Big Blue Stacks
The Bruery

Review: 2534
Name: Big Blue Stacks
Brewery: The Brurey
Location: Placentia, CA
Style: Imperial Pastry Stout
ABV: 19.5%
Canned: 2021
Date: 10 January 2026
I decided to try another beer from my Bruery collection, a behemoth at almost 20 percent. I am using a Bruery tulip glass and serving the beer at 54 degrees. The pour created a frothy, foamy, two-fingered, light-tan head with average retention. The somewhat dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The dark brown beer has rich dark teak hues, an SRM of 36, and is opaque. The beer's appearance is average, given its high ABV.
Smelling the glass, I detect notes of dark chocolate, raisins, figs, medium-roasted malt, blueberries, maple syrup, medium-roasted coffee, vanilla, anise, tobacco, earthy dirt, bourbon, char, dark toasted bread crust, malty sweetness, toffee, and a light cola note. Taking a moment to let the aromas sink in, I go back for another nosing, picking up pancakes, oak, leather, and molasses. It is incredible to me how this beer resembles a blueberry pancake soaked in maple syrup and dunked in bourbon.
The first sip: a heavy presence of dark chocolate, blueberries, vanilla, pancakes, bourbon, and oak. The next sip reveals the complex nature of this massive imperial dessert stout, with notes of leather, dark chocolate, tobacco, coffee, molasses, plums, raisins, earthy dirt, maple syrup, oak, bourbon, char, and caramel.
The mouthfeel is chewy, finishing a bit warm. The body is heavy, with medium-low carbonation.
Final Impression: The beer's aromas are remarkable, with heavy barrel-aging that's neither overbearing nor woody. The malt profile is deep and complex, giving the beer a lot of character. I enjoyed this beer; the blueberries still gave some tartness after 5 years—stellar offering from the Bruery.

Shimmering black pour with a light brown head and mild lacing. Smell has hyper sweet blueberry right away, some due to backing of maple and molasses, but smells like frozen blueberry or puree too, bourbon barrel with mild oak supporting. Taste has the blueberry somehow even sweeter and clearly leading, like if there was a nerds candy that was blueberry flavored, maple is rich which is nice but it is overpowered, bourbon barred is weak underneath all of the sugar. Here is the thing, this beer is massive, it is big, heavy and thick, and yet it is compromised by sweetness like a smaller beer would be, fascinating. Saugatuck's ba blueberry maple is my measuring stick, and this fell way short

750 ml blue wax capped bottle, 2021 edition, bottled 08/11/21. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with almost an inch tan head. Head retention is OK, and there isn't much lacing at all. I like the aroma, the brew smells like dark fruit, maple, roasted malt, blueberries, vanilla and some earthiness. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's the addition of some oak, bourbon and burnt/charred malt flavors. Blueberry character seems more like syrupy/candy like to me. Leans more sweeter tasting but not overpowering. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and a bit rich with a moderate amount of carbonation. It's a bit boozy but not as much as I was expecting considering the strength of this beer. I thought this was one was pretty good, hope the Bruery makes this one again in the future!

750ml poured into a snifter.

Mostly black with a touch of brown, not unusual for BT or variant, but not what we expect from a BA stout. Small brown head which fully diminishes.

Nose is blueberry, but not fresh blueberry, more like thawed frozen blueberry, Not bad or artificial, but not fresh. As it oxidizes, some oak surfaces

Blueberry improves in the taste, with oak, bourbon and light maple.

It has an oily feel which nicely coats the tongue Medium body, with a dry finish, which leaves a touch of blueberry lingering. The heat on this is surprisingly low given its 19.5 ABV.

Overall, I think Blueberry pancake was better, but this is a very good beer. I wish the second barrel was a peaty scotch barrel, I think that smokiness, might take this to another level.