Rubriq-a-brac
Whiner Beer Company

3/28/26 - (Whiner Beer Taproom) (Chicago, Illinois) Draft Notes: 13 oz $8 7.0% Wild Bier De Garde.

Appearance: 13 oz draft in a tell glass yields a murky bronze rusty base, tan white head leaves ring around the rim and cover over about 5% of top. 3.75

Aroma: Nice funky strawberries, tart lemon. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, nice tart strawberries and lemon, getting melon and oak barrels. All come together well. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Nice sustained light carbonation. Light plus body. Drinks lighter than the ABV, nice tart and funky level. Strawberry fields forever. 4.25

Overall: Overall, solid wild beer, hits the high notes in terms of funk, tartness and flavor. This aged well in the barrels over the 2-3 years. Nice way to close out with this brewery, which stood out with Le Tub and other great beers over the decade. Thank you so much for the beers and memories ! 4.25

 

 

Pours a heavily clouded rusty-orange with a full fist of dense soap bubble straw colored foam that slowly sinks to a thin frothy cap. An enchantingly Belgian aroma of rough but sweet esters, not so much fruity as boozy and funky. This can is over a year old, but the carbonation is still strong, I guess can-conditioned is acceptable? Seems more developed/attenuated than would be expected for the style anyway. Soft floral hop note, clean and indistinct with a solid amber malt backbone. First sip is remarkably smooth given the aforementioned bouquet; creamy smooth caramel malt sweetness and a gentle but cleansing hop bite. Alcohol is present but doesn't tip the scale like a malt liquor or Belgian strong ale. Carbonation is large and airy but lifts the twang and ester easily enough along with the alcohol for a pleasant mouthfeel. The tang and slight alcohol kick seems appropriate for the style and does not impair drinkability. I may have gotten lucky with a nicely aged can, and would be curious to try this fresh from the tap, but it stands as an interesting quaffable summer beer that stands apart without being over the top with yeast character.

 

Canned 6/11/16; drank 6/30/16 @ the Yarchives.

Opaque dull orange rust appearance.

A rough pour yielded a HUGE, noisy eggnog head; frothy lace.

Honeyed grain & mild peach notes in the nose.

Medium thin mouthfeel. Wheat, mild honeyed grain & faint almond flavors.

Mild & not overly pleasant; quaffable but instantly forgettable.

From the 12 oz can in a snifter. This rather nice ale pours a medium brown
tinged amber with a fantastic head of off white foam that settles to a thick ring
and layer with excellent lacing. Nose of apple, yeasty funk, breaded malts,
orange zest, and subtle sweet candy malts. Flavors follow the nose with
doughy malts blending with yeast and apple cider that is dashed with lightly
sweet candy malts and mild Belgian spice and rounded out by zesty hop notes.
Nice mouth feel; medium high carbonation, medium light mouth feel, and a lightly
tart apple tinged finish.

overall, a solid brew from a new to me brewer. Nice.

Cheers

 

12oz can poured into a tulip. Pours copper with a subtle haze and has bubbles racing upwards; big chunky light khaki head that sticks around leaving great thick retention and sticky lacing. The aromas have a nice balance of sweet fruits and malts. Yeasts are there. Floral notes are there. Hints of banana and bubblegum. The flavors follow the nose for the most part. More hints of banana and bubblegum. Nice fruit flavors. Some apple in the mix. Mild and subtle hints of cocoa, caramel and toffee. Moderate sweetness and bitterness. Malts and yeasts do their thing. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is very nice. It's on the fuller side of light-bodied with sharp active carbonation. It's very fluffy and smooth.

This is a nice brew. It's clean, crisp and refreshing. It's fun to drink. Enjoyable stuff.

 

I've had a few brews in this style, but I really don't remember them that well. This one seems at least an equal. It's good! Whiner comes through with another unique can to stare at while you consume the great contents. I look forward to the last of my Whiner taste - a Belgian wheat.

It pours a pretty, cloudy light brown with a smallish head. The aroma is a nifty slightly roasty malty smell. The taste follows suit with a roasty aftertaste. It totally works. I wish someone would Americanize this style with more hops and malts (alcohol).

Recommended as a great change of pace.

 

Pours light cloudy, dark amber. Thick, tall, off white head fades slowly to a rocky head with good lacing.

Smells doughy malt, fruity, yeast Funk, light spice and hint of apple.

Tastes Doughy malt, light fruitiness, touch of apple, light yeast Funk of fruit and light spice. Finish is dry with a malt and light yeast linger. Medium body and soft, fizzy medium carbonation.

 

Cloudy chestnut brown body, beige head. Smell has a satisfying finish of orange zest and grains, but everything before is dulled in comparison: honeydew, caramel malts, flowers, apple esters and yeast with virtually no funk. Taste is more dulled, malting takes over for most of the sip, finish reminds you what style it is but with at best medium crispness. Feel is smooth, malt driven, floral and sneaky languid for style. I want to like this more than I do, sessionable but leans too far into the malt for defining character

 

 

 

I'm impressed.
For starters, I have never heard of Whiner. (I know quite a few whiners, but none of them could keep a brewery open.)
Then in reviewing Whiner's beer list, it seems they, by osmosis, are following my advice: that startups should focus on one tradition and develop their niche there.
And most important, they selected my favorite tradition... and the hardest one to succeed at because the Belgians (who include the northern French for you detail-sticklers) understand their distinctive yeast thing better than anyone else. I'm only aware of less than ten North American crafters who even get close to getting Belgian yeast right.

So about Rubriq-a-brac... I won't give a long review because I dropped this can so hard that its bottom bulged.
Fortunately, it tasted great.
Looks are murkier than typical for a biere de garde, but its Smell is right there: malty, fruity and modest spicing.
Taste is even more balanced and, possibly, more intense. The mouth seems rich and full and flexible: as the style is intended. It went well with three different dishes.

Based on their preliminary webpage, Whiner seems only to be starting their marketing... but I hope to visit their taproom soon. Maybe I even bring home a growler of Rubriq-a-brac. It is a prize.

6/13/17 What is wrong with me? This is one of the best ales for garlicky foods I've tasted from a young brewery. I need to focus, get a sixer and appreciate this more within its proper pairing.

7/10/17 I finally got the sixer and you know what? This is not the same batch. Worse, this batch is inferior. Suddenly this great food-friendly beer is something you'd only drink at the table. Consistency is a big problem for young brewers and I'm wondering if another is suffering from this problem. A .5 decrease in Feel and .25 Overall until this problem is solved.

7/17/17 Had another as table beer to accompany Indian leftovers. Not inappropriate. The carbonation helps clear the palate for the next bite and this low-hop beer lets the Indian spices do their work. But the richness of this Biere gets lost.

10/15/17 Had on tap at the brewery. Better than the worst can I Had, on tap it still was not the best. A good brew. No change in rating. But I am waiting for Whiner's consistency factor to improve with age. Also, maybe consider less dry-hops.

Pours a slightly cloudy, dark copper color with a two-finger off-white head. Aroma is slightly musty, barely funky with some toasted malt notes. Not overly funky in taste and also not very tart (I was a bit afraid after having a Le Tub). Seems like this would be a good introductory beer for someone wanting to explore Belgian styles. It has enough malt in the profile to hint at a little upfront sweetness but the backend asserts enough funk/tart to keep it grounded. I like this beer and it seems very representative of the Biere de Garde style.