Brunneis Grand Cru
OEC Brewing (Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores)

B1 10/20/20

Drank 11/24/25 - took me 5 years to get up urge courage to take these little mini cans on - but well worth it. Just a tiny bit of tang splurged into a quad and it really worked. Kinda reminded me of a mild dark fruit Jolly Rancher. Nothing harsh or acidic about it, more on the sweeter side. Really nice, glad I still have one more.

 

Blend #1, 10/20/20

Here we are with another strange brew from OEC, as if they even make normal beers. All jokes aside, this is a Oud Bruin aged in an interesting selection of whiskey, syrah, and sherry barrels. I’m wondering just how much of a barrel and spirit presence it will have. Let’s crack it open and find out

Pours a turbid light brown with a finger of tan head that quickly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

There's a definite depth to the nose on this one, and the barrel profiles really make themselves known. I'm picking up on aromas of tart cherry, cocoa powder, smoky whiskey, chewy grape, toffee, brown bread, and a touch of earthy oak

This is sweeter than I typically prefer for the style, but it's still quite good for what it is. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting black cherry, raisin, sweet toffee, sherry, brown bread, oak, amd red grape. The swallow brings notes of tart cherry, spicy whiskey, red grape, vinegar, toasted oak, caramel malt, molasses, and light smoke

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a velvety beer. Finishes mostly dry thanks to the tartness but leaves a bit of sweetness behind

Is this as good as the Balaton I had last night? No, definitely not, but it is still an awesome beer. Complex and drinks well under its abv

This one pours a darkish brown color, with a small head, and a bit of lacing.

This smells like black cherry, smoke, caramel, breadiness, chocolate dust, oak, red wine, slight vinegar, and port.

This is honestly super wonderful. The ABV is nowhere to be found here. There's such a wonderful rich malt character, almost barleywine-esque, honestly. There's some red wine and vinous character, but not too much vinegary/acetic character - just a hair. There's some smoke, bourbom, and dark fruit, too.

This is medium bodied, kind of creamy, with no real booziness at all - you would have no idea it was 12%.

This is absolutely terrific and one of the best OEC beers that I've ever had.

 

From an 8.4 fl.oz. can with a blend date of 10/20/2020.

L: Pours a fully opaque brown to ruby brown color. A fairly vigorous pout yields a half finger of khaki head that quickly recedes to a 2 mm ring round the perimeter of the glass with an insubstantial film of head in the interior that is retained. The head leaves a minimal spotty lacing as the beer recedes in the glass.

S: On the nose I get peat, oak, a touch of woody and earthy funk, plums, raisins, and a light note of cherry. The barrel aging process has also imparted light notes of whiskey and a delicate wine character.

T: The palate follows the nose pretty closely. I am getting dark fruits upfront in the form of raisins and plums. Mid palate I get a hint of black cherry, a good bit of funky oak and just a slight hint of the whiskey character. On the back end I get vinous red grape notes notes mixing with molasses, dark earth, and a touch of smokey peat on the finish.

F: This is medium bodied with a low carbonation. The mouthfeel is smooth and almost creamy if not a bit insubstantial for the style. The finish has a nice assertive dryness.

O: A pretty aggressive Flanders Oud Bruin on both the nose and the palate, but it is also very balanced between all the elements. I would definitely buy more of this if it was ever packaged in bottles again. If you like Flanders Oud Bruins or Flanders Red Ales I can't recommend this highly enough. It's a little unconventional, but very well crafted and tasty with a well hidden alcohol content of 12% ABV.