Bruja
Excel Brewing Company

 

 

this is a gem, one of the undiscovered fall treats of the midwest, and a heck of an introduction to a brewery i had never heard of before. what a cool beer, imperial pumpkin ale, almost like a barleywine, aged in woody tequila barrels. the result is incredible, a deep copper almost brownish beer, viscous with long legs on it and immaculate clarity. airy light head on it, amazing luster, sparkles even in dim light. the aroma here is insane, tons of tequila, not overly spiced but very autumnal with the squash in here, a little brown sugar, vanilla and oak, spice from the tequila, but also a freshness and lightness needed in a sweet and strong beer like this. cool malt base, the base beer alone would be pretty impressive i think, it has lots of grain layers, nothing too dark just toasty and warming, with hints of bran muffin and pie crust to it, a perfect base for the pumpkin, which is fresh and starchy and vegetal, sweetened only a bit, and although this tastes spiced, its not one of those over the top pumpkin beers. the tequila makes it super interesting, although there is as much of the wood as there is of the spirit here. i could also see this working brilliantly in spiced rum barrels. smooth and clean for what it is, not much carbonation and not an offensive amount of noticeable alcohol. dramatic and different, this will likely end up being one of my favorite pumpkin beers of the season. nothing quite like it, brilliantly executed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22oz bottle. Poured out a clear bronze color with golden highlights and a khaki-colored head of foam. It smelled of pumpkin, tequila and oak. Sweet pumpkin, boozy notes and subtle fall spices.

 

 

Dark copper to brown in color with vibrant carbonation bubbles breaching the surface from within. A fingernail of beige covers half of the top. The nose brings the scents of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg. I taste tequila, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg. The body is a bit thick and lightly chewy. The alcohol is sneakily buried within all of that complex flavor.