Rue Sans
The Bruery Terreux
- From:
- The Bruery Terreux
- California, United States
- Style:
- Wild Ale
- ABV:
- 12.5%
- Score:
- 89
- Avg:
- 4.02 | pDev: 6.97%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 11
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- May 28, 2025
- Added:
- Sep 13, 2016
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 3
SCORE
89
Very Good
89
Very Good
The exploration of wine and beer is one of our favorite frontiers. And with this release, we don’t just blur the lines between the two. We break the boundaries. Rue Sans is a rustic, woody fusion of our sour rye ale with Roussanne grapes. Known for rich, complex notes of apricot and honeysuckle, our friends and collaborators at Sans Liege Wines destemmed Roussanne grapes from Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard for this rare release. Over the course of four days, the grapes soaked on skins, with ongoing pump overs to submerge them. We then transported the juice to Bruery Terreux and blended it with select barrels of Sour in the Rye, tucking the creation into American Oak barrels to let nature take its course. After nearly a year, the beer emerged with characteristics of both Roussanne wine and something new entirely to the world of sour beer. Like the wine, it shares a commanding palate presence, bold orange color, spice notes and dynamic, robust flavors at every turn. Unlike the wine, it’s a beer.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Orca from Washington
4.05/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.05/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750mL bottle (no dates or codes evident) into a tulip. Pours a slightly hazy copper color with minimal head, no lace.
Aroma is bright tart funk, detectable from a couple feet away. Sweet, spicy rye malt, dry oak, sour cherries.
Taste is puckeringly sour—apple cider vinegar. More oak. Nice balance between sweet and tart but leaning more toward the tart.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a bone-dry finish. Lingering sour aftertaste.
Overall, if you like face-punching sour ales (and I do if I’m in the mood), this one might be right up your alley.
May 28, 2025Aroma is bright tart funk, detectable from a couple feet away. Sweet, spicy rye malt, dry oak, sour cherries.
Taste is puckeringly sour—apple cider vinegar. More oak. Nice balance between sweet and tart but leaning more toward the tart.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a bone-dry finish. Lingering sour aftertaste.
Overall, if you like face-punching sour ales (and I do if I’m in the mood), this one might be right up your alley.
Reviewed by BalancingBrooms from California
4.3/5 rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
750-2020, drank 2023
Burnt orange with essentially no head. Nose is musky funk with grapes, pineapple, Vanilla, and oak. Taste follows with nose with an opening hit of white wine, pineapple, oranges, and pear that folds into a smooth vanilla oak and ends with a puckering funk. Body is light to medium with similar carbonation. Ends dry and long with sour hit in the back of your cheeks. Overall another very nice beer from the Bruery, worth the price tag but not something I’d buy all the time
Apr 18, 2023Burnt orange with essentially no head. Nose is musky funk with grapes, pineapple, Vanilla, and oak. Taste follows with nose with an opening hit of white wine, pineapple, oranges, and pear that folds into a smooth vanilla oak and ends with a puckering funk. Body is light to medium with similar carbonation. Ends dry and long with sour hit in the back of your cheeks. Overall another very nice beer from the Bruery, worth the price tag but not something I’d buy all the time
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina
4.25/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: Poured into a Duvel tulip to a deep golden orange beer which is topped by a minuscule white head which fades quickly nearly without a trace
S: Smells of a lot of white wine aroma along with some buttery oak and sourness. Hints of melons and pears as well.
T: Taste is sour up front before the white wine comes in with the melons and orchard fruits, nice strong oak presence with some hints of funk as well to keep things interesting. Good sweetness to balance things out almost like a shock tart. On the swallow there's some buttery oak, white grapes, lingering sourness, and a hint of funk.
M: This beer has a body which is on the heavier side of medium with a slightly syrupy feel. Carbonation is lower than expected but it is present while the acidity ensures that this beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer. It has good flavors and a nice amount of complexity which helps to make it interesting to drink. The flavors are also well balanced and incorporated which adds to the pleasantness. Well worth a try and I hope it comes back.
Jun 03, 2020S: Smells of a lot of white wine aroma along with some buttery oak and sourness. Hints of melons and pears as well.
T: Taste is sour up front before the white wine comes in with the melons and orchard fruits, nice strong oak presence with some hints of funk as well to keep things interesting. Good sweetness to balance things out almost like a shock tart. On the swallow there's some buttery oak, white grapes, lingering sourness, and a hint of funk.
M: This beer has a body which is on the heavier side of medium with a slightly syrupy feel. Carbonation is lower than expected but it is present while the acidity ensures that this beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer. It has good flavors and a nice amount of complexity which helps to make it interesting to drink. The flavors are also well balanced and incorporated which adds to the pleasantness. Well worth a try and I hope it comes back.
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.9/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.9/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Another review of a Bruery beer, this is yet another beer/wine hybrid. They're at the top of the pack as far as I'm concerned in that area.
Pours dark yellow, head is white and goes up to 1/4" and goes away. Aroma was lots of oak and grapes, smells a lot like a white wine. Is this french oak? Doesn't have that pop, but sometimes the use of grape will make the ol mind play some tricks. Comes off as a hybrid oak.
Taste is pretty impressive, good farm like notes, nice fusion of grape and barley. Wood keeps things dry, hides alcohol immensely well. Actually seems light bodied. Very acidic and sour. Like approaching 9s on a 10pt scale in each department. I don't know about drinking 25 oz of this, but I think if you have 8oz or less you should be fine without getting a Tums implant. Lots of flavor, does everything good except it would have been better if it dialed down the sourness and acidity. Impressive that it doesn't have a more pronounced alcohol burn though with those other downsides being what they are.
Nov 15, 2019Pours dark yellow, head is white and goes up to 1/4" and goes away. Aroma was lots of oak and grapes, smells a lot like a white wine. Is this french oak? Doesn't have that pop, but sometimes the use of grape will make the ol mind play some tricks. Comes off as a hybrid oak.
Taste is pretty impressive, good farm like notes, nice fusion of grape and barley. Wood keeps things dry, hides alcohol immensely well. Actually seems light bodied. Very acidic and sour. Like approaching 9s on a 10pt scale in each department. I don't know about drinking 25 oz of this, but I think if you have 8oz or less you should be fine without getting a Tums implant. Lots of flavor, does everything good except it would have been better if it dialed down the sourness and acidity. Impressive that it doesn't have a more pronounced alcohol burn though with those other downsides being what they are.
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina
4/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 8/16/2016. Pours slightly hazy deep golden amber color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with poor retention, that reduces to nothing pretty quickly. No glass lacing, some clings bubbles and streaming carbonation. Aromas of big juicy/sour/tart/tangy white grapes, fruit skin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, mango, melon, lemon, lime, pineapple, red/green apple, white wine, oak, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, honey, wheat, cracker, spicy rye, white bread dough, and lightly toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of grapes, fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, wine barrels, and rye/bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big juicy/sour/tart/tangy white grapes, fruit skin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, mango, melon, lemon, lime, pineapple, red/green apple, white wine, oak, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, honey, wheat, cracker, spicy rye, white bread dough, and lightly toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, grape/wine tang; and yeast/oak/rye spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour/tart/tangy white grapes, fruit skin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, mango, melon, lemon, lime, pineapple, red/green apple, white wine, oak, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, honey, wheat, cracker, spicy rye, white bread dough, biscuit, light leather/funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of grapes, fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, wine barrels, and rye/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/tart/sourness, tangy fruit, and yeast/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/puckering flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tart/sourness and tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/grainy, acidic/tangy/tannic, and lightly slick/syrupy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 12.5%, with minimal lingering booze after the finish. Overall this is an excellent fruited imperial sour/wind ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of grapes, fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, wine barrels, and rye/bready malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the modestly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish; not overly lactic. Great balance of juicy/jammy grapes, and Brett/Bacteria complexity; with great wine barrel presence and rye/bready malts against acidity. Mildly sweet with lingering acidic/tangy dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and impressive style example for the huge ABV as expected. Not overwhelming on any aspect.
Jun 13, 2019
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts
4.04/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
2016 vintage, split with rudzud
No head but light bubbles, long legs, semi hazy slight copper tan color
Nose sweet and a bit syrupy, honey blond malt and honey cracker, sweet fruity grape wine, hint of citrus, with that is big toasted oak, little buttery and vanilla, candy sweet wine, little tart aroma and bready grainy
Taste big buttery oak out front, toasted oak with a little vanilla, sweet vinous fruit white wine, little chardonnay like, a bit sweet syrupy, then big acidity, sharp acidity that gets overbearing, almost enamel ripping and solventy as well as a bit of bitter tannin, light flemmy finish but not bad, smooth alcohol, lingering hot acidity and some alcohol
Mouth is fuller bod heavy feeling, light tingly alcohol, almost no carbonation, bright acidity that gets harsh
Overall mixed, some great characters but also bad, I think age definitely affected it, and lack of carbonation as well
May 24, 2019No head but light bubbles, long legs, semi hazy slight copper tan color
Nose sweet and a bit syrupy, honey blond malt and honey cracker, sweet fruity grape wine, hint of citrus, with that is big toasted oak, little buttery and vanilla, candy sweet wine, little tart aroma and bready grainy
Taste big buttery oak out front, toasted oak with a little vanilla, sweet vinous fruit white wine, little chardonnay like, a bit sweet syrupy, then big acidity, sharp acidity that gets overbearing, almost enamel ripping and solventy as well as a bit of bitter tannin, light flemmy finish but not bad, smooth alcohol, lingering hot acidity and some alcohol
Mouth is fuller bod heavy feeling, light tingly alcohol, almost no carbonation, bright acidity that gets harsh
Overall mixed, some great characters but also bad, I think age definitely affected it, and lack of carbonation as well
Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts
4.08/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Split with JLindros. 2016 vintage.
A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice chill haze amber with a thin wispy head that fades to leave nothing. Incredible legs on this.
S - Big aromas of acidic Sour in the Rye base with tons of juicy grapes. Very vinous, sweet and bright. Little bit of creamy vanilla oak.
T - Taste is similar to the nose with loads of oaky vanilla barrel. Sweet fruity vinous notes and then WHAM super sharp acidity. Loads of tannins too. Some good lingering grape but it's really sharp acidity.
M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, body is heavy, alcohol is hidden well.
O - Overall this was a solid enough wild ale. Great vinous notes but I fear the age made this incredibly sharp.
Serving Type: bottle
May 24, 2019A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice chill haze amber with a thin wispy head that fades to leave nothing. Incredible legs on this.
S - Big aromas of acidic Sour in the Rye base with tons of juicy grapes. Very vinous, sweet and bright. Little bit of creamy vanilla oak.
T - Taste is similar to the nose with loads of oaky vanilla barrel. Sweet fruity vinous notes and then WHAM super sharp acidity. Loads of tannins too. Some good lingering grape but it's really sharp acidity.
M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, body is heavy, alcohol is hidden well.
O - Overall this was a solid enough wild ale. Great vinous notes but I fear the age made this incredibly sharp.
Serving Type: bottle
Reviewed by ThickNStout from Georgia
4.06/5 rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
750mL bottle acquired through The Bruery's Society. Bottled 8/16/16. Served in a Bruery snifter.
Pours a fully opaque peach orange with a finger and a half of white head. The bubbles quickly fizz away, leaving only a few sparce dots around the edges of the glass.
Smells of sour grapes, old wet wheat and some earthy oak.
Taste follows the nose. Strongly tart grapes, oak, soured wheat, earthen funk, limeade, composted fruit skins (more pleasant than that description may seem) and a distant low, slow alcohol heat.
Full, chalky but smooth body with mellow carbonation. The lingering, acidicly sour finish combines tart, overripe stone fruit and soured malt.
Rue Sans is some damned sour stuff from The Bruery Terreux. It's almost too much at first but I like it more with each sip as it beats my palate into puckering submission.
Apr 21, 2017Pours a fully opaque peach orange with a finger and a half of white head. The bubbles quickly fizz away, leaving only a few sparce dots around the edges of the glass.
Smells of sour grapes, old wet wheat and some earthy oak.
Taste follows the nose. Strongly tart grapes, oak, soured wheat, earthen funk, limeade, composted fruit skins (more pleasant than that description may seem) and a distant low, slow alcohol heat.
Full, chalky but smooth body with mellow carbonation. The lingering, acidicly sour finish combines tart, overripe stone fruit and soured malt.
Rue Sans is some damned sour stuff from The Bruery Terreux. It's almost too much at first but I like it more with each sip as it beats my palate into puckering submission.
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania
3.31/5 rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.31/5 rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
750ml bottle into a teku appears clear copper in color with a quick dissolving head.
This smells of white grape juice and raw oak thats spicy and almost cedar-like.
The taste is sour to the point of being painful, mildly vinous and earthy with a dry cedar-like oak inclusion just like the nose led on.
This is medium in body with modest carb. A mild boozy touch but so sour this was physically painful to try and drink more than 5oz of.
Jan 23, 2017This smells of white grape juice and raw oak thats spicy and almost cedar-like.
The taste is sour to the point of being painful, mildly vinous and earthy with a dry cedar-like oak inclusion just like the nose led on.
This is medium in body with modest carb. A mild boozy touch but so sour this was physically painful to try and drink more than 5oz of.
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