Bruery 2015 RS/HS Allocations

Don't bother with WC. It's nothing like 2012, maybe with 3 years of age it'll turn out decent.

 

I'm curious if people are expecting WC to be infected so they're looking for those tart flavors... I've had it on tap and out of a bottle and I don't see where people are getting an overwhelming tartness from.

 

Don't bother? Because you feel like it isn't as good as 2012 doesn't automatically make it a bad beer.

 

What did you guys find your White Chocolate bottles to taste like?

I think the expectation/fear is part of it - I was pretty skeptical tasting it at first, considering their success rate with the beer before this year was 33% - but I also wouldn't rule out bottle variation. Pasteurizing is a new process for the Bruery and it's entirely possible that something else is going on.

 

Thanks for the reviews. At this rate I'll be trying these beers myself in early 2017 thanks to the horrible shipping issues The Bruery is having.

 

Had a 2015 Oude Tart yesterday, loved it as always but it was very under carbed from previous years. Anyone else experience this?

 

correct me if im wrong, but doesnt pasteurizing a beer prevent it from changing over time through cellaring?

so wouldnt the new white chocolate not develop into anything else?

 

Happy day after Christmas, everyone! I thought I'd give my perspective on pasteurization and aging big beers.

Pasteurization stops the metabolic processes of yeast / bacteria / most enzymes / living things, so any evolution from live yeast / bacteria shouldn't happen after pasteurization, as long as the temperature and time of pasteurization is sufficient to denature / kill those organisms. The primary benefit of live yeast from a bottle conditioning standpoint is that it'll reduce residual sugar (making the beer drier), add carbonation, contribute esters and phenols, and also reduce dissolved oxygen. Autolysis from live yeast also contributes to flavor development.

If yeast / bacteria are in the pasteurized solution, the effects of autolysis is still present (in the positive sense can add to body / creaminess, umami, nuttiness, yet also can add rubbery / meaty / undesirable umami flavors in the negative sense). Most breweries will remove as much yeast as possible before pasteurizing-- autolysis is usually something to be avoided.

For big beers like White Chocolate, the changing of flavor from aging is largely a result of oxidation that over time adds more intense caramelized flavors, dried fruit qualities, mellowing of harsher alcohol notes, and a slew of other flavor changes.

I'm sure there are interactions between oxidation, yeast metabolism, yeast death, etc. that make my explanation look a bit simple. However, in beers above 12% ABV, where the beer has been aging long term in barrels, the yeast isn't really viable, so I think the flavor impact of living yeast itself in these sort of beers is limited.

Cheers,
Patrick
The Bruery

 

Hey Patrick!!! Happy holidays to you and your fam!

 

Thanks man! Happy holidays to you!

 

TL;DR ...what do you know...

Just kidding. Love 2015 WC. Love all the Bruery Beers. Keep on Keeping on! F the Haters/Complainers!

 

I will agree SitR does not seem to change too much over the years. The difference between the bottles was most likely more due to batch variation.

What sort of positive changes do I think 15' will get? It would be hard for me to answer this since I am not very good at identifying individual flavors and articulating them like a trained beer judge or similar. I can however say when 15' first came out I couldn't even get through a bottle. Last night it was not as good as the previous years, but had become much more drinkable.

So far the Terreux versions of the the standard line up sours like SitR, Rueuze, and Sans Pag haven't been up to par with previous years. My hope is time will allow them to adjust the new equipment and they get better over the coming years.

 

This self made mash and coconut may be one of the best beers I've had all year

 

mash and coconut is just one of the best beers, ever. such a good combination and medley of flavors.

 

bruery heads, please tell me i'm not crazy. seems like with the switch to terreux, most of their sours have fell a little flat in the sour department. oude tart used to hurt my jaw to consume, as where now all i get is semi tart cherry juice. same with sour in the rye and ToD. what gives?

 

That was a helpful, succinct and generally very understandable explanation! (Though I did need to look up "autolysis.") Very much appreciate you doing that. It's great that you and Matt (and probably everyone else at your company) care about us and our concerns. Looking forward to trying 2015 WC (though I have to say I've really enjoyed the soured WCs--not what was intended, but they turned out very tasty nonetheless).

 

Sans Pagaie stripped the enamal from my teeth.

 

Maybe part of it has to do with the amount of oxygen the beer was exposed to during bottling on the old line. As The Bruery has gotten bigger, their equipment has gotten bigger, better, and more efficient at all the aspects of bottling. I know that exposing oxygen to wild beer makes the aerobic bacteria give off acetic acid, which in small amounts tastes great in a sour beer, but in slightly higher concentrations might give you that "burning the top layer of your tongue off".

Or I could be completely wrong.

 

That's a good thing to me.

 

I got some good chocolate out of it but otherwise found it hot and thin.

Unfortunately I had it after Black House Black Tuesday, Salty BBLs, Blue BBLS, and Wine III but it still shown through after those big beers. I'm definitely picking up a few.

That's more than I thought about it, I'm sorry I bought two. And having had a Consecration the night before last I don't think it's even a poor man's Consecration, too roasty for that.