Hoarders Cuvée (2025)
The Bruery

 

new vintage of this special blend, a big stout, an agave wheatwine, and apparently some stout fermented with wine grapes, which i didnt know when i had it, but it makes sense now, rye and bourbon barrels on the stout, tequila on the wheatwine, a lot to put together but it works, no surprise. looks like a stout, the wheatwine may lighten it some, but these guys make heavy wheatwine, and this is surely that, darkest brown with high shine in the little glass and actually a bit of head on it, looks polished up nicely. the aroma on this is sweet, bourbon yes, vanilla, agave too i think, some umami character like i have been getting in some of their other big ones lately, a lot of oak, char, and raisin, also fruity like amarone or port wine, could be the grapes there, and some wheaty richness, molasses and maple and toffee, fantastic, quite a lot of alcohol and sugar here. it can be hard to blend things with enormous stout like this, in part i think because stout can take over, but here the wheatwine is up for it, and really adds neat bread pudding richness as well ac wheaty fullness to this, its contribution is wonderful, and the very list thing i taste is the agave, less of the tequila, which i am okay with, id love to try this thread of the blend on its own at some point. the roast is a nice counterpoint to all the sugar, the grape aspect does add some vinous brightness to this, an almost balsamic aspect really, and the boubon is the most prominent of the barrels by a longshot. huge and long on the palate, boozy and sticky, sort of instantly slows me down, glue-like but delicious, super decadent, a small pour will do most drinkers i have to imagine, and it did me, but what a treat to drink. would love to get my lips on some of these bygone hoarders cuvee vintages. for the brave and adventurous for sure.