White Chocolate | The Bruery
Brewed by:
The Bruery
California, United States
thebruery.com
Style: Wheatwine
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 13.80%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
ABV varies by batch.
The primary component of our "White Oak" ale is a 100% barrel aged wheat wine that we affectionately refer to as "White Oak Sap." Essentially a "summer" barley-wine style ale, but made with a wheat heavy grain base, White Oak Sap is aged in used bourbon barrels for nearly a year and comes out rich in flavors of coconut, honey, caramel and vanilla. To compliment the already rich flavors of the beer, we've added cacao nibs and vanilla beans to give this beer the delicate flavor of white chocolate...hence the name.
Added by womencantsail on 08-07-2012
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 1,212 | Reviews: 173
4.5/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.22/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.23/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A: The beer is hazy yellow in color. It poured with a short white head that died down, leaving a coating of bubbles covering the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Strong aromas of oak and vanilla from the barrel aging are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell but has additional hints of cocoa nibs.
M: It feels medium-bodied and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has lots of interesting flavors from the barrel aging. It also hides its alcohol extremely well from the taste.
Serving type: bottle
556 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A: The beer is hazy yellow in color. It poured with a short white head that died down, leaving a coating of bubbles covering the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Strong aromas of oak and vanilla from the barrel aging are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell but has additional hints of cocoa nibs.
M: It feels medium-bodied and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has lots of interesting flavors from the barrel aging. It also hides its alcohol extremely well from the taste.
Serving type: bottle
556 characters
4.41/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.22/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Draft pour to snifter, deep hazy golden, some white head, no lacing. White chocolate on the nose, light malt. Taste is sweet, has the white chocolate. Heavy body and below average carbonation.
192 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Draft pour to snifter, deep hazy golden, some white head, no lacing. White chocolate on the nose, light malt. Taste is sweet, has the white chocolate. Heavy body and below average carbonation.
192 characters
4.24/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2.8/5 rDev -32.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
4.75/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
3.02/5 rDev -27.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
3.02/5: The aroma does smell like white chocolate, but it tastes like boozy prune juice devoid of nuance or subtlety
116 characters
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
3.02/5: The aroma does smell like white chocolate, but it tastes like boozy prune juice devoid of nuance or subtlety
116 characters
4.35/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.43/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Quick review. Bottle into a teku. Hazy-ish amber gold, decent bubbly head of white foam. Big nose of bourbon, vanilla, smokey oak, toffee, caramel, and spiced sugar. Taste is on par. Big bourbon, big vanilla, lovely caramel, sweet figs, honey, oak sap..the list could go on. Delicious. Good feel, a bit thin but..15%+ and you're gonna have that most of the time.
Bottom line is this a damn good beer. Probably the best I've had from the Bruery.
446 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Quick review. Bottle into a teku. Hazy-ish amber gold, decent bubbly head of white foam. Big nose of bourbon, vanilla, smokey oak, toffee, caramel, and spiced sugar. Taste is on par. Big bourbon, big vanilla, lovely caramel, sweet figs, honey, oak sap..the list could go on. Delicious. Good feel, a bit thin but..15%+ and you're gonna have that most of the time.
Bottom line is this a damn good beer. Probably the best I've had from the Bruery.
446 characters
3.37/5 rDev -19%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
4.5/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.24/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Draft at Rattle N Hum West, NYC.
A- The brew is poured from the draft into a baby goblet with a somewhat cloudy deep-amber body. A small white cap ascends to a film on the brew and falls to a small ring at the edges, fair retention. Tiny spots of lace every once in a while.
S- Bourbon oak barrel and vanilla in the forefront, the vanilla itself is massive. Some of the sweet caramel character found in other bold Bruery high-ABV beers but kind of minimal in comparison to many. Cocoa nibs, spiced raisin and old barleywine caramel.
T- As in the aroma the vanilla leads off alongside the faded oak barrel which brings plenty of whiskey and a certain toasty wood hint. The whiskey combines with the base brew to give off a dark fruitiness that is reminiscent of non-smoked Single Malt Scotch. Spiced raisin, heavy caramelized grains, sweetness but not cloying, cocoa nibs, apple esters and toast also come to mind.
MF- The body itself is medium-thick and it has a slickness from that high ABV. Oily and frothy-foamy texture with some good heat in the finish from the alcohol. Rather smooth thanks to the medium level of carbonation.
Big vanilla, oak barrel and wheat wine base combine with cocoa to have an interesting effect. Not quite the flavor of the namesake but still a good dessert brew and it is probably a good thing it doesn't taste exactly like White Chocolate which is cloying and sugary.
1,404 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Draft at Rattle N Hum West, NYC.
A- The brew is poured from the draft into a baby goblet with a somewhat cloudy deep-amber body. A small white cap ascends to a film on the brew and falls to a small ring at the edges, fair retention. Tiny spots of lace every once in a while.
S- Bourbon oak barrel and vanilla in the forefront, the vanilla itself is massive. Some of the sweet caramel character found in other bold Bruery high-ABV beers but kind of minimal in comparison to many. Cocoa nibs, spiced raisin and old barleywine caramel.
T- As in the aroma the vanilla leads off alongside the faded oak barrel which brings plenty of whiskey and a certain toasty wood hint. The whiskey combines with the base brew to give off a dark fruitiness that is reminiscent of non-smoked Single Malt Scotch. Spiced raisin, heavy caramelized grains, sweetness but not cloying, cocoa nibs, apple esters and toast also come to mind.
MF- The body itself is medium-thick and it has a slickness from that high ABV. Oily and frothy-foamy texture with some good heat in the finish from the alcohol. Rather smooth thanks to the medium level of carbonation.
Big vanilla, oak barrel and wheat wine base combine with cocoa to have an interesting effect. Not quite the flavor of the namesake but still a good dessert brew and it is probably a good thing it doesn't taste exactly like White Chocolate which is cloying and sugary.
1,404 characters
4.56/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.28/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.26/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.2/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
750ml, white and silver foil-capped bottle - I like how this brewery's labels seem like something right out of post-Prohibition: 'Contains Alcohol' is almost as prominent as this offering's name, for crying out loud.
This beer pours a murky, dark apricot amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and fizzy tan head, which leaves a few instances of disintegrating ice floe lace around the glass as it slowly but surely sinks away.
It smells of pungent Bourbon barrel notes (vanilla, spicy rye alcohol, and musty wood), some bready and doughy caramel malt, milk chocolate, those vanillan cookie things, faint domestic citrus peel, and some very tame earthy, weedy, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is semi-sweet, bready and treacly caramel malt, the same heady oaken essences as in the aroma, some arising warmed citrus juiciness, those white chocolate-laced, um, seashell chocolates that are always around at Christmas parties, a hint of earthy clover honey, and some rather mild perfumed floral hoppiness.
The carbonation is fairly active in its mostly supportive frothiness, the body a solid medium-heavy weight, and generally smooth, as the whole artisanal cocoa thing goes the long mile here. It finishes well off-dry, the malt, barrel, and two guest stars mixing and mingling like the lingering bosses they wanna be.
Overall, this is one big and brash (quelle surprise!) brew from this OC/SoCal/WC operation - the base wheatwine comes through only because I was informed as such, otherwise I would have guessed that it was some sort of strong Belgian golden ale. Whatever, it's sweet, yet balanced, and with a vin de table strength that is more or less hidden in the depths of its complex flavour.
1,732 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
750ml, white and silver foil-capped bottle - I like how this brewery's labels seem like something right out of post-Prohibition: 'Contains Alcohol' is almost as prominent as this offering's name, for crying out loud.
This beer pours a murky, dark apricot amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and fizzy tan head, which leaves a few instances of disintegrating ice floe lace around the glass as it slowly but surely sinks away.
It smells of pungent Bourbon barrel notes (vanilla, spicy rye alcohol, and musty wood), some bready and doughy caramel malt, milk chocolate, those vanillan cookie things, faint domestic citrus peel, and some very tame earthy, weedy, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is semi-sweet, bready and treacly caramel malt, the same heady oaken essences as in the aroma, some arising warmed citrus juiciness, those white chocolate-laced, um, seashell chocolates that are always around at Christmas parties, a hint of earthy clover honey, and some rather mild perfumed floral hoppiness.
The carbonation is fairly active in its mostly supportive frothiness, the body a solid medium-heavy weight, and generally smooth, as the whole artisanal cocoa thing goes the long mile here. It finishes well off-dry, the malt, barrel, and two guest stars mixing and mingling like the lingering bosses they wanna be.
Overall, this is one big and brash (quelle surprise!) brew from this OC/SoCal/WC operation - the base wheatwine comes through only because I was informed as such, otherwise I would have guessed that it was some sort of strong Belgian golden ale. Whatever, it's sweet, yet balanced, and with a vin de table strength that is more or less hidden in the depths of its complex flavour.
1,732 characters
White Chocolate from The Bruery
4.16
out of 5
based on 1,212 ratings.
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5