American Anthem
The Bruery

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.

Pours a medium muddy brown. Smells of vanilla, spices, fruits, and cake (bread). The flavor is peaches, spices, caramel, spiced pound cake, slightly boozy. Medium mouthfeel and very smooth for 14%.

Murky, brown color. One-finger thick, yellow head. Apricots, peach, vanilla, oak, and cinnamon in the aroma. Balance, tart/sweet taste with notes of apricots and peaches all the way through. Delicious.

750 ml bottle, 2024 edition, bottled 06/20/24. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a murky brown color with about an inch tan head that stuck around a little while. Not much lacing at all. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like vanilla, candied peaches, apricots, cinnamon, and some breadiness. Taste is similar to the aroma, with the addition of some oak, bourbon, toffee, earthiness, boozy and caramel flavors. Booziness does ease up as the beer warms. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's a bit slick and syrupy with a low/moderate amount of carbonation. I liked this one, but kinda wish the peach flavor tasted more like fresh peaches instead of candied ones but that's a pretty minor issue. Certainly worth a try if you get the chance!

 

Review: 2067
Beer Name: American Anthem
Brewery: The Bruery
Location: Placentia, CA
Style: Barrel-Aged American Strong Ale
ABV: 13.6%
Date: 06/22/2018
As I carefully poured American Anthem into a Tulip glass at 50 degrees, a delightful medley of peaches and apricots wafted up. The pour resulted in a frothy, airy, light tan, one-fingered head with above-average retention. The beer, a deep, rich brown with hints of reddish mahogany, had an opacity of 26 on the color chart. Despite the head's impressive staying power, the glass was left without lacing after dissipation. The beer's appearance, intriguing hue, and distinct characteristics are a sight to behold.
A complex bouquet of scents greeted me as I brought the glass to my nose. The first wave comprised bready, toasted malts, caramel, peaches, apricots, and cinnamon. A second sniff revealed more profound layers of molasses, toffee, wood, floral, bourbon, light char, fruity sweetness, and vanilla. The beer's aroma is a symphony of enticing notes, each adding to the overall experience.
The flavors are different than the aromas. The aromas remind me of No Oven Required; however, the taste does not. The strong ale takes center stage here with flavors of toasted bread and toasted malts with a smidge of dark roasty notes. Then, it followed up with some herbal, caramel, and malty sweetness. The fruit addition is the co-star with ripe peachy notes and fresh, juicy apricots—cinnamon, and vanilla round out the primary flavors. The barrel aging gives the beer depth and complexity with bourbon, oak, and a touch of char.
The mouthfeel is chewy and alcohol-warming, and the finish is somewhat dry. The body is heavy with medium-low carbonation.
The beer's aromas remind me of a cinnamon peach cobbler that Granddad made in the Dutch oven. Nothing is more American than a Dutch Oven dinner in the middle of nowhere, camping, and sitting by a fire on a clear starry night—a fantastic beer with harmony and depth. I enjoyed sipping this after a spring rainstorm in Idaho.

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.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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.

 

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.

 

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.