Papier - Brandy Barrel-Aged
The Bruery

4.21/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

The Bruery just celebrated their 10th anniversary so I figured it was time to bust these old gems out. Drank along side the other 2 100% BA Papier versions.

Bottle into a snifter appears dark brown with skimpy khaki head thats composed of just a few large bubbles that fade quick.

Aroma is vinous with earth, molasses, caramel, tobacco, leather and chocolate.

Tastes vinous and boozy with tobacco, bakers chocolate, leather, caramel and mild papery oxidation.

Medium to fuller in body with light to no carbonation. What a boozy bugger still after almost 10 years. It has oxidation and its age is starting to show but still very enjoyable.

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4.24/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 2.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

Poured out disappointingly undercarbonated, murky brown liquid, just not impressed at all with this one. But it sure came around in the smell, sweet caramel, oak, vanilla, brandy booziness, enjoyable.

Taste hit some boozy dark fruit that was leaning sweet instead of bitter, vanilla and coconut pulled out of the oak. Would be so much better of a mouthfeel with more carbonation, the taste notes are definitely there.

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3.99/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

750 mL bottle poured into a taster. Opened my Papier and then Diego pulled this out. Nice. Bottle 739 I think.

Appearance - No real head. Minute amount of a collar. Murky brown body.

Smell - Much like the base, but with a brandy aroma. Vanilla, tons of caramel, and brandy. Also slightly oxidized.

Taste - Stronger brandy than I expected. Lots of caramel. Less oxidized than regular Papier. More caramel as it warms. Fruity and nice complementary brandy.

Mouthfeel - Low carbonation. Slick feel. Oxidation is nice on this one too.

Overall - Not better than the regular Papier. Never a true brandy barrel fan.

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3.3/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle generously shared by ipa247. Thanks Jeff. Pours a wuddy brown with pretty much no head and just a couple of bubbles around the edge of the glass. The aroma is lots of alcohol, brandy, plum, raisin, and caramel. Lots of brandy in the aroma with quite a bit of sugar. The taste is very sugary with lots of brandy, grape, plum, and caramel. The finish is boozy with some oak and brandy and is quite warming with a bit of astringency. Full bodied. Low carbonation. A bit too sweet and boozy for me.

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4.08/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing, Jeff! Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a muddy reddish raisin brown with a thin bubbly head that quickly faded into a short lived collar.
S: Strong notes of dark fruits mixed with brandy. Very sweet smelling. I get maybe a hint of oxidization as well. Very rich, boozy and strong smelling.
T: Much tamer than the nose suggested. The flavor is neither as sweet nor as boozey as I had dreaded. I get tons of leather, vanilla and tobacco. Dark fruit notes are there as well. The beer is definitely brandy forward but it is very drinkable and smooth. Caramel, oak and chocolate in the aftertaste.
M: The alcohol is hidden extremely well for how high it is. Thick body, low carbonation, greasy, thick, smooth and heavy mouthfeel.
O: Drinks very well, I was surprised, especially for how potent the nose is. A few ounces is still all I could handle. Thanks again Jeff.

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4.09/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a darker muddled brownish/amber color, pretty much flat, some bubbles on top. Nose is very sweet and boozy, caramel, oak, burnt sugars...reminds me of a hybrid between a port & shot of brandy. Flavor is sweet & boozy, oak, dark fruits, caramel, burnt sugars. Medium body, flat, rich.

Drinking the Papier variants is like drinking SA Utopias...pretty much a hybrid between beer & spirit. Really enjoy these types of beer, so I would have to say I'd seek this one out again and look forward to the next time I can do so. Recommend!

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4.72/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Huge, huge thanks to Photekut for breaking this bottle open at the Barrel Aged Sexual Chocolate release. This is one I certainly never thought that I would come across! Served in a SAVOR snifter.

The pour brings a very dark brew with some copper highlights. A hard pour brings forth a bit of foam that recedes quickly, leaving just a few bubbles along the sides. The nose is explosive with huge notes of brandy and oak, accompanied by some vanilla, sherry, dark fruits, and plenty of caramel malt. Very sweet and integrated with just a bit of booze, though certainly nowhere near 17% abv worth.

The flavor is even better. The brandy stole the show a bit in the nose, but is extremely well-integrated here. The brandy, oak, and vanilla play very well off of each other and the caramel sweetness is a welcome addition to the background. Just enough booze to pull everything together. Very full mouthfeel with just a bit of alcohol and low carbonation. An excellent sipper to be sure. This further reinforces my desire to seek out the other two variants.

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3.99/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

556th Review on BA
Bottle to Chalice
750 ML waxed and capped

Bottle # 637

Split with Callmecoon

App- It was a very flat dark cloudy light brown with zero head and/or retention. Very spirtit like in appearance.

Smell- This was very highlighted vanilla with a lot of caramel and malts. The brandy was very noticeable with some whifs of the darker fruits as well.

Taste- The brandy really mellows this one out. It was big for sure but subdued in how much it hits. The pairing of the malts and the vanilla with the brandy aging really produces a lovely flavor. Some of the fruit is there later in the drink.

Mouth- A medium bodied beer with a low carbonation level. No dancing bubbles. Leaves a lovely vanilla brandy finish.

Drink- When the Bruery announced it was doing a Cellar reserve list. I got giddy at these variants being put out. I wasnt dissapointed.

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4.2/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very little to no carbonation, forced pour yielded the smallest rust colored semblance of a thin ring around the top. Beer was very dark brown. Aroma was a reprieve, boozy, sweet, vanilla, oak, brandy, quite yummy together.

Taste was similar to that in the aroma. More dark fruit, booziness was more subdued amazingly. Coconut seemed to come out in the taste, or it could have just been my interpretation of the vanilla, oak and whatnot altogether here. Additional flavors of brown sugar, toffee. Creamy texture and mouthfeel to it all, coconut just seemed pretty well represented. Just wish there was more carbonation for this, while I think a low amount is proper, almost none at all is not ideal.

Thanks to jh1982 for bringing it to March Madness '10, but we didn't get around to it, glad he held it off until the baseball game last week. Prolly would have never got to try it otherwise.

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4.56/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Richard for bringing this one to share.

A: The pour is a completely flat yet crystal clear amber color with a few small bubbles from a vigorous pour.

S: The smell is rich and full of sweet caramel, molasses, toffee, and vanilla. The brandy blends in seamlessly with the base old ale and the dark fruits such as raisins, plums, and some others that I can't quite pick out.

T: The flavor is rich and sweet, featuring brown sugar, caramel, toffee, and vanilla. The brandy and sweet fruits provide a bit of contrast and lighten the beer up, and the oak adds a bit of a tannic note.

M: The carbonation is non-existent, but the body is quite full and rich.

D: Sure, you can't sit down and enjoy the full 750 ml bottle of this beer, but you could certainly get yourself in some trouble. A delicious, delicious beer that has mellowed nicely.

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2.64/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Shared with alexd3891 and some other friends.

Pours virtually no head atop a deep, port-colored body. Looks like a port.

Smells of rich brandy, prunes, and some other intense aromas. A really deep *whiff* yields a lot more booze than I would like, even if it is brandy-barrel aged. Also yields some chocolate and leather snaps.

Flavors of brandy, brandy, and more brandy. I might as well just be drinking the damn spirit as it overpowers anything else this beer could have offered. A very limited flavor spectrum.

The mouthfeel is thin and hot.

Overall, and with all due appreciation to Alex for providing it, I was disappointed. I guess it's alright, but the taste has very little complexity, no subtleties. And the mouthfeel just kind of sealed the fate of this one.

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4.29/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A big, big thanks to Halcyondays for sharing this rarity. On to the beer:

Glossy orange color, head...what head? Didn't get any on the pour, but I wasn't really expecting much of it. now, I've come to expect great results from Bruery barrel aging, and this did not dissapoint. Very aromic, lots of brandy, wood, raisins, and just a little pinch of booze. Taste....see aroma. Not really sticky, but still full in body with almost no carbonation. The alcohol never goes out of control, making this beer a pleasant sipper.

Regular Papier was good, Brandy Papier is better. I'd take this over Brandy Angel's Share. I'm very fortunate just to try one of the barrel aged versions.

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4.29/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle, this has been in my possession for 11 months,

A: Pours a light mahogany with a small smattering of bubbles.

S: Sweet caramel, port wine, classic brandy barrel you can smell it.

T: Caramel and residual (brown) sugar. Some grape, big raisin with a noticable ethanol. Very tasty.

M: Full-bodied and viscous. Flat carbonation-wise, but the ethanol and viscosity carry it.

D: As with the other 2 BA Papiers, this is fantastic. Boozy still a bit, great flavours, I can only see this getting better.

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4.35/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this at the bruery reserve initiation. I did a side by side of each of the 3 papiers. Brandy second.

Again, this one poured no head. The color was very similar with a murky ruby hued caramel brown.

Aroma: Lighter brandy flavor here. Toffee and caramel again with oak and vanilla. A lot like the rye, but with brandy instead.

Taste: the brandy is very soft and warm here. All the other flavors really seem to be the same. The oak and vanilla are the main characteristics. Very malty.

Mouthfeel: Rich, creamy, warm, and sweet. Full bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Very similar to the Rye.

Overall, another winner here. I really enjoyed how warming this beer was. I think I prefer the rye a little bit, but both are solid beers. Again, the 17% abv is hidden very well. I can't believe that. I hope I get to try this again.

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4.46/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into glass at The Bruery Reserve Society Initiation. Thanks to our massive beer-pooling efforts and relentless attacks on the tasting table, we were able to amass quite a bit of each -bal aged Papier incarnation. The brandy version was much better than the bourbon and regular Papiers, but not quite up to the level of the ridiculously awesome rye Papier.

Pours a muddy brown color with minimal head.

Aroma is amazing - brandy, caramel, brown sugar, dark fruits, vanilla, and oak.

Flavor has all these same notes, coming together really well, with a strong but not overwhelming brandy presence. This is reminiscent of one of the better vintages of Angels Share.

Smooth and almost creamy on the palate, not too boozy but having great alcohol warmth. Carbonation is low but not nonexistent.

Drinkability is high. A really great beer overall. Bummer I'll probably never have it again, as rare as it is.

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3.4/5  rDev -22%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottled at The Bruery's anniversary party. Rich dark brown colorm with a small beige head. Dry, woody, light malt, and hot, rich, boozy brandy aroma. The flavor was pretty hot with brandy. The Papier malt and fruity touches were there, but there was more brandy dominance than I would have liked, leading to a dry, alcoholic finish. Medium-full body with silky texture. A definite sipper; I almost choked because my first sip was too big. My least favorite of the four barrel aged versions of Papier.

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4.59/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Shane for opening this bottle for the pre-Sinner's party tasting event. Served in a goblet.

A - Poured with a thin film of big bubbles that dissipated quickly. Otherwise looks like a still, dark brown with reddish highlights at the fringes. I wasn't expecting much at 17% and this was slightly more carbonated than I was led to believe.

S - Wow! Tons of brandy in the nose, dark fruits, wood, vanilla, raisins, molasses, some alcohol (but not 17% worth). Awesome stuff!

T - This is an unusual brew where the taste is even better in my humble opinion. It's like drinking liquid brandy-soaked caramel cake. The alcohol is shockingly well hidden, and it doesn't have the strong grape character I found in the regular Papier.

M - Very low carbonation, but not completely still. Medium-thick body, lots of residual stickiness and a little bit of tannic character as well. Some definite alcohol warmth builds throughout the glass.

D - This is a brew where I'd be happy to go back for multiple servings, even if it got me totally wrecked. Patrick is a master of hiding alcohol, and I think he will be a cause of premature liver failure in many of us. Looking forward to the bourbon version!

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4.69/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks for sharing these, Shane.

Murky brown in color, incredibly thick and oily with no head whatsoever.

The aroma is loaded with big boozy brandy barrel, and an equally enormous malt backbone supports it. I get vanilla, molasses, raisins and a touch of wood and soil. Intense but so damn good.

It tastes like it smells; rich, sweet and incredibly alcoholic. Flavors of vanilla and caramel from the barrel compliment the leathery, fruity base beer beautifully. The stillness works nicely with a beer of this size, as it only serves to enhance the full body. The finish goes on seemingly forever, bringing out flavors of maple syrup, leather and woody tannins. This drinks like a vintage port - amazing stuff.

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4.47/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my snifter, Brandy Papier is nearly still, with a few small bubbles that disappear in the blink of an eye. The color is very dark brown, which is a bit lighter near the edges of the glass when held near light. An aggressive swirl brings the liquid to the top of the glass, yielding attractive legs as it slides back down.

The nose is candied and maple sugary sweetness. The brandy is in your face, making certain you know which barrels were used. Dates, figs, and other dried fruits are present, as well as rich toffee and caramel. I notice a little vanilla, as well as oak. The brandy blends very well with the richness in the aroma. The alcohol heat in the nose hints at a high ABV, but I never would have guessed 17%.

The flavor is rich toffee with lots of maple and brown sugar. This is very boozy and sweet. The flavor reminds me of dark fruits and brandy soaked dates. Vanilla is present, with oak and tannins. The beer is certainly hot, but the heat is warming and I daresay lovely (did I say lovely? Yes, I see I've gone and said it).

The carbonation is very low, almost to the point of nonexistence, but I find it complimentary to the beer, allowing the subtleties of the oak and brandy to be noticed. I don't expect bubbles from a beer this high in alcohol, and frankly, I wouldn't want them. This, like the other 100% barrel aged Papiers, is a really fantastic beer. It is one that can be sipped and contemplated for hours, or mindlessly guzzled while feasting in Valhalla.

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4.6/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks, Shane! This beer truly was a treat

A: A still pour, mahogany in color with reddish highlights. The way this beer coats the glass is beautiful, earning an extra half point for some gorgeous legs

S: Big brandy aroma on the nose with brown sugar sweeness. Alcohol is apparent on the nose, but nothing to suggest the 17% level that it's at. Rich and fruity with apples, plums and raisins, this is rather decadent

T: Opens up with a big brandy character with a lot of sweetness present - sugar, dark honey. This tastes like a liquid fruit cake in some ways. The brandy is excellently expressed, and lends a big, juicy bite on the way down. Warms your innards on the way down in a very pleasant way.

M: Big in body, the stillness enhances the thick, liqueur-like character of the beer. Sweet on the finish with a lot of complexity, this beer is far from cloying, especially with the way the brandy is expressed.

D: To borrow from the experience of the guys at Brewdog - this is an irresponsible beer to make. I really could drink myself to death with this. Phenomenal

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4.3/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Shane for opening up this bottle at the 'You Bring the Cheese Tasting' which took place on July 25th 2009 (which ran into the 26th).

I had the chance to sample this one, all three in fact, at the Bruery's Anniversary party.

Papier poured a dark caramel color, pretty still with almost zero head action (but how much can you really expect for a 17% alc. beer?)

Very nice on the nose with an intense brandy aroma. Brandy soaked raisins all around, nutty, molasses, maple syrup, oak, vanilla, and lots of brown sugar. Hints of toasted coconut flakes, toasted oak, and toasted almonds (I love that aroma on barrel aged beers). Soft chocolate notes in the back.

The taste is very similar to the aroma with but with more chocolate presence. There are also flavors of vanilla, toast, lots of brandy, toasted oak, almonds and coconut again, hints of cherry near the finish. A very complex beer, the base beer works quite well with the barrel aging. More raisins, dates, cherries, and grapes with the following sips. A bit of brandy warms up the esophagus all the way to the pit of your stomach but not once did it come across as "hot" or "burning."

Somewhat syrupy on the palate, no carbonation...a hint of carbonation would be good but this beer doesn't really need it. A sipper for sure but surprisingly the drinkability is amazing in this beer for 17% alc.

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4.28/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a ruddy, murky brown. Some tan bubbling.

Smells like brandied vanilla, brandied dark fruits, brandied brown sugar ... maybe some brandied oak, and brandy brandy brandy. Maybe it's just me, but the bourbon barrel aged version of these has spoiled me. That was perhaps the best aroma I've ever smelled on a beer, and while this was nice, I was hoping for that same type of "HOLY S***" moment. This was good, but not like that.

Tastes like brandied dark fruits. There's some oak aging in the backing, but it's eclipsed by the overlapping nuanced layers of various types of sweetness. Vanilla, sweet fruits, sweet brown sugar, some molasses, and an almost nutty, caramel. The brandy/alcohol heat is at first overwhelming, then welcoming, then ... oh so supple and delicious. Ahhhh *tongue lolls out of mouth*

Wait, what was I saying? Mouthfeel is syrupy and thick, could use a bit more carbonation, but it works with this brew. I tore through the bottle.

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