White Chocolate | The Bruery
Brewed by:
The Bruery
California, United States
thebruery.com
Style: American Wheatwine Ale
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
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 1,295 | Reviews: 202
4.11/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours amber, half centimeter of fine head.
Smells of vanilla, graham cracker, nutty.
Taste is chocolate, vanilla, slight bourbon, fruity notes on the back end.
Mouthfeel is thick and smooth. Bubbles are soft.
Overall, great riff on the strong ale/bw style. This is a really interesting beer, I'm not sure that I've had much like it. Though the price point is on the higher end, its much easier to justify when you're getting a unique experience.
447 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours amber, half centimeter of fine head.
Smells of vanilla, graham cracker, nutty.
Taste is chocolate, vanilla, slight bourbon, fruity notes on the back end.
Mouthfeel is thick and smooth. Bubbles are soft.
Overall, great riff on the strong ale/bw style. This is a really interesting beer, I'm not sure that I've had much like it. Though the price point is on the higher end, its much easier to justify when you're getting a unique experience.
447 characters
4.64/5 rDev +11.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a slightly cloudy orangish amber with a thick white cap that recedes quickly and leaves minimal lacing. Aroma is chocolate, oak and bourbon. Flavor is rich caramel with chocolate, vanilla and bourbon. Feel is medium bodied with low carbonation. Overall a tremendous beer.
277 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a slightly cloudy orangish amber with a thick white cap that recedes quickly and leaves minimal lacing. Aroma is chocolate, oak and bourbon. Flavor is rich caramel with chocolate, vanilla and bourbon. Feel is medium bodied with low carbonation. Overall a tremendous beer.
277 characters
4.25/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.15/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A-A nice hazy amber color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has abundant oak hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a pleasant oak flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A well balanced barleywine beer with a gentle but strong kick
245 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A-A nice hazy amber color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has abundant oak hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a pleasant oak flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A well balanced barleywine beer with a gentle but strong kick
245 characters
3.82/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
4.18/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.22/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pretty good for the first beer I’ve ever had aged in Bourbon barrels that wasn’t a stout. 2017 edition poured into my favorite Delirium Tremens themed snifter.
Beautiful light amber color, pretty good alcohol flavor with a delicious desert finish.
I still prefer stouts but this was a great introduction to the Bruery.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pretty good for the first beer I’ve ever had aged in Bourbon barrels that wasn’t a stout. 2017 edition poured into my favorite Delirium Tremens themed snifter.
Beautiful light amber color, pretty good alcohol flavor with a delicious desert finish.
I still prefer stouts but this was a great introduction to the Bruery.
324 characters
4.2/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
The beer pours a very nice white head with a creamy appearance. The beer itself is a sold medium amber gold that is clear. It looks really nice and has a good metallic hue to it.
The smell is absolutely fantastic. It has a good and soft cocoa note mixing with the vanilla that lasts through the whole thing and a bit of chocolate coming out underneath it all. There is a light acidic and sharp bitter lemon and citrus that is soft compared to the rest of the notes.
The taste is good. It has a fairly strong acidic and bitter citrus note. There is a light vanilla and cocoa note at the end but it's mostly the bitter citrus note that comes out.
The feel is good. It has a heavy body but feels lighter with a dry finish to it. The carbonation is fairly biting.
Overall, good but the cherry version is better in my opinion. Although, this will do in the summer.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
The beer pours a very nice white head with a creamy appearance. The beer itself is a sold medium amber gold that is clear. It looks really nice and has a good metallic hue to it.
The smell is absolutely fantastic. It has a good and soft cocoa note mixing with the vanilla that lasts through the whole thing and a bit of chocolate coming out underneath it all. There is a light acidic and sharp bitter lemon and citrus that is soft compared to the rest of the notes.
The taste is good. It has a fairly strong acidic and bitter citrus note. There is a light vanilla and cocoa note at the end but it's mostly the bitter citrus note that comes out.
The feel is good. It has a heavy body but feels lighter with a dry finish to it. The carbonation is fairly biting.
Overall, good but the cherry version is better in my opinion. Although, this will do in the summer.
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3.58/5 rDev -14.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.4/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.32/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
It doesn't look or smell like anything special, but the flavors are huge (and well-balanced): bourbon and vanilla with some caramel, oak, and sweet white chocolate. For such a big beer the booze is almost non-detectable. Impressive.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
It doesn't look or smell like anything special, but the flavors are huge (and well-balanced): bourbon and vanilla with some caramel, oak, and sweet white chocolate. For such a big beer the booze is almost non-detectable. Impressive.
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3.76/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.25/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L: Had this beer on-tap at Capital Ale House - Innsbrook, poured into a snifter glass. Had a dark amber color and a hazy texture. There was a half inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Not much lacing.
S: A big aroma of chocolate, malt, bourbon, vanilla, and honey.
T: Tasted of a good shot of bourbon (and the accompanying barrel), a nice bit of honey, some light vanilla notes, a tinge of caramel, lots of white chocolate, some wheat, and a hint of coconut. Like the aroma, the flavor's big and forceful, but definitely tasty. Kind of boozy (the ABV% was 16.6%), but definitely complex and likable.
F: A decent amount of carbonation with a sharp finish. Medium-bodied.
O: This is definitely not a beer for wimps. It's powerful and aggressive, but compulsively drinkable. Worth a look.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L: Had this beer on-tap at Capital Ale House - Innsbrook, poured into a snifter glass. Had a dark amber color and a hazy texture. There was a half inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Not much lacing.
S: A big aroma of chocolate, malt, bourbon, vanilla, and honey.
T: Tasted of a good shot of bourbon (and the accompanying barrel), a nice bit of honey, some light vanilla notes, a tinge of caramel, lots of white chocolate, some wheat, and a hint of coconut. Like the aroma, the flavor's big and forceful, but definitely tasty. Kind of boozy (the ABV% was 16.6%), but definitely complex and likable.
F: A decent amount of carbonation with a sharp finish. Medium-bodied.
O: This is definitely not a beer for wimps. It's powerful and aggressive, but compulsively drinkable. Worth a look.
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4.25/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.2/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 750ml bottle into a tulip glass.
L: Pours a pretty orange, copper color with a very big 2 and a half finger head on a pretty aggressive pour. Very good looking beer.
S: This smells like a dessert in a glass, as much so as a good dessert stout does. I get a lot of vanilla and caramel along with the bourbon and alcohol. The chocolate is their but not much and it is definitely hidden behind the vanilla, caramel, and bourbon booziness.
T: This is where the beer drops off a little bit for me. The bourbon taste is right there in the front of this one, followed by the vanilla and caramel right behind it. At the very end I get a little taste of chocolate. For this being called "White Chocolate", I was expecting this to have a lot more of a chocolate taste to it.
F: The beer drinks more like a wine to me. Smooth and rich and easy drinking, to smooth for the 14% that the bottle says.
O: This is my first beer from The Bruery, I had passed this bottle up several times because of the price tag on it($30 for a bottle!!), but always wanted to try it. It is a good beer don't get me wrong I enjoyed it. I would not buy this beer again, it is way overpriced for the taste to me. Very good not great.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 750ml bottle into a tulip glass.
L: Pours a pretty orange, copper color with a very big 2 and a half finger head on a pretty aggressive pour. Very good looking beer.
S: This smells like a dessert in a glass, as much so as a good dessert stout does. I get a lot of vanilla and caramel along with the bourbon and alcohol. The chocolate is their but not much and it is definitely hidden behind the vanilla, caramel, and bourbon booziness.
T: This is where the beer drops off a little bit for me. The bourbon taste is right there in the front of this one, followed by the vanilla and caramel right behind it. At the very end I get a little taste of chocolate. For this being called "White Chocolate", I was expecting this to have a lot more of a chocolate taste to it.
F: The beer drinks more like a wine to me. Smooth and rich and easy drinking, to smooth for the 14% that the bottle says.
O: This is my first beer from The Bruery, I had passed this bottle up several times because of the price tag on it($30 for a bottle!!), but always wanted to try it. It is a good beer don't get me wrong I enjoyed it. I would not buy this beer again, it is way overpriced for the taste to me. Very good not great.
1,211 characters
3.83/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.79/5 rDev -9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
4.35/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
2017 Vintage
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
2017 Vintage
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3.78/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
2017 vintage
Cream soda, bourbon/alcohol, vanilla, golden raisin, marshmallow, fruity cacao nibs
Not picking up chocolate at all. Occasional whiff of white chocolate from the bottle
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
2017 vintage
Cream soda, bourbon/alcohol, vanilla, golden raisin, marshmallow, fruity cacao nibs
Not picking up chocolate at all. Occasional whiff of white chocolate from the bottle
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4.36/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Total Carmel bomb. Don’t get a ton of chocolate.
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look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Total Carmel bomb. Don’t get a ton of chocolate.
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White Chocolate from The Bruery
Beer rating:
4.17 out of
5 with
1,295 ratings
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