Orenda - Volume 3 (Apple Brandy Barrel Aged)
Pollyanna Brewing Company

16oz can
date stamped 10/19/20 I think it says
L: hazy golden-orange body; creamy ivory head holds good retention
S: sweet aroma: apple juice, stone fruit, wheat, spice,
T: apple, pear, peach, cherry, brandy, oak, floral, spicy yeast, wheat, citrus
F: full body, ample carbonation, alcohol quite prominent - maybe age didn’t do this one well?
O: I didn’t like this as much as others, but it was still a fun one to try

 

 

Another one from from @FBarber during NBS BIF #13.

Pours a beautiful pale gold with a pile of soft white foam. Beautiful lacing as it eventually settles in on itself into a lazy snowdrift.

Nose was initially a little dull to my expectations, but it opens up a little on further examination, with sweet notes from the apply brandy, that plays with the yeasts of the tripel to also give some green apple character. Rich golden ribbon that again feels like the brandy giving it some richness and depth.

Flavour again leans away from the traditional sweet yeasty tripel notes and more into the richness of the brandy. The brandy meets a little bit of dry funk from the yeast, but again, it's less of a tripel impression and almost more like a blunt mild barnyard, with bits of green apple and lemonhead. I'm into it but I don't think I'd guess tripel if I was tasting this blind. Finish is dry with a bitter/tart tail that explores those same notes above.

Body is smoothe and very drinkable. The brandy barrels impart a decent little alcohol sting, but it still somehow kind of lulls you into a false sense of security, despite that.
This is an interesting one. It's a little bit different, but really tasty ultimately. Thanks for sending it my direction, Frank!

 

This rendition of Orenda is in the Top 10 Well-Concealed Alcoholic Ales for this year.... and if I can actually finish this can, maybe it is in the Top 10 Of All Time.

While this Orenda Looks clearly above the average of its style, it is fundamentally above the average for the other 4 ratings.
Looks have decent foam. Smells are a wondrous hard fruit medley. Tastes are balanced between sweet and tart apples. Pollyanna has a pretty good Belgian yeast at work here; produces mostly fruit. In my mouth, the equally balanced sweet-sour is helped by enough bubbles to cleanse the palate and enjoy a modest soup dinner. But for subtle foods, this rendition of Orenda may be a bit too strong... about double for a table ale. But I will give my 2nd can of Orenda a table try.

It may be that brandy BA is the easy way to make a smooth, enticing, sweet high-alcohol beer. After-all, bourbon is grainy and not too subtle and, somehow, its barrels reflect that. But this brandy comes from the beguiling semi-sweet apple ... and then it bonks you on the head.

While this is my 4th from Pollyanna, Orenda is the first since I started doing quickie brewer reviews. But in reading through Pollyanna's website, I think I have not given them the attention they deserve. So, I will look for more of their Belgian-inspired stuff.

750 ml bottle into a tulip snifter. Had 5/24/19.

Pours a lightly cloudy apricot color, with a half inch head and a little foamy lacing. Aromas of apple brandy, Belgian yeast, light malt, apples, white grapes, spices, dates, toffee. The flavor starts with a much bigger apple brandy presence, then malt, white grapes, spices- cardamom for one, some toffee. Some alcohol warming. Smooth, a good medium body, well carbonated.

This is certainly barrel- forward, but it’s put together well, and it stays true to the style. Great flavor. Well worth a purchase.

Now available in cans. 16oz can dated 11/01/19.
Back to back FOBAB winner.
Poured into a tulip glass, the apple brandy barrel aromas jump out. Very inviting. A cloudy orange tinged gold body briefly floats a 1/4in cap of tight bubbles and leaves a clean glass behind.

Apple aroma is prominent with a mix of barrel, earth, vinegar, and Belgian yeast esters.

The only additional note in the flavor is booze, a brandy/woody note, not astringent. And in that vein, the 11% abv is well integrated with the barrel, barely noticable other than slight warmth.

Mouthfeel is soft, light and bubbly, while simultaneously syrupy, with a dry and warming finish.

Overall, a pleasure to "explore the oddities of brewing".

 

Had on tap. This one is so dangerous because the 11% abv is no where to be found. Very sweet apple, with belgian yeast, lacto, dried cherry, vinegar, pear, oak, flower, and honey make up the taste, with booze on the finish to balance sweetness a bit. Body is light and bright, but sweetness does not cloy, though a touch vinegary. Smells amazing, with big apple brandy, flowers, belgian yeast and honey leading. A dessert tripel for the fall. The wife loved this one, even more than me