Tasty. Not as interesting as the original version which was rye barrel. It's kind of just another solid BA stout, which might be just what you want for a touch of variety, or maybe you've got plenty of the style already.
Party Favor This was a 2023 event-only bottle, but a few were on sale late last year. To those who grabbed one: it's great! No reason to sit on it. Bottoms up! To anyone FOMO-ing: don't. It's delicious, no doubt. But there's nothing here wildly different from all their other great beers. It's a solid smooth BT variant. The maple and vanilla are nice, but very understated. (no idea if they faded or were always that way)
I drank one last night and this is spot on. The chocolate and vanilla came through at the end but the strawberry up front was a bit tart for my liking.
Peaches En Ruegalia is drinking wonderfully right now. The adjuncts are all balanced on a typically delicious Bruery stout. I didn't have it fresh so I can't compare, but it's really good right now.
The Dip I still don't know what the shit a golden* stout is... I think it must be a 6-7 thing. But what this beer reminds me of a lot is White Chocolate. Nice chocolate, just the right amount of lactose, easy drinking. Not as rich or bourbony as the better vintages of White Chocolate. I'm enjoying... but as I often criticize, no way it's worth the price point. If this was a $15 bottle ($12 with discount) I could see myself grabbing a couple more. But it's not equivalent to a BT or Ani. *Many years ago I tried Allagash's Jim Bean (Curioux with coffee) and goddam if that wasn't a golden color that tasted like a stout with the roastiness.
Cookie Barrel This is fine. I'm enjoying it. But it's also pretty forgettable in the grand scheme of Bruery beers. Assuming it's BT blended with SHIT? That blend has worked well in the past (I loved Marzipandemonium), but this blend is more thin that I'd prefer. Adjuncts kind of get lost. There's a lot of bourbon which is nice, but it lacks the complexity of their better "double barrel" beers.
Finished off my 2025 included beers recently, plus a bonus vintage review: The Dip - I will forever be confused by the concept of a golden stout, but this is decent enough. Sweet af, with the cacao offsetting things a bit (and I guess hinting towards something), almost like chocolate chip cookie dough. Not something I'd seek out again, but decent! Cookie Barrel - Solid, adjuncts come out more as it warms, not quite liquid Oreo, but gestures in that direction, light vanilla and chocolate on top of what I assume is a boozy double barrel Monster stout base, creamy but somewhat dry for what it is. Cuir (2011 Anniversary) - After recent posts, I did liberate this guy from the cellar... and I suppose 15 years was a bit too long. Well past its prime. Tons of raisiny esters, but much less of the leather, bourbon, oak, & vanilla that make these older Anny ales so special. Still decent, but I guess these guys aren’t entirely bulletproof… But this isn't the fully barrel aged version (just 25% barrel aged), so maybe the full BA version has held up better. That wraps up the 2025 lineup for me. Quick top 5 of 2025 for me: Flying High Black Tuesday Grand Reserve (2025) The Madeira Affair Meubles Honey & Dunn Apis Grand Cru I guess I just love BT base beers with fancy barrel treatments. And Anny ales. Cheers, and here's to a hopefully great 2026 lineup.
I am huge fan of Infinite Wishes. It's been difficult to score a bottle over the last couple years for those of us out of area.
List is on website: https://www.thebruery.com/pages/hoarders-society-2025 https://www.thebruery.com/pages/the-reserve-society Although sometimes right before a new month they disappear, which seems to be the case now... Hoarder I think is mushroom barley wine and BA version of one of the Cows.
Thanks! I found those links but was surprised that nothing was listed for February. Good to know that can disappear just before release.
A bit rude of them to send a marketing email promoting Musket when it's already been sold out for over a week.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of the bundling when it's the only way to get something. At least not for a new release. I get it makes sense for limited archive items though. They got rid of allocations last year because they felt confident in their demand prediction. My understanding was they thought everyone likely could buy as much as they wanted in the release month. But, maybe Musket just far exceeded expectations.
