Red White and Brue
The Bruery

this is messy and diabetic, the flavor is good, but man, even a small pour on tap felt like more than i wanted or needed, the booze is exposed, the vanilla trounces the fruit, and the base beer seems less refined than i am used to from these guys, even if it seems likely that they use a similar wheatwine for a lot of these and just do different things to it. like a lot of the draft has been at the idaho spot so far, this is murky and poorly refined looking, thick, pinkish tinted but more brown than anything, some bubbles in suspension but just a patchy little bit of head. the nose is pure vanilla, tons of it, to the perfume level, with a little tart generic berry and oxidation taking the essence of cardboard, woody and with some whiskey too though, sugar and alcohol, less fruity than expected and less authentically fruity too. a little up front papery character, a little apricot jam thing which i didnt expect in a berry beer, more raspberry than blueberry but not a ton of either i dont think, the vanilla is just really dominant, good and all, but it takes over. the best synergy is the bourbon with the vanilla, that is tried and true here, but the base beer seems faded, the residual sugar is over the top, and the berries dont really bring it. lots of body, yeasty and grainy, not super booze forward as some of these can be, a very long palate with the vanilla hanging on forever. more carbonation that expected. not quite up to their usual standard, but its hard to be critical, didnt have access to their stuff before and now i do, so i feel thankful, and they cant all be full bangers. like others, id love to try the bottle version to compare, something about their draft quality has at times been underwhelming...

 

12.7 ounce bottle, 2023 edition, bottled 06/07/23. Served in a chalice, the beer pours a murky brown color with about an inch and a half light tan head that stuck around a while. Good amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like vanilla, blueberries, raspberries and some wheat/grainy malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some oak and bourbon flavors noticeable too. Wish the barrel had more of a kick here, but that's a minor complaint. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's coating and a bit syrupy with a moderate amount of carbonation. Thought this was a good overall brew, worth a try if you get the chance!