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3 French Hens
The Bruery
- From:
- The Bruery
- California, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Dark Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 10%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.83 | pDev: 12.27%
- Reviews:
- 235
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Saturday at 10:32 PM
- Added:
- Oct 08, 2010
- Wants:
- 98
- Gots:
- 361
Three French Hens is the third in the 12 Days/Years of Christmas Series. We again drew some inspiration from the name and decided that at least a portion of this beer had to be aged in French oak barrels. What we came out with is a bold and spicy Belgian Dark Strong Ale, 25% aged in oak. This beer is designed to take the journey through time until 12 Drummers Drumming, but is a delightful holiday treat right off the shelf.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by philbe311:
Reviewed by philbe311 from Pennsylvania
3.85/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.85/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - Three fingers worth of tightly packed richly textured light khaki colored head with a slightly rocky top... Solid retention... The color is a mix of brown, candied apple red, and amber... Some carbonation bubbles can be seen rising along the sides of the glass...
S - The nose is loaded with sweet dark fruits... Sweet red grapes... Dates... Perhaps even some raspberries and strawberries.... Some candied sugars... Slightly Belgian yeast notes... Some light vanilla and oak notes...
T - Dark fruits as expected... Raisins... Blueberries... Dates... Faint Belgian yeast notes... The oak and vanilla notes rise on the finish and actually provide very good balance to the overall slightly cloying sweetness...
M - On the lighter side of full bodied... Dense... Sleek and slightly sticky... Moderation is light but a bit on the harsh side... Saliva inducing...
D - A bit too intense even with a year's worth of age on it... Some solid bones, but definitely a bit rough around the edges... Not a bad beer by any means, but nothing special either...
Dec 24, 2011S - The nose is loaded with sweet dark fruits... Sweet red grapes... Dates... Perhaps even some raspberries and strawberries.... Some candied sugars... Slightly Belgian yeast notes... Some light vanilla and oak notes...
T - Dark fruits as expected... Raisins... Blueberries... Dates... Faint Belgian yeast notes... The oak and vanilla notes rise on the finish and actually provide very good balance to the overall slightly cloying sweetness...
M - On the lighter side of full bodied... Dense... Sleek and slightly sticky... Moderation is light but a bit on the harsh side... Saliva inducing...
D - A bit too intense even with a year's worth of age on it... Some solid bones, but definitely a bit rough around the edges... Not a bad beer by any means, but nothing special either...
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by BubbleBobble from New York
2.76/5 rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
2.76/5 rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
Review is for the 2022 version. Pours a murky dark brown, fizzy, cola-colored 2" head that settles out quickly to a thin ring, no cap. After settling, begins to clear up somewhat. Light streaky lacing. Nose is a ton of overripe pears, brown bread, baking spice. Candi sugar, booze, alpine amaro, banana. Taste is very sweet up front, estery, canned pears; light malt and barley roast; treacle and sugar syrup; warming baking and yeast spice. Feel is on the thick and syrupy side with small carbonation. Overall, I found this too sweet and cloying and without much depth, but perhaps it'll be better in 8 more years or so.
Saturday at 10:32 PMReviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina
4/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured into a snifter to a deep brown beer which is topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger of light tan head which fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of caramel, raisins, dark fruits, and hints of spicy yeast
T: Taste is caramel and dark fruits with some raisin notes, and some hints of spicy yeast. A little bready malt as well. On the finish there's more dark fruits, caramel, and lingering spice.
M: This beer has a body which is on the heavier side of medium with a slightly creamy feel. Carbonation is soft but it is adequate for the style while the beer has a fairly neutral finish.
O: Overall this is a perfectly acceptable Belgian Strong Dark. Nice flavors and decent complexity though maybe a touch on the simple side. Balance is good and the flavors are well integrated.
Aug 15, 2023S: Smells of caramel, raisins, dark fruits, and hints of spicy yeast
T: Taste is caramel and dark fruits with some raisin notes, and some hints of spicy yeast. A little bready malt as well. On the finish there's more dark fruits, caramel, and lingering spice.
M: This beer has a body which is on the heavier side of medium with a slightly creamy feel. Carbonation is soft but it is adequate for the style while the beer has a fairly neutral finish.
O: Overall this is a perfectly acceptable Belgian Strong Dark. Nice flavors and decent complexity though maybe a touch on the simple side. Balance is good and the flavors are well integrated.
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri
4.02/5 rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.02/5 rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
750ml bottle. Poured out a dark, dark brown color with a small, fizzy, khaki-colored head of foam. It left minimal lacing. It smelled of dried dark fruits, like plum and fig. Spices and bready notes, too. Sweet maltiness with plum, fig and earthy spcies.
Aug 14, 2023Reviewed by HattedClassic from Virginia
3.9/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.9/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
The beer pours a nice creamy khaki head that dissipates fairly quickly while the beer itself is a cloudy dark chestnut brown.
The smell is decent. It has a strong dark fruit note that largely resembles a light caramel with grapes with a moderate amount of candi sugar to it.
The taste is good. It has a nice and light caramel note mixed in with dark fruits with a vanilla finish. A very light cinnamon comes out in the finish as well.
The feel is good. It has a medium heavy note with a bunch of tingling carbonation to it.
Overall a decent beer since it was aged for a year in less than ideal conditions.
Jan 02, 2021The smell is decent. It has a strong dark fruit note that largely resembles a light caramel with grapes with a moderate amount of candi sugar to it.
The taste is good. It has a nice and light caramel note mixed in with dark fruits with a vanilla finish. A very light cinnamon comes out in the finish as well.
The feel is good. It has a medium heavy note with a bunch of tingling carbonation to it.
Overall a decent beer since it was aged for a year in less than ideal conditions.
Reviewed by IvoryFoxhole from Virginia
4.05/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.05/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
375 ml bottle of the 2019 rebrew poured into a Trillium Six States glass and allowed to warm.
L: 1F light brown head with poor retention, just a tiny ring and part cap. Beer is sort of a chestnut brown, not a particularly attractive color for some reason.
S: Candi sugar and a lot of winter spices like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom. Some caramel and a hint of oak.
T: Pretty much follows nose - spicy Belgian quad type. Candi sugar, caramel, and the spices noted above. A tad of oakiness - it wasn't aged very long.
F: Medium to full bodied, not much carbonation. Construction and balance are good. ABV is controlled well and sweetness level is held in check.
O: Not bad at all. Solid quad with some twists.
Feb 20, 2020L: 1F light brown head with poor retention, just a tiny ring and part cap. Beer is sort of a chestnut brown, not a particularly attractive color for some reason.
S: Candi sugar and a lot of winter spices like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom. Some caramel and a hint of oak.
T: Pretty much follows nose - spicy Belgian quad type. Candi sugar, caramel, and the spices noted above. A tad of oakiness - it wasn't aged very long.
F: Medium to full bodied, not much carbonation. Construction and balance are good. ABV is controlled well and sweetness level is held in check.
O: Not bad at all. Solid quad with some twists.
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
3.89/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.89/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Lighter brown pour with two fingers of beige foam. French oak in noticed in the smell, compliments the candi sugar, dark fruit, slight vanilla, and toffee well. Taste is overwhelmed by the oak in comparison, has vanilla and candi sugar, but the dark fruit and toffee are covered up mostly. Bright for style, oaky, has a kiss of oak sour. Not my favorite in the series, but not my least favorite either
Dec 27, 2019
3 French Hens from The Bruery
Beer rating:
86 out of
100 with
418 ratings
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