Mélange No. 8
The Bruery

Mélange No. 8Mélange No. 8
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
14.5%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.11 | pDev: 9.98%
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
190
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 27, 2018
Added:
Feb 24, 2013
Wants:
  88
Gots:
  33
The eighth in our Mélange series of blended beers - this robust ale is a marriage of our bourbon barrel aged anniversary ale along with White Oak Sap (our bourbon barrel aged wheat wine), along with locally roasted Geisha coffee from our friends at Portola Coffee Lab.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by enelson:
Photo of enelson
Rated by enelson from Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -8.8%

Jun 27, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.27/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Here's a crazy one I could have sworn I reviewed. Pours a dark brown color with a thin, lighter brown head 1/4". Man coffee bursts through in the aroma. Mega load of coffee, and its a nice pairing with the anniversary like boozy cracker jack toffee and bourbon feels. Buckle up.

Taste drops further amounts of coffee, bourbon and powerful toffee with a drizzle of sugar along with it. The wheatwine aspect must be why it seems lighter than all these powerful components that don't overwhelm each other or your senses. Scary drinkable. As the beer got older, the coffee faded and the bitterness grew, but the beer was still a winner. Even without the coffee, you still got that neat view of the anniversary series meets wheatwine, and it totally works. This is basically Melange 3 with coffee and wheatwine instead of Black Tuesday. I still think Melange 1 is my favorite, but this is close, really close. Still have one bottle of it to crack someday. Look forward to it, and would definitely buy fresh if they drop it again in the future. Best of both worlds.
Dec 27, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by redfox405 from Virginia

Jan 07, 2017
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4.17/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle thanks to Darrel. Nice rich amber body with a small head that rings the glass. Boozy bourbon barrel notes on the aroma, some sweetness, vanilla. Taste comes in with big malts, sweet and mildly tart, alcohol warmth. A warmer for sure. Excellent use of the bourbon barrels here.
Nov 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by PA-Michigander from Pennsylvania

Jul 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.4 by JoshBrews from Missouri

Jun 03, 2016
Photo of cvm4
Reviewed by cvm4 from Mississippi

4.15/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L - Pours a murky muddy brown body with a one finger tan head. Not much lacing or retention to the head.

S - Dominant smells of coffee and alcohol heat. Working my way through some oak, bourbon, caramel and dark fruits. Very nice.

T - Caramel and dark fruits start off. Moving to vanilla, bourbon and oak. Before the finish, the coffee shows up. It has a sweet and mildly tart finish (guessing from the white oak sap).

F - Medium bodied and medium to low carbonation. Some definite alcohol heat, but it's not too bad. There is a sweetness, but it's not cloying to me. It has a dryer than wet finish.

O - The coffee has faded on the taste. But man, this is such a decadently sweet treat!
Apr 28, 2016
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured into a tulip to a muddy brown with a finger of light tan head that fades quickly and leaves minimal lacing
S: Smells of dark fruits, caramel, toffee, and vanilla with some oak
T: Taste is caramel and toffee with some dark fruits. Nice vanilla notes with just the faintest hint of coffee. Oak comes in as well to provide support. Slight tartness from the white oak sap as well. Swallow is dark fruits with notes of plums, slight coffee a little tartness and some lingering vanilla, caramel and oak. It's a little boozy but still pretty mellow.
M: Medium in the mouth with soft carbonation and a drying finish
O: A sweet and boozy decadent treat from The Bruery. Picked this up in a cellar sale and while the coffee has faded this one is still a very nice beer with some great complexity that may be better than the sum of its parts. I'm sure with some fresher coffee notes this was exceptional.
Jan 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.13 by IpeeA from Missouri

Jan 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.81 by Honeybourne from Scotland

Oct 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by jeff1973 from California

Oct 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by XmnwildX12 from Minnesota

Sep 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.57 by EyePeeAyBryan from Arizona

Aug 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.35 by Lucnifter from California

Jul 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.93 by jmdellafave from New Jersey

Jul 13, 2015
Photo of ThickNStout
Reviewed by ThickNStout from Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Brown (with black flecks) wax capped 750mL bottle acquired through The Bruery's society. Bottled 1/16/13. Served in a Bruery snifter.

Pours a muddy orange hued brown with about two fingers of ecrue froth. The head dissipates quickly, leaving a thin surface haze and a healthy collar around the edge. A couple pin points is as close as this comes to lacing.

Huge coffee aromas are immediately apparent. Sweet bourbon is not far behind, followed by toffee, caramel, that dark-fruity and semi funky Bruery house yeast and some cereal grains. A fairly strong boozey character lingers in the background but this smells great.

The bourbon comes out first in the flavor with rich, bittersweet coffee not far behind. Oak, caramel, toffee, faint vanilla, dark fruit, Bruery yeast, wheat bread, a mild char and a firm kick of alcohol. Bold and rich with layers of flavor. The alcohol warmth keeps this a sipper but this is far from too hot to thoroughly enjoy.

Fairly heavy, semi syrupy feel with moderate carbonation. Coffee, bourbon, toffeeand caramel coat the tongue for a rich, lingering finish.

Melange 8 drinks similar to Melange 3 with the booze toned down and coffee replacing Black Tuesday's roasty presence. This bottle has handled the 2 1/3 years gracefully with no worries of the coffee having faded too much. An excellent and original take on coffee beer that I'm happy to have tried.
Jun 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.24 by Rubenjr from California

May 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.05 by EB1 from California

May 11, 2015
 
Rated: 3.84 by acurtis from New Jersey

May 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.11 by jeezie from California

May 07, 2015
Mélange No. 8 from The Bruery
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 190 ratings