth-feel: Medium-bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation.

Overall: This was a tasty Strong Ale. The mimicking of a peach cobbler/pie was definitely achieved here without the taste profile elements becoming overbearing.
Mar 01, 2020
 
Rated: 4.49 by BirdsandHops from Oregon

Jan 20, 2020
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from fridge temp. Pours a nice dark murky orange with lots of tan head. The head quickly disappears leaving a gorgeous beer. Nose is cinnamon, which is completely dominant. I don't get much peach or apricot on the nose, but nuts come through. Some vanilla and a touch of apricot come through after a few minutes. Taste is really interesting. The fruit really comes through here, along with the classic Bruery flavors. Peaches are definitely there, but I am also getting a good amount of mango and a touch of orange. Bourbon, Christmas spice, nuts, bread, and some vanilla come through as well. This is just a nice beer to sip in the winter. Mouthfeel is thick and full-bodied.
Dec 20, 2019
Photo of johnInLA
Reviewed by johnInLA from California

3.88/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750ml bottle poured into a tulip.

Medium brown, off white medium head.

Nose: Apricot, peach, some barrel notes.

Flavor: Apricot, Cinnamon, Peach, Apple, Vanilla.

Juicy Feel.

Overall: Its a bit like Apricot juice with cinnamon. Really should be reclassifued as a fruit beer. I enjoyed it, but also glad I only bought one bottle.
Nov 25, 2019
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 1.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Muddy brown and quite ugly, this looks like gumbo roux in a glass. A fizzy tall khaki foam quickly and audibly dies off to nothing, leaving an apple cider looking drink. So far we're off to an All-American start!

Aroma seems imposingly threatening, primarily of bourbon, with a hint of apple pie in the background. So...moar 'Merica! Hey, they're on theme so far.

Taste is more tolerable and even enjoyable than the nose suggests, with peach cobbler and dusty cinnamon, fading into peppery bourbon and rum cake. This truly is all the American grandma's kitchen delights in beer form, with of a touch of Caribbean.

The medium body has a crisp but fine tingly carbonation and comes to a dry finish assisted by that drying cinnamon bark character. A touch of gooey raisin bread and even a hint of chocolate chip come out on the exhale.
Sep 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4.37 by mbw314 from California

Aug 18, 2019
Photo of Smakawhat
Reviewed by Smakawhat from Maryland

4.48/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured from the bottle into a Bruery tulip glass. 2019 Vintage.

Murky and kind of swampy brown body color appearance in the glass. Looks like there's this almost kind of things in suspension lurking in the glass.. The head color is a little over two fingers, and classic khaki brown like color. It snaps quite a bit out of the bottle with pop like carbonation, and dissolves a bit quickly with a very fine collar that dissolves to next to nothing.

The aroma is absolutely exquisite. This literally smells like baked peach/apple cobbler. Excellent woody tones and big stone fruity aromas, mixed with a soft vanilla, and a big cinnamon rush. Some of the whisky tones are a bit understated, but everything on the bottle is as described and to perfection. This is literally American Apple Pie, what could be more classic!

Palate is quite a surprise. There's at first a real nice peach tartness, then an excellent bakery and flakey pie crust mixed in. Real excellent touches of soft cinnamon and vanilla with a real sense of baked apple as well. The mouthfeel is extremely light but rich and makes for surprisingly easy drinking at this high abv. I am kind of surprised how light it is with such and ABV that I have to score it a little high for that alone.

Full rich and as described, real impressive brew.
Jul 21, 2019
 
Rated: 4.24 by Daniellobo from District of Columbia

Jul 21, 2019
American Anthem from The Bruery
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 41 ratings