Bruery 2018 RS/HS Allocations

Recent-ish bad tasting notes:
- 2018 Bruery Hoarders Cuvee was a highlight for me, maxed the rest of my allocation after trying it, lots of good flavors and it feels like there's the perfect amount of maple on the finish which is rare to get in a beer

- Atta Boysenberry: was not a fan, which really surprised me. There was something really...bitter, maybe, about it? Like it wasn't a typical combination of sweet + fruity, there was something kinda heavy on my tongue about it that I wasn't really feeling.

- Bourgogne Noir/Elizabeth Rutherford: tried these on back to back nights and probably preferred Bourgogne Noir. It has a little bit of a spritzy feel to it (for being packaged still, that is) but it's not all that tart, my sister remarked it tasted like a natural wine. Tastes like a nice Pinot. Rutherford was pretty good but didn't stand out all that much to me considering the price. Looking forward to trying it side by side with Yount though (which I loved) to get a better comparison.

 

Glad to hear, I was concerned with the ingredient list - ginger snap cookies & ginger. Wouldn't want those adjuncts to ruin a beer.

 

Bourgogne Noir might be my favorite beer that the Bruery turned out this year. I maxed out every sale it came up on. Truly tastes and looks like a wine, just dialed back on the tannin. Looking forward to hearing back from a couple of wine drinkers I've gifted bottles to.

 

I would have to say that Atta Boysenberry was really on point. At 13.8%, I expected the heat but this was really smooth and mellow. The boysenberry and vanilla sweetness was present and not overwhelming. All of the flavors held together nicely and if I had to criticize, I wouldn't have minded it a tad more sweeter but overall a solid brew.

 

Protip: get the Vermont Maple and throw a taster of SHIT in there. It's like drinking a super boozy Double Stack clone.

 

Opened the one bottle of 10 Lords that I had a few days ago. I was surprised how much I liked it. I'm not a big fan of the Christmas series. I think the last one that really stood out to me was BA 5 Golden Rings.

But 10 Lords is very good. I'm looking forward to trying the BA version.

 

With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the fact that my first year in RS is over kind of just sprung on me (did renew RS). I spent a lot less than I expected, to be honest.

I was surprised how there was basically no fruited Oude Tart/SitR variants available all year (other than POG). Is that common? I was hoping to get to revisit the classic ones I had traded for in the past SitR peaches/kumquats... OT w Cherries.

 

I thought Vermont Maple on its own was the best thing I had in the tasting room this year. Thanks for the tip.

 

TTB site has a recent listing for Pie Happy, so perhaps that's the Hoarder Box reissue they teased in the 2019 list.

Also three separate listings for Wee Heavy Coconuts.

 

I thought it was a nice stout but I really didn't taste a lot of maple in there, which made me sad, because maple is great.

 

I think I described it as a poor man's double stack, especially the nose. I attributed the overarching sweetness to the maple more than picking out a familiar syrupy flavor. Palates always differ though!

 

There was a maple stout a month ago they had. I have one Crowler left and should compare it to this Vermont one if there's any difference..

 

Now that I'm looking into this, what I had was the "partially barrel-aged pastry stout with Vermont maple syrup" that went on at the beginning of December. If there's something new and different now with Vermont maple syrup that requires SHIT to prop it up, I haven't had that.

 

Just so you can look..

https://untappd.com/b/the-bruery-maple-pastry-stout/2811524 and

https://untappd.com/b/the-bruery-vermont-maple-stout/2974367

Both pretty much have the same description..so not sure what the first beer used for maple syrup, but I have a feeling its the same beer. The untappd moderator for the bruery has a tendency to make dupes of the same beers a lot and I have to get them to merge or correct it. But back then when Joel did it, he told me certain beers would have a "pilot" batch added to untappd and then added again as a final production beer that was brewed more frequently. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

I don't think it needs SHIT to prop it up, it's a great stout on its own. The addition of SHIT adds a great coffee note though.

Edit: Coffee SHIT, not reg SHIT

 

Price point was putting me off, but had to pull the trigger on some more Cuvees. The gingerbread is just too good as a holiday beer. I also justified it by telling myself there would not be anymore Cuvees and I could save them for next year.

Speaking of next year, I got the first Welcome e-mail. Not a whole lot of info in it (and probably getting close to time for someone to start the 2019 thread?). Below is the meat of the message:

Your benefits begin on January 1, 2019. That means your 20% discount begins online, in the Tasting Rooms, and at the D.C. Store. To access your benefits online, just login to your account at www.TheBruery.com. Show your ID to access benefits at the Tasting Rooms and D.C. Store (make sure your name is listed on the membership). Hoarders Society Members can extend their Tasting Room and D.C. Store benefits to two guests. Pick up your Member Guest Access cards from the Society Fulfillment Center or the D.C. Store starting January 7th. You'll be notified as allocations become available throughout the year. Finally, more details will be coming about this year's Society Welcome Weekend starting Saturday, January 19th in Orange County, CA and a D.C. Kickoff Event On January 18th.

Up Next: Allocations and included beers

 

I see they sent the email about benefits and sharing it with a friend - have they shown us how to add our friend for the tasting benefits? I forgot how I did it last year, assuming I'm waiting for instructions still.

 

The e-mail said they would be giving us cards. I'm assuming we give these cards to our beneficiaries?

 

So I opened BA 10 Lord a Leaping tonight.

I liked the non BA version much more.

Oh well contrarian / outlier that I often am, maybe 2019 I will stop swimming up stream

Nah, probably not, if I haven't conformed to the norms yet, its getting increasingly unlikely