Bruery Allocations

Agreed, I make almost every trip for lunch on Saturdays because it isn't such a pain to get around. I don't have to commute for work though so I guess if I really wanted something I would tough it out and deal with a little traffic. None the less, some Sat early taps would be fine by me.

 

I had it as the first beer at the BT party. On purpose. ; )
It's pretty awesome. But i thought last year's was a little less sweet. maybe im crazy.

 

No, I agree. I think last year's GM is slightly better than this year. Maybe because of the smaller batch? Regardless, I'd say Batch 1 beats out Batch 2.

 

IMO it seems like most the Bruery big beers are even sweeter this year, not to my liking unfortunately. Chocate Rain, Bois, etc. I am worried Grey Monday would be following that pattern, and I don't expect they can dry out a bit in the bottle because they aren't bottle conditioned.

 

They had this year's blend at Woodshop and it were delicious. Sweet, yes, but also more hazelnut flavor. Heartily recommended.

 

They aren't bottle conditioned?

 

Nope forced carbonated. Their ultra high abv beers do not carb well at all under bottle conditioning. You can tell which beers of theirs are bottle conditioned on the label. They label unfiltered and bottle conditioning above their name. If its not there then they didnt do it.

 

Please report back. This is one I stock up on.

 

I've been sipping a glass for about 45 minutes thus far and I'm not picking up any off flavors, nor anything that would make me suspect there's an issue. There's perhaps a touch more acidity, but 1) I wouldn't swear by a perfect memory of how past batches were fresh and 2) it works well in the blend to prevent it from becoming cloying. There's certainly none of the rotting green apple that was evident in White Chocolate - lots of dark fruits, chocolate (perhaps a bit more than usual), barrel notes, etc...precisely what I would expect.

Based on this bottle, I'll be stocking up as I usually do with Melange #3 once the initial allocation period is over.

Interesting side note: ABV this year is 16.8%, a noticeable increase from the 15.5% of past years (noticeable as a percentage on paper, not noticeably hotter compared to past years). I'd be curious to know whether it's due to the increased ABV of White Oak Sap, an adjustment to the ratios in the blend (presumably an increase in BT since White Oak Sap and Bois both have ABVs below 15.5%), or perhaps just more accurate ABV testing. As I noted, the chocolate and stout notes seem a bit more pronounced so I wouldn't be surprised if there's more BT, but if there is more BT, it isn't to the detriment of the blend.

 

Was there ever any news or recall or $ back on 2013 White Chocolate?

 

Nope - it's still for sale on their site.

 

They're not doing refunds, but they are giving coupons of equivalent value to purchase future beer. Details here.

 

Has anyone heard back who emailed them. Jut curious because I did a while back and nothing.

 

No sign of the coupons yet. I sent my bottle codes in on October 21st and they said to allow up to five weeks for processing, so I'd expect to see something in the next couple weeks.

Edit: Just to clarify, were you asking about getting the coupons? Or did you not get any response at all? They did respond promptly when I contacted them about it, asked me to send in the bottle codes, then told me they'd send me coupons within five weeks. If you didn't get any response at all, shoot Matt an email and he should be able to get someone on it.

 

I definitely never received any contact. Could you private message me that email contact?

 

Got an email a few weeks back with the code for a coupon. Think it was right around 5 weeks after my initial email to them.

 

After having another taste of WC 2013 today at the bottle share at Beer Belly today I might email about my last bottle. Today I thought it was pretty bad and I'm not sure I'll drink my last one.

 

Yes, I got a very fast response and the coupon code about a month later. I would email them again if I were you

 

To provide a generally resenting opinion here: Drinking my first 2013 white chocolate now. Yes, it's more tart than last year (which has a bit of tart), but I still find this year's quite tasty. I would put the tart more in line with a Chardonnay, which can have green apple flavors, than anything I have read on BA. Further, it's quite possibly the lightest 15% beer I have ever had.

 

Dissenting, not resenting. Damn phone.