Plums Up
Rusty Rail Brewing Company

Bottled on 11/28/18. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a murky glowing copper; fluffy light khaki head that fades leaving nice retention and sticky lacing. The aromas have a nice amount of dark fruits. There's also a nice amount of grapes. The plums come through. Hints of banana. Yeasts and malts do their thing. The flavors basically follow the nose. More dark fruit leading the way. More plums and grapes. Some raisins. Moderate to low bitterness. It's really not sweet at all. Yeasts do their thing without dominating. Solid malt backbone. Finishes dry and clean. Alcohol is well hidden although there's a mild and subtle warmth. Mouthfeel is nice. It's on the lighter side of full-bodied with active carbonation. It's sharp, crisp, slightly spritzy, fluffy, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is a solid "Belgian Strong Ale". This one has almost a year and a half on it, but it's still drinking fine. It's very clean and smooth. The plums do their thing without dominating. Not bad at all.

 

 

 

I have been a fan of Rusty Rail B.C. for a while & I even got to visit as part of a press junket on the inaugural weekend of the River Rat Ale Trail in early 2016. Their beers are usually worthwhile enough that I will buy them even though they only come in bottles.

From the Bottle: "Is there a better way to complement the fruity and spicy created by our Belgian strong ale than perfectly tart plum and the bold but subtle bitter-sweetness of cocoa? Our brew team did not think so. That is why this beer instantly got the thumbs up from the whole team."; "Belgian Strong Ale with Plum and Cacao Nibs".

Plums always put me in mind of the William Carlos Williams poem, "This Is Just to Say" & so I Pop!ped the cap and performed a gentle pour. contemplating my apology as I did so. An in-glass swirl raised two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, fizzy, light-tan head with moderate retention but great lacing. Color was Amber to Deep Amber/Light Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had an interesting chocolaty vinous cast & while they gave away that it was plums, I knew that it was not exactly grapes, either. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was dried dark fruits and milk (sweet) chocolate & I was reminded of a Cadbury Fruit & Nut Bar, sans the nuts. Hell, I'm the nut! This was a tasty little drink & its alcohol was well hidden, making it kind of dangerous, to boot. I got caught up in a reverie of poetry, plums & chocolate & when I glanced over, my glass was already half-empty! Eek. Finish was semi-sweet, very much a product of its fruit & chocolate adjuncts. Oh my! This would seem more appropriate on Valentine's Day (or any occasion on which a panty peeler is called for).

"Bro. Woody Says"

I have drank
the bottle of Plums Up
that was in
the reefer

and which
I was glad to get
rid of as part of
The Bottle Backlog Eradication

There is nothing and no one
to forgive since I live alone
Delicious semi-sweet
and so cold

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 12/21/2017. Pours fairly hazy deep orange/copper/amber color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense creamy colored head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big plum, peach, pear, golden raisin, apricot, orange, cherry, red apple, fruit skin/pits, honey, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of nuttiness, cocoa, banana, pepper, clove, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/light spicy yeast, plums, dark/bready malts, and light earthy hop/cocoa nib notes; with great strength. Taste of big plum, peach, pear, golden raisin, apricot, orange, cherry, red apple, fruit skin/pits, honey, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of nuttiness, cocoa, banana, pepper, clove, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal/grassy bitterness, yeast spiciness; and slight fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of plum, peach, pear, golden raisin, apricot, orange, cherry, red apple, fruit skin/pits, honey, caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, light banana/pepper/clove, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/light spicy yeast, plums, dark/bready malts, and light earthy hop/cocoa nib flavors; with a nice malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and lightly sticky/tangy mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 9.2%. Overall this is an excellent Belgian strong dark ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/light spicy yeast, plums, dark/bready malts, and light earthy hop/cocoa nib flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the ABV, with the mildly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Perfectly balanced yeast, plums, and malts; with mild earthy hop balanced against sweetness. Not overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. Cocoa nibs are hardly there at all, but it really didn't matter. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

Sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into a snifter. The beer pours a fairly cloudy chestnut color with some chunks of white sediment. Many very active streams of carbonation rise to the surface forming a soft fluffy light khaki colored head of 3 cm. The foam fades slowly leaving a pretty creamy head of surface foam that remains throughout the sampling.
The aroma is some sweet spicy yeast and a bit of fruity plum. I also get a little bakers chocolate in the background, but this is a fruity and spicy dominant nose.
First sip reveals a soft smooth textured body with gentle rolling carbonation. Pleasing physical traits on this beer. The flavor is a bit of toffee and then some black pepper and maybe anise with a good hit of plum fruitiness. I dont find any hop character here and the 9.2% is very well hidden. this is a nice beer and a good mix, I dont get any chocolate on the flavor, but otherwise this is an enjoyable experience. Worth trying if you like bigger beers with some complexity.

Picked up a bottler for 3 bucks into a pint glass.
A - Somewhat dirty brown color with a 1/4 inch of opaue colored head.
S - Smells of slight ethanol meets some candied Belgium notes and sugars. Maybe plums not sure
T - Better in the taste the plums do offer a slight acidic flavor mixing with the sweet body of the beer. Candied sugars and yeasty esters are smooth.
M - Medium bodied somewhat heavy overall easy to crush.

Overall a great Belgium Dark ale with some good plum notes. Worth trying!

On tap.

A - Hazy opaque raisin colored pour with very thick and creamy dark cream colored head (with a slight green tinge).

S - Plums, some earthiness, some juicy plum acidity, dark Belgian candy sugar, and some prunes.

T - Sweet Belgian caramel malt base with plum, clove, some spicy plum acidity, and some yeastiness. The alcohol is nicely hidden.

M - Doughy, chewy texture with initial prickly bubbles on the tongue that settle down for a creamy finish.

O - Not getting any cocoa nib that others have mentioned. However, 'really enjoying this locally brewed beer.

Poured into a small chalice - color is hazy amber, head is light tan with fine bubbles and presents about 1 inch thick then dissipates to a thin top and some lacing.

Smell slow to come on but as it warms there are some light belgian yeast phenols, hint of clove, light fruitiness, subtle caramel.

Taste is very good with the plum and cacao adding light depth and even some softness to an otherwise strong beer. ABV is hidden very well. Flavor is belgian yeast light phenol and spice, light fruitiness, plums do not come through distinctly to me but there is a subtle grape like note, cacao is subtle but present.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, light spice and bitterness, lingering dryness.

Overall this is good beer with great flavor and subtle qualities.

 

 

 

I had this copper colored Belgian strong ale on draft. The appearance was unfiltered, which doesn't bother me because the flavor more than made up for it. This is brewed with cocoa nibs and plum puree based on the description found on their website. Carbonation level and head retention right on. Slight plum in the aroma. The flavor is well-balanced between the cocoa nibs and plum, making a very drinkable beer for the level of alcohol. Maybe a little young, a little sweet for some tastes. Not your standard old ale style, but hey, I'm gonna want to get back soon for more of this one! I'd give this Plums Up a Thumbs UP!