The Bruery (2025)

Opened a Heavenly Blis last night and enjoyed it very much. Last few months have taken a bit of the edge off the heat.

Honestly not sure which I prefer between this and Tuesday Morning. Both have nice bodies and great maple flavor. I think Blis is a bit less sweet which gives it the slight advantage for me.

 

Had a Malt Mill tonight from the Distiller box. Good but I didn't love it. The heat has mellowed. The whiskey barrel is super forward, which to be fair is the point of the series! I guess I just don't love this barrel.

 

2018 Red Wine BT (375ml)

Really outstanding. Super mellow yet hugely flavorful. Lots of red wine character but doesn't feel like drinking wine. Good body and lots of stout malt for balance.

 

Cellar shipping.

First off, apologies to folks still having issues shipping to their state.

I've been curious how pricing to get my cellar in California would work out, and I'm pleasantly surprised (with one huge warning).

As a Hoarder I have 23 cellar bottles. There were two additional bottles I wanted to buy, so 25 small bottles total to be shipped.

At first I clicked my cellar too fast and it only grabbed one each of bottles I had two of (double check your item count before completing!) So I had 18 bottles and it was telling me $30 for UPS. Not bad honestly.

I went and added the other seven bottles... and the updated UPS shipping quote was $92 !!!!!!!

I removed one bottle (now 24 total) and the shipping quote came out to $33. Done! Seems incredibly reasonable (perhaps even impressive) given how shipping costs have risen over the past few years.

 

Pricey for sure. But $25 for an extra 3,000 miles does feel kinda reasonable. Enjoy!

 

Gray Monday

Very tasty. Above average BT, but not enough that I want to buy more, especially given slightly higher price point.

I've never been that into Grey Monday either, so this is maybe a "me" problem. I love nutella, and hazelnut candies etc, but I just don't get the nut flavor in these beers. I've heard the benefit is maybe more texture than flavor... but even then this is a nice not-thin BT but not one with standout texture.

The vanilla flavor is really nice. And the sweetness is held in check which is also good. Warm and boozy but not harsh. There's a lot to like here.

 

What were you expecting?

13.9% so not BT, SHIT, or Monster. I'm assuming either Bayonet or maybe just a fresh recipe?

Similar ABV to Thrill Rider, so wondering if maybe the same base?

 

Okay well decided to try Long Distance Relationship

I like it. Not sure I need to buy more but it's a very enjoyable beer.

I was worried the whiskey would be way overdone but it's not. Great balance.

Pretty dry, somewhat roasty, some body but not that thick.

 

Thrill Rider

It's good. I really like the body (some heft but not syrupy or chewy). Pretty smooth. Very reserved sweetness. Not too roasty.

The coconut and almond are flavorful... but also kind of muddled. Not bad, but doesn't really work for me. I'd love to see this exact base with other adjunct combinations.

Here's another reason I'm meh on this one though: I love BA Three's Cocompany, so my coconut fix came last month. I really loved the first iteration of Sticky Chunk (chocolate almond) and it's getting rebrewed in the next couple months. I don't think I needed them put together.

That said, it's hard to imagine anyone being angry at this beer, and I know some folks will love it.

 

I opened a Tranquil Moonlight tonight. I really love this one. Top tier BT variant in my book.

I had forgotten, but it's also a Westward Whiskey collaboration like Long Distance Relationship. On the whiskey side, no shade on LDR, but TM is bolder and more interesting IMO.

Regarding the base beer, TM is just a notably good BT batch I think? I don't know if it's luck or the effect of the barrel or what.