Mélange No. 3
The Bruery

Bottled on 2/02/17 This one has done some hard time. Nearly 4 years.

Pours a thick looking dark brown. This looks like chocolate pudding not only in color but in density. No light penetration whatsoever. A finger of smooth looking khaki head appears on an aggressive pour. Then fades on the quicker side.

Nose is bourbon for days. I'm just a sucker for this sort of thing. Bourbon, toffee, caramel, butterscotch, and other words you associate with sweet confectionery decadence. Taking a whiff of this, some might be able to guess it sits at the high side of the ABV spectrum. But for 16% this covers it well.

Taste follows to a tee. Smooth caramel and butterscotch introduced by a brief impact of bourbon and followed up by the effervescent quality of booze evaporating on your tongue. I'm not sure if I get any stout presence at all. No roasty malt appears, but for a brew pushing four years, it makes sense.

Mouthfeel is full-bodied and creamy. Smooth and rich. Carbonation still present which is nice to see. Very calm bubbles. Of course the sheer volume of alcohol creates a drying quality that does a solid job of contesting any sort of cloying from the sweetness.

Overall this brew is heavy handed, but absolutely delicious. Time may have made this one a touch linear or removed the nuance, but personally there is no way for me to know. This is a dessert, a treat, pure unabashed and unashamed decadence. Share this with friends. Or if you don't have any, share it with enemies and they will ally with you in no time.

 

 

 

Although a beer of this magnitude deserves a special occasion, there is no particular reason I've opened this other than I had forgotten I had it in storage and discovered how highly it's rated within the style. 750ml poured slowly and spaced out over several hours as to not get slammed by the high ABV%. Etched onto the bottle is "#100 10/28/13" and the label clearly states that this is the 2013 Edition at 16.8%. Cannot believe I'm drinking this at over 10 years old, especially after opening, pouring, and taking that first sip realizing it has survived and thrived. At this point it has fully warmed to room temperature and therefore the aroma is explosive. Brown bread, caramelized sugar, browned butter, wet wood, whiskey barrels, basically just the nasal hit of a barrel-aging room. Still quite boozy and extremely rich. Similar in the flavor with a heavy presence of buttery bourbon barrel and a warming booze presence in the finish. A bit sweet but also quite earthy throughout. A true sipper, this is almost not a beer but a spirit. Has aged gracefully and drank beautifully. The definition of the style and a masterful blend.

 

From the 750 ml bottle in a snifter via Bluejacket74! Cheers Brother!
This exceptional ale (17.7 2024 version) pours a murky dark blackish
red tinged brown with a decent head of khaki foam that settles to a thick
ring, thin swirling layer, and sports some light lacing and some mighty fine legs.
Nose of oak, bourbon, chocolate, toffee, brandy, and astringent booze. Flavors....
oh my. Oak dances about layers of bourbon, vanilla, toffee, chocolate, vinous brandy,
and a bevy of dark fruit including cherry, blackberry, and blueberry, and strawberry jam.
Mouth feel is medium, light carbonation, smooth, very warming, very inviting, and
finishing lightly dry.

Of note, warmth gives rise to fig and date notes.

Overall...a stunner again from the good Bru folk. Excellent
marrying of flavors with exceptional balance.

A HUGE thanks to Bluejacket74, this one makes my Birthday that much better!

Cheers

Mélange No. 3 pours a dark brown with a tiny head. The aroma is robust, with lots of bourbon and oak. The flavor is lovely, thick, and sticky, and it has a maple, oak, and chocolate flavor. Good feel. Overall, it is a very complex beer with lots going on. It's very "sophisticated" and a good sipper.

 

2017 version poured from a 750ml bottle into a snifter. Subtly sweet. There is a slight tartness from the wheat wine I presume.

 

A 750ml bottle, 2017 edition, bottled on 1st February 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: A cloudy brown colour with an orange tint and a one finger beige/khaki head that dissipates fairly quickly, while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.

Aroma: Sweet, caramel, toffee, molasses, bourbon, dark fruit, raisins, prunes, chocolate, oak, vanilla, with light coconut notes.

Taste: As you’d expect from the aroma, sweet, bourbon, caramel, toffee, molasses, chocolate, dark fruit, raisins, prunes, oak, vanilla, and a splash of coconut and orange.

Mouthfeel: Full to medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.

Overall: An enjoyable sipper, with great aromas, but perhaps a touch too sweet for my palate.

Type: 750-ml. bottle
Reviewed as: American Strong Ale
Glass: Pure Project 16-oz. brandy snifter glass
Price: $15.00
From: From a Facebook San Diego beer trading group
Purchased: Dec. 29, 2020
Consumed: Jan. 8, 2021
Misc.: Bottled on Sept. 16, 2015

Picked this up from someone from a San Diego beer trading group when he was trying to get rid of some stuff. Bought this one for $15 and another for $10. The main reason I bought this one was that I had it twice before, giving each taster a 4.25 on Untappd (Nov. 8, 2015 and Feb. 12, 2016) at The Bruery in Placentia, Calif. Online description I found read “Mélange #3 is a blend of three bourbon barrel aged strong ales. White Oak Sap, a wheat wine, our Anniversary Series old ale and our imperial Stout, Black Tuesday, join forces in this luxurious strong ale that links some of the best characteristics of each of the contributing beers. Chocolate, dark fruits, oaky vanilla and rich toffee-like character reach through the bourbon veneer for an intensely satisfying quaff.”

Poured a very dark color with two fingers of frothy khaki-tan frothy head. Calm setting underneath with no noticeable head. Below average watery lacing. Bad retention. (Sight - 3.25)

Smelled leathery oak, boozy bourbon, crayon, caramel, toffee, milk chocolate, brown sugar, maple syrup, sticky molasses, dark fruit, date, cocoa and hints of coconut. Was getting most of that 17.3 pct. ABV. Much smoother out of the bottle. Got so much better as it went down. Crazy because probably started at a 4 and moved to a 4.5. (Smell - 4.25)

Unlike the nose, the taste was nowhere near 17.3 pct. ABV. Got chewy caramel, toffee, leathery oak, milk chocolate, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, sticky molasses, smooth bourbon, chocolate syrup, cocoa and some coconut. (Taste - 4.50)

Full body. Sticky texture. Soft carbonation. Long, smooth, warming finish. (Feel - 4.75)

Just another solid offering from The Bruery. Excellent. (Overall - 4.25)

4.34 | 96 | A

Generous BD gift from beer geek pals! No date on the label or etched in the bottle. Its15% which I believe puts it circa 2011 or so.
Look: well, Black and Tan. Very little head as expected.
Smell: butterscotch, toffee, dark fruit.
Taste: like the nose. Gonna steal my buddies take….caramel whiskey!

 

 

Pours cloudy dark brown, some carbonation. Smells heavy bourbon, oak. Thick, heavy, some boozyness but normal Bruery-level, warming. Taste is tobacco-herbal barrel, umami, rich.

 

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a milk chocolate brown color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was a half inch of foamy, tan-colored. somewhat long-lasting head. Not much lacing to speak of.

S: A very nice aroma of booze, malt, caramel, dark fruit, and some citrus notes

T: Tasted of a decent amount of dark fruit (raisins, plums, in particular), a little bit of citrus fruit (orange, in particular). a good shot of bourbon (not overdone ), a tinge of caramel (quite sweet, but not cloyingly so), and a woody quality. This is a fairly aggressive, complex, and enjoyable flavor. Quite tasty.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A well done and easy to like beer. Drinkable.

This looks like murky brown river water. There’s a fingernail of beige around three quarters of the rim. The aroma is of barley, bourbon, and a massive wallop of wheat. I’m tasting a massive wallop of barley, wheat, and bourbon. The mouth is sticky, chewy, and very boozy!