5 Golden Rings
The Bruery

5 Golden Rings5 Golden Rings
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
11.5%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.58 | pDev: 15.64%
Reviews:
138
Ratings:
614
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 24, 2023
Added:
Nov 03, 2012
Wants:
  22
Gots:
  193
5 Golden Rings is the 5th verse in our ‘12 Days of Christmas’ winter seasonal ale series. The only golden ale in the bunch, we spiced up the natural pause in the classic song with cinnamon, allspice and ginger along with the delicious sweet and tangy flavor of pineapple. The resulting ale is a true holiday treat that can be enjoyed fresh or cellared until 2019, when 12 Drummers Drumming will be released.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Orca
Reviewed by Orca from Washington

3.68/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
750mL bottle (packaged November 2012) into a tulip. Label says “suitable for aging up to seven years,” so I’ve missed that window. Pours a clear golden amber with a minimal head, looks almost flat but there is some amount of carbonation.

Aroma is a blend of bready malt and fruity/floral Belgian yeast. Some candi sugar. Pretty subtle.

Taste is likewise sweet and fruity with note of Rainier cherries, apricots, plums. Subtle nutmeg and cinnamon but it’s probably faded somewhat. More of a feeling in the back of the throat than a flavor.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, a tad sticky but not syrupy. Low carbonation doesn’t help.

Overall an OK Belgian-style golden/pale ale. Maybe I should have opened it sooner.
Sep 24, 2023
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
2012 vintage. Poured from a bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Somewhat ugly... golden brown pour. Cloudy with thin off-white head. Falls fast... nice little ring of lacing.

S: Ginger, pineapple, and spice. Bready.

T.F: As other reviewers have noted... there's some definite pineapple bread going on. Modest sweetness... fruit and spice. Strong ginger with milder cinnamon and allspice. Malts and sugars to go with the juice. Medium bodied and sticky. Ginger and lingering pineapple at the finish.

O: An interesting mix with the pineapple, spice, and a golden ale but it mostly worked... and this held up super well in the cellar. Would be interesting to compare it to one of the re-releases.
May 05, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by imperialking from Illinois

Feb 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3 by RMW66 from Australia

Oct 11, 2021
Photo of HattedClassic
Reviewed by HattedClassic from Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
The beer pours a creamy white head that dissipates quickly. The beer itself is a clear yellow around the outer edges but is a cloudy and deep orange amber with brown notes in the middle.

The smell is good. It has a strong pineapple notes with slight yeast notes.

The taste is pretty good. The pineapple is the strongest note and supplemented by a bread note to make it taste like pineapple bread. There are hints of cinnamon and allspice but they get lost in the pineapple.

The feel is decent. It has a medium body with very little carbonation to it and a slight burn in the finish.

Overall, a flavorful beer worth getting. It's pretty nice to have something different from a dark ale, which is the usual style in the line-up.
Jan 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.76 by michiganmatt from California

Dec 31, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by Stengelfoot from California

Dec 31, 2020
 
Rated: 4.61 by JamieDuncan from Maryland

Jul 31, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by bubseymour from Maryland

Jul 25, 2020
Photo of brycemc
Reviewed by brycemc from California

3.82/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Day 5 (2019 release):

Pours a opaque dark golden hue, into a tulip. Head is small.

Nose is belgian yeasts, some banana notes, pineapple, a bit of spice.

Taste: Is pineapple bread a thing? Alcohol apparent, allspice, ginger, breadiness, but not sweet. Belgian golden ale with pineapple notes basically. Quite nice.

Feel: medium body, just off dry, long warming finish (a contrast to the style, which is nice).

Overall very good, unique. Will be interesting to see what it tastes like in a dozen years.
Dec 31, 2019
 
Rated: 3.85 by Cpmitchno1 from Virginia

Dec 08, 2019
 
Rated: 3.71 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Sep 21, 2019
Photo of macrosmatic
Reviewed by macrosmatic from Florida

3.25/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Reviewed from notes. Purchased at a local bottle shop in early 2013; consumed on 8/19/17. Poured from the 750mL bottle into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass.

A: Hazy very dark gold bordering on bronze. Lots of visible carbonation but only a short-lived thin off-white head before it fades to a ring of foam.

S: Fruity – Belgian yeast esters, and I’ll buy into the pineapple. Biscuit malts with mild caramel sweetness. Some Christmas type spices – I’m thinking nutmeg, ginger, allspice. But they’re not completely dominant here on the nose, for which I'm thankful.

T: Fruity Belgian yeast – apple, clove, banana. Pineapple and a milder lemon citric acid adds just a hint of a tart note, but the sweet biscuity malts with moderate caramel is more dominant. Some Christmas type spices again near the swallow, with more ginger than I got on the nose. Sweet pineapple with the caramelly malts in the hang.

M: Medium heft to the body for style. Low carbonation sensation. The alcohol seems pretty obvious – maybe a little hotter than this should be.

O: Really not my favorite. I can’t remember if I have another of these – I’m gonna hope not. The spices just don't do it for me here, and this is not a beer that I enjoyed on a personal level. In fairness, I suppose it’s pretty close to what was on the label. But not for me.
Mar 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Feb 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by heysuz from Indiana

Feb 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.89 by CharlesK from Pennsylvania

Dec 11, 2018
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

3.64/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Had years ago but forgot to upload notes and rating to site. Has a fruity tang, especially pineapple, upfront, with belgian yeast, christmas spices and malty and peppery base. Very odd. Guess it could age into something good? For now pretty discombobulated and boozy, but does something meld together at end of sips with herbal background.
Nov 12, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by heddar33 from Pennsylvania

Sep 17, 2018
Photo of BBThunderbolt
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati

3.28/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
750 poured into 12oz tulip. Poured a murky dark brown color with 1/2 inch of off-white head that had low retention and no lacing.

The aroma was dominated by spices, and the pineapple was barely noticeable.

The pineapple had a bit more presence on the tongue, but this beer was still dominated by the spice rack.

The body was on the light side of medium, and had a dry finish.

Drinkability was good, depending on how you like spice. Overall, I suspect my bottle was past prime, and a shell of its former self. If you have, drink it now, more time isn't gonna help.
May 10, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by Hayley_86 from Netherlands

Jan 30, 2018
5 Golden Rings from The Bruery
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 614 ratings