Bakery: Boysenberry Pie
The Bruery

 

So this is the non barrel aged version, as previous reviewers have noted, its 8.1% not 10.2. Perhaps someday there will be two listings, but that day is not today.

Its an imperial stout, less black and viscous than some of the real big stouts from the Bruery. Cherry cola like color head on top, 1/6" deep. Aroma of berries, boysenberry in the name, story checks out.

The taste reveals quite the pastry/bakery namesake, its lots of sweetness, vanilla, berries and lastly cinnamon. Notions of roasted malt are largely lost on this one. Lower carbonation, but would normally be appropriate for this style. Lacked the feel of a pie crust if that is what they were going for. I'm rarely into fruited stouts or ipas. Sticky not dry. Did an ok job of hiding the alcohol, but not as good as most of their even bigger stouts. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. Would try the bourbon version, could see it being superior, this needed something other than sweetness going for it to make me like it more.

Review: 2040
Beer Name: Bakery Boysenberry Pie
Brewery: The Bruery
Location: Placentia, CA
Style: Barrel-aged Imperial Dessert Stout
ABV: 10.2%
Date: 04/29/2021

I served Bakery Boysenberry Pie in a Tulip glass at 50 degrees. The pour created a frothy, creamy, light brown three-fingered head with excellent retention. The beer is dark brown, nearly black, and opaque, measuring around 38 on the color chart. The slow dissipation left bits of lacing on the glass. The beer's appearance is above average for its style.
Nosing the glass, I smell dark roasted malts, cinnamon, and berries (I am guessing Boysenberries; it has always been hard to distinguish the difference in the darker berries), bourbon, oak, and chocolate. I also smell caramel, bready, vanilla, and earthiness. It does smell like a berry pie soaked in a barrel-aged imperial stout.
The berry flavor is ripe and fruity; it has raspberry and blackberry mixed with marionberry tarty sweetness. The barrel-aged stout is somewhat mellow than the last few bakery beers I have tried. The bourbon, oak, and char notes are faint. Vanilla and caramel, cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee are the flavors with some pizazz, giving the beer character. Lastly, I taste dark roasted malts, leaning towards a yeasty bread crust with a skosh of earthiness.
The mouthfeel is chewy and tarty, finishing slightly dry. The body is heavy and has medium-low carbonation.
So far, this is not as good as the other Bakery beers I have consumed. Do not get me wrong; it is not a terrible beer; it lacks finesse. The best part is the ripe, tart, and sweet berries mingle with the imperial stout. The barrel-aging is not as potent as it could be. Nonetheless, it's tasty stuff from The Bruery.

Let's be honest.
This was purchased from a Grocery Outlet at substantially discounted price, which speaks volumes about where The Bruery has found itself recently.
Purchased 6/30/23, but canned on date reads 4/22/22.
Fortunately it's am imperial stout and should age fairly well.
Important to note that previous iterations of this beer were labeled as "barrel-aged" and 10.2% ABV, but this has no indication of "barrel-aged" on the label and the ABV is now listed at 8.1%
It smells and tastes okay. Better than okay, really. Boysenberry comes through. Just the right amount of cinnamon.
It's a decent beer, but not what I assume it once was.

 

I don't know what to say. A little bit disappointing. I work for the junk removal industry, and we always take the junk to the junkyard. It kind of smells like the junkyard. Really weird

Pours a black-brown with less than a finger of head that dissipates to a thin ring with some lacing. Having never had a boysenberry, I guess this is what they smell and taste like. Also some cinnamon and vanilla... very enjoyable.

 

 

On tap at the Bruery on 10/08/22.

 

16oz can. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of bubbly foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of berries, chocolate, toffee and sweet caramel. Nice berry taste with chocolate, toffee and some toasted caramel.

Appearance: A bubble show builds the mocha colored head to two fingers; the liquid beneath is dark and inscrutable; excellent retention, leggy and with squiggles of lace clinging

Smell: Boysenberry tones with vanilla and cinnamon complementing; pie crust tones, as well

Taste: Tart boysenberry forward, with the pie crust, vanilla and cinnamon emerging; some chocolate tones, after the swallow

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation

Overall: Interesting that an Imperial Stout is brewed to thrust the fruit pie flavors into the foreground while moving the traditional stout characteristics into the background

 

Great head production and nice retention.

Quite berry-forward on the nose, along with notes of pale dough, cinnamon, chocolate, coffee, graham cracker, vanilla, prune, grape, brown sugar.

Sharp with berry flavor on the palate, but not overpowering, with depth and complexity throughout the sip. Tasting notes match the aroma remarkably well. Dry chocolate finish.

Very drinkable. Medium-to-full bodied.

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: American Pastry Stout
Glass: Rip Current 8-oz. beer glass
Price: $7.99
From: Windmill Farms in Del Cerro (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: June 1, 2021
Consumed: June 10, 2021
Misc.: Canned on April 21, 2021 at 2:19 p.m. PT

Got a can of this and a handful of other stuff on a recent trip to Windmill Farms. I’m a sucker for any barrel-aged beer The Bruery does and really any beer they do in general. Their website called this beer “Slice into this bold, barrel-aged imperial fruited stout and experience a slice of Southern California in your glass. Inspired by Orange County's rich history of growing boysenberries, this barrel-aged imperial fruited stout is full-bodied with big, bold berry flavors that are drizzled with rich vanilla flavor and a hint of cinnamon. The bakery is open for business.”

Poured a pitch-black color with four fingers of khaki-tan frothy head. Just a few bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass. Excellent semi-layered lacing. Very good-to-outstanding retention. (Sight - 4.00)

Smelled cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, blackberry, boysenberry, dark fruit, toasted oak, smooth bourbon and allspice. About the same from the can. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted a little better than the smell. In order got cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, boysenberry, blackberry, dark fruit, bitter toasted oak, smooth bourbon and bark. Pretty smooth for 10.2 pct. ABV. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Creamy-to-sticky texture. Average-to-soft carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 5.00)

Not as good as I was expecting but I think that might be more about what I think of The Bruery than the actual beer. Really good. (Overall - 4.25)

4.15 | 93 | A-

 

 

 

Hardly any head. Smell is boozy and sweet, blackberries, apple, chocolate, and a hint of spice and vanilla. It does smell like a berry pie, to their credit. Taste is tart and sweet, with blackberry, sweet cherry, a bit of dark chocolate, vanilla, and a bit of spice. A bit boozy, very thick and sticky. This is very interesting. I’d treat this as a novelty, something I wouldn’t seek out again, but I gotta say they execute it perfectly for what it is… a berry pie BA stout.