Honey & Dunn Apis Grand Cru
The Bruery

 

Black color with a medium-sized, beige head. Rich aroma of honey, spices, chocolate, and whiskey. Moderately sweet taste with distinctive notes of rye whiskey barrels. Smooth and well-balanced. Loved this one.

absurd beer, mead barrel aged enormous rye stout, my favorite beer from our most recent visit to their idaho location, this is like nothing ive ever had before, and i think with the intensity and sweetness of the mead, that the high rye in the base stout is a brilliant call, the synergy there is unreal, and i can still taste this one days later. black, leggy and viscous as can be, patient and deep looking, just a bit of carbonation activity, which seems like plenty for something like this. i smell honey and mead specifically both right away, through spicy earthy rye and also considerable soy-like umami, its the honey that wins out, honey liqueur, pollen and yellow florals, really striking, subtle cooked sugar notes to it as well, roast and coffee from the stout, some char, black fig, and sturdy oak too, really unique, the honey both lightens and heavies the massive base beer, lots going on. the flavor is incredible, vanilla, creme brulee, dates and raisins, and a lot of dry roasted dark grain, the rye is somehow so apparent through all of the mead character too, a bunch of alcohol intensity including some fusel heat, lots of late bitterness but its still the sweetness that wins out. honey in all its best forms here, almost meaty too with some smoke and sort of textural fattiness, long long long on the palate, rye always there, oak strong, vanilla and an almost brandy thing, really deep and good. i taste this forever and its beautiful at every turn. one of a kind barrel aged stout here, masterfully crafted and smartly designed, never had anything like it. highly recommended, this is the kind of thing the bruery does better than anyone even still to this day, wow!

 

On tap at the Bruery

A- pours deep brown with a one finger foamy khaki head that has short retention

S- big honey nose up front with undertones chocolate, raisins, figs, peppery rye, oak

T- sweet honey up front, followed by an array of dark fruit; raisin, figs, black cherries. Mid-palate gives some peppery rye notes, as well as chocolate and oak, the finish gives more sweet honey, along with caramel and more dark fruits

M- medium body with moderate carbonation, leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns slightly creamy into the finish