The Bruery 4 Calling Birds spices up my last night in San Francisco

I partied hard last night to celebrate the end of school at a Christmas themed party, where there was Maker's Mark and Fernet on tap, which is David's wet dream, but arrrgh. I hate it. Fernet is the worst. The hipsters up in San Fran love it with ginger ale, but I still can't handle the licorice and spiced fused concoction. Spice seems to be the theme of week though.

Today I turned in my portfolio, outlining several campaigns I helped create over the last three months during school. The lead campaign in my portfolio was actually a personal one, this blog. It was really interesting looking back on the year and why I initially began the blog. The retrospective has my wheels turning. I finished an epic year of beer every day, now what happens? How do I approach writing the blog now? My goal last year was simply to finish the year, and after beer 365, I decided to continue until the round number of 400. 3 months have passed without a post. This is the beginning of a new era, the renewal of my exploration of craft beer. What is my goal now? I have ideas but will hone in on something more specific in the new year.

Until then, I return to my favorite brewery and one of its most epic beer series, The Bruery's 12 Days of Christmas. This year it's 4 Calling Birds. A Partridge and a Pear Tree was before my time with The Bruery, 2 Turtle Doves was a tour de force, 3 French Hens was a powerful dark belgian strong ale, but how will 4 Calling Birds deliver?

An astronaut playing the banjo is my portfolio cover. It seems odd but it says what it needs to.  For instance, Space is awesome and I'm a nerd. Deep stuff.

4 Calling Birds is an 11% dark ale brewed with gingerbread like spice. You can age it for 8 years but I couldn't let a Christmas go past without at least trying it. In the Christmas spirit, I want to say I'm thankful for having a completed portfolio, to be enjoying my favorite craft brewery, not being a student any longer, and seeing my family tomorrow in Houston. I appreciate the indulgence of Christmas like spices here, but after a half a glass down, I'm not thankful for the spicy qualities, which are overwhelming.

A couple more sips gulps later and the brew still isn't integrating with the spices well. This is an example of The Bruery doing what they do well, a dark strong belgian ale, like their Cuadruple (made with agave), but the spices could definitely be more subtle. The Two Turtle Doves was orgasmic, it was so complex. This year they went more Christmasy and less belgian, and the result is a 'spirited' brew. With the robustness of this spice, this is a beer to share with others and not alone, but I'll finish it all the same. The Bruery rocks, unfortunately, this is not The Rock. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Bruery Black Tuesday and Melange #3 complete my life

I'm in Los Angeles for the weekend after booking spur of the moment tickets last week. My portfolio for ad school is due Wednesday and I wanted to get out of town and have my mind off it for a bit, so I'm back in the town I've called home for the last 9 years. We hear from Karl that there's an incredibly special beer pouring at The Bruery Provisions store, and of course that's the one place we don't really need an excuse to visit in the first place. Is it true that Black Tuesday is pouring here? Will we be too late?!

Black Tuesday, as you can read on the label below, is an Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels. It's over 18% alcohol and it's been a Holy Grail for David and I for years now.

Every year the Bruery creates the opportunity to purchase a bottle of the brew online on a Tuesday and pick it up at the Bruery a week later. They sell out quickly and the website frequently crashes, so we've never been able to buy a bottle. But apparently The Bruery has made more this year. It's one of the highest rated beers on Beeradvocate, I believe, and it should be. Look at the price of the bottles on eBay:

Anyway, so we arrive and they not only have the Black Tuesday on tap, but the special edition Melange #3 which is 15.5% is also available. I'm stoked! These are beers off my bucket list. 

So the Melange #3 is a blend of three bourbon barrel aged strong ales. White Oak Sap is a wheat wine, especially made for the Melange, is combined with The Bruery anniversary series old ale (I believe the Cuir) and the imperial stout, Black Tuesday. Talk about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. It's the beer on the left in the picture. It has an incredibly complex palate with chocolate, dark fruits, oak, vanilla and rich toffee. I mean, wow, so smooth. You can barely taste the alcohol too. It's one of those beers I could drink every day for the rest of my life. For $8 we are poured 4 oz of the Melange and 2oz of the Black Tuesday, on the right.

The Black Tuesday is aged in bourbon barrels for over a year and it has rich caramel, toasted malt, vanilla, and anise as some of the flavors. What's amazing is not only the complexity, but how well hidden the alcohol is. This is the 3rd beer I've tasted that's 18% and you can barely taste the alcohol. The other two were made by Dogfish Head, and the alcohol comes through like a hammer. Here it's a feather pillow. If the Melange is a beer I could wish to drink everyday, the Black Tuesday is my Friday night after work and special events drink. It's too powerful and too amazing to be drunk everyday, there needs to be an occasion, albeit a weekly occasion to drink this. What I love about the Bruery is they could make a living off making these two beers, but they're innovators and would become bored only making two beers. But God I wish they would. If these and a Bruery Mischief are the only beers in my beer closet for the rest of my life, I would survive.

After only drinking 6 oz of beer, both of us have a weird buzz going on. It's a very heady, kind of high, buzz because while we sipped these, the sips were incredibly potent and hit us all at once. Wild to be buzzed on half a can of beer. I must be feeling goofy because for these beers, I'd rather not be buzzed and continue drinking their complexity. But you can't always get what you want, right?

These beers were on my bucket list and I feel so incredibly appreciative towards life after drinking something this fantastic. Sounds a little sappy but true, it's pure greatness. The Black Tuesday has a 98 out of 100 rating on beer advocate: B.A. Black Tuesday. Like Spinal Tap's drummers, I'm a bit worried about spontaneous combustion right now. BAD BOYS rating to both, obviously. Thank you David for driving down here.

Bruery Snicklefritz would impress James Franco

The Bruery's Snicklefritz is named after a minor but beloved line from PINEAPPLE EXPRESS by James Franco's character to Seth Rogan's.

He ain't getting any
of that Pineapple Express.(snidely)
  
Chris is getting Snicklefritz.

It's just a hilarious name, right? Say it out loud and languish over the words and if you don't giggle, then go enjoy a crossjoint and then repeat it. Will work every time. Here's my favorite scene from the movie, which is the opening. Bill Hader puts me in stitches every time, especially his musical interlude at :30.

The beer itself won second place in The Bruery's home brew Batch#50 contest several years ago (I recently had their last home brew winner, Batch 300, last week). It's a Belgian-Style Strong Pale ale spiced with cardamom, ginger, juniper berries and coriander, along with a long line of zests including lemon, orange and grapefruit. We tasted it at The Bruery last Saturday and I'm eager to give it a thorough once over. 

Three characteristics in particular jump out at me; the aroma, the fullness of body and its complexity. The beer pours a dark golden color with a finger of head. The aroma has robust spice notes including cinnamon, as well as a slight yeasty smell. I'm not used to full bodied beers from the Bruery and this is a welcome change. Accordingly, the Snicklefritz's complexity quickly captures my attention. The spices compliment a sweet, slightly caramel body and a mild apple flavor. This is a distinctly Belgian style brew ha ha, that adds in enough spice to embarrass any Winter Warmer. I'm dually impressed they were able to achieve this complexity without overwhelming your palate or ruin the delicious Belgian body. 

This is something to enjoy wrapped up in a blanket and sipped on while listening to good music, so you can spend time sifting through the library of spice and flavor. THE ROCK rating. 

Bruery Batch 300 is a homebrewer's Independence Day

Batch 300 is the winner of The Bruery's homebrew competition last Spring and David has been singing its praises around the house. Style wise, it's an interesting beer; a Belgian style ale brewed with citra hops and aged in oak cubes, i.e. an Oak Aged hoppy Tripel. Lov'n it. I'm also loving the witty repartee onscreen between Big Willie and Jeff Goldblum in INDEPENDENCE DAY.

It's also my brother Warren's last day in town (and we're eating Papa Johns pizza for breakfast, because that's how New Yorkers roll), and he told us a hilarious college memory. A pledge in his fraternity knew the below speech by heart and would get up at parties during band breaks and recite the entire speech. That would be too much for me, I would probably piss my pants to see that happen in its entirety, but you tell me.

Also, who would you vote for as President - Bill Pullman or President Palmer/Dennis Haysbert from 24?

The Batch 300 clocks in at 8.2% and thanks to a very intense piney hop flavor, it's a very American take on a Belgian tripel. The oak imparts a very vinous flavor as well but also contributes to a very balanced and smooth flavor that is without an overwhelming sweetness. As I continue drinking and the beer warms up a little and that complexity from the oak and hops combination really burns through. This is definitely a gentlemanly sipper, but it's oh so good! A tip of the hat to any homebrewer who makes a beer this complex. THE ROCK rating.

Bruery Black Orchard Dark Wit pulls off a hat trick

With my brother Warren in town and me moving out of LA in 6 weeks (you heard it here first), a trip to our favorite brewery The Bruery is in order. I'm designated driver on the way back, so naturally I drink several beers beforehand and plan to sober up while I'm at the brewery, but nobody believes I will! I don't know what I could have done to give them that belief...

 

After a detour to The Bruery Provisions store where Nick G, Warren, David, Aaron B, Jamie, Karl and his crew order some sampler plates and I stock up on beers from there store such as the Stone 15th Anniversary Imperial Black IPA, Iron Fist Velvet Glove and the brand new brew from The Bruery's Provisions Series, Snickelfritz, we're onto the main brewery.

Beer drinkers take blurry pictures. It's an occupational hazard

Upon arrival, I note a sign posted above the bar noting the Bruery produced 2500bbls last year - that's 31 gallons per 1 bbl - so 77,500 gallons. This year they produced 5000 bbls - 155,000 gallons - double! Wow. I've seen The Bruery in Chicago and New York, but I didn't realize until today after I asked the bartender, that this 4 year old brewery is in over 16 states. It's absolutely amazing. We started drinking their beer 3 years ago, and I suddenly feel like I've been at the epicenter of what will become one of the most renowned breweries in the United States. Bruery's a pretty damn special place. This will probably be my last time here which makes me sad - I might even miss the creepy babies hanging around here (Creepy Babies),  so I'm buying a long overdue hat to keep me company in San Francisco. 

The one beer I am going to have today is their seasonal Black Orchard Wit. The style is unique and I've never heard of a black belgian wit bier. It's 5.7% and chamomile is added for the aroma. This could be really amazing or Patrick Rue's day dream gone wrong, what will it be?

The flavor profile is fascinating and delicious, a subtle dark roast bitterness at the beginning that fades as the sweet belgian wit and spice (coriander and orange peel) subtle kick in. I'm going to use that word again because I don't know how else to convey this beer; it's so subtle. As far as unusual styles go, this is up there. I feel like the Bruery pulled of a hat trick here, combining all these ingredients to make a smooth and delicious brew. At the end of the day, we had already filled up our 3 growlers for the party at home with Loakal Red, Mischief, and Snickelfritz, when David walked away from the car and back into the brewery. He returned sometime later with a newly purchased 4th growler full of the Black Orchard. He bought (a probably unnecessary) 4th growler just to make sure we had more of the wit to drink this week because it was that good. A true gauge to the tastiness of any beer is the length a person will go to find and drink it. I think the 4th growler speaks to the power of this beer. BAD BOYS rating.

The brother's Davis take over a table

Bruery Acer Quercus syrups my day

I was planning to make my 7th home brew today, but after a 2 hour cleanup, the brew store was already closed. To console myself, I'm attacking my body with a 4 meat pizza and the highly touted 9.5% collaboration beer between The Bruery and Laweon's Finest Liquids, a nano brewery in Vermont. 

It’s technically a rye beer, but there’s so much more infused into this - an oak aged ale brewed with maple syrup and date sugar (and smoked malt). I'm hoping the rich combination will overload my senses and lull me into a blissful food coma.

 

The aroma is incredibly malty and the syrup balances out the bitter roasted malt with a fascinating sweetness. The smoked malt is subtle and kicks in at the end. Acer is smooth and complex, a true sweet stout. I think this is inspired and a ingeniously Promethean beer. BAD BOYS rating. Drinking this saved my day, until I realize that this is a limited production and there isn't any more to go around....NOOOOO

Bruery Run B.M.C. at the Eat Real craft beer festival

With LA supposedly in Carmageddon deadlock, I'm biking down to Culver City for the Eat Real festival. They have two beer gardens pouring all you can drink beers from Stone, Ballast Point, Hanger 24, Firestone, Eagle Rock and Bruery. They will also have a ton of food trucks, live music, and cooking demos. Ain't having no car gonna stop me from having a good time.

Sarah and I bike down and no one is there when we arrive at noon, but by 2pm the place is packed and getting rowdy. David is fortuitously going down to The Bruery with Karl today and I grab my beer of the day early, The Bruery's brand new Imperial Pilsner, Run B.M.C.

Beer in a mason jar! I'm good to go

The tenth one-time release from their Provisions line of beers, the Run B.M.C. is a 7% Imperial Pilsner and one of the few lagers the Bruery has made. It has also been quadruple hopped and cold fermented, which is really unusual for the style. This is the 3rd Imperial Pilsner tasted this year and my 9th Provisions beer ( 9 out of 10). The first two Imperial Pils resulted in very mixed feelings about this unconventional style, and I believe that if someone can make a deliciously unconventional beer, it would be the Bruery.

Run B.M.C. is an incredibly summery beer, with lots of citrus and pineapple flavors thanks to the hops and it's very sweet - probably too sweet. There is a hop bite towards the end but overall the hops are there to add to the flavor profile. I think it's great drinking it under the sun at a festival, but I'm not sure I'll purchase a bottle during my next Bruery run. Imperial Pilsners are odd creatures; lagering creates clean and crisp beers, and it's hard to create a beer with body enough to handle high alcohol and flavor. This was a noble effort though. 

Sarah gets her art walk on

The Bruery Trade Winds made with Thai Basil is seasonally amazing

Two years ago David, Nick and I went to the first LA Beerfest at Sony Studios (which has since turned into a shit-show) and amidst a hundred vendors, bumped into these two guys set up next to Fireman's Brew pouring two beers from "The Bruery."

I think the first beer we tried was either a Saison de Lente or a Rugbrod, but their second beer was a summer seasonal made with Thai Basil which was astounding. Our minds were blown and we had just crossed a threshold; in a very unlikely place we'd stumbled upon one of the best breweries in the U.S. 

Since then, neither David or I have tasted Trade Winds - until today. And we have a growler of the stuff! Two years later and we're having a homecoming for our threshold beer to The Bruery.

The Bruery's brewers are Promethean with many if not most of their beers and this one is an excellent example. Who woke up at one day and said, "hmm, I'm going to make beer with basil, thai basil to be exact." Truly Amazeballs.  The beer's base is a belgian golden ale, but instead of using candi sugar, typical for the style, they use rice in the mash to lighten the body and increase the gravity and then spice with Thai Basil. The result is a beer that is subtle and earthy, with a hint of spice from the Thai Basil, which is evident in the first sip. The result is a basic golden ale that's easily drinkable (too much so) and a complex flavor profile. Some might argue that this is like their Mischief, only better. For me, how can you pick between your two kids? Well, for my parents it's obviously me and not my brother Warren, but I made that easy. Here it's much more difficult :). BAD BOYS rating. 

Melissa R, Nick G, Lisa, Jake, Jenny and Tiffany are coming over to eat and watch the 3rd game between Dallas and Miami. I'm using this excuse to do a flight of my homebrews, as everyone except David and myself haven't had all three of my beers.

I love this, because I'm able to stand up and give a spiel about how each brew was made, funny tidbits, and how clever I think the names are (self absorbed much?). To my surprise though, Heisenberg's Honey Wheat, a winner at previous parties, is not the leading man here. My first brew, King Moonracer's Revenge made with clove, probably got the highest all-around rankings. Lisa's favorite was King Moonracer, Jake's the Red Headed Step-Child (because you just can't beat it), and Mel's was the Honey Wheat. The super hoppy Double Dutch Rudder (a belgian IPA, a beer where two different styles rub off on each other) and one of my personal favs, Jake loves but is probably too hoppy for the ladies' tastes.

Overall, everything but the Mavs loss was a great success! This entire weekend was filled with beer and breweries and great friends - another stellar weekend thanks to beer!

The Bruery Provisions Bierbauch sweetens our brewery excursion

Planning on having a little bbq tomorrow, so David and I grab Mark and Brennan to join our jaunt down to refill growler's at Bootleggers and The Bruery. I haven't been since February to either and after missing their 3rd anniversary party last weekend, I'm beyond titillated see what's on tap!

While David scopes out the Cuir for the first time, I'm pouring myself their new Provisions Series, the Bierbach. The Bierbach is an Imperial Miabock and the timing couldn't be better because I had my first maibock, a Hofbrau, exactly a week ago. I love how experimental The Bruery is, particularly how they're willing to make like Barry Bonds and 'roid up their beers. They doubled the alcohol for their Imperial Orchid Wit and here they clock in at an impressive 8.1%

And here's what The Bruery has to say about their latest and greatest:

"Meaning Beer Belly in German, Bierbauch is the Provisions Series ale for the month of May 2011, so of course we had to make a Maibock! And we're The Bruery, so of course we had to make it imperial! And why stop there when you can age it in oak barrels for a few months? The last strong beer you'll need before the heatwave of summer is upon us, this version of the traditional German lager is rich and oaky."

The oak barrels really come through in the smell and taste, in the best of ways. I'm starting to believe that for homebrewing and making high alcohol beers, using oak chips to sedate the aggressive alcohol flavors is key and the Bierbach is another excellent example. The Bierbach is a full bodied beer with a sweet bready malt with the floral notes, which are a welcome surprise. Yep, The Bruery has brewed another Provisions Series winner. THE ROCK rating.

We loaded up with more than we possibly needed, including 7 bottles of The Bruery's 3rd Anniversary 14.5% Old Ale, the Cuir. David and I each bought two to age and the rest are for friends. I plan on keeping at least one of the bottles for my 30th birthday, which is in two years (sweet Jebus did I really just say 30?).

That is f**king beautiful

And then we kept the party going! Shalom

Bruery Cuir 3rd Anniversary Ale is 14.5% of barrel aged incredibleness

I can't believe it's on tap! The Surly Goat has again proven to be my favorite beer bar in Los Angeles. The Bruery's 3rd Anniversary Ale isn't even available by bottle (and will likely sell off quickly) but it's here on tap. I recently paid way too much (north $30) for a bottle of Coton, their 2nd anniversary beer, to be shipped from Florida because it's unequivocally out of stock her. Still worth it.

The Cuir is French for leather. Every year The Bruery brews the exact same beer — an Old Ale fermented with our Belgian yeast strain - and every year the malt goes up by a pound, and then they blend it with a portion from the previous year. The Coton is one of the most phenominal beers I've ever tasted. So this beer is the same recipe, but blended with the most amazing beer ever and then blended with their 1st anniversary beer (Papier) which is the same recipe but has aged for 3 years...if you're not drooling, then I'm pretty sure you're an emotionless robot and possibly a Terminator - only with better taste in maids, ZING.

I'm DYING to have this.I'm missing The Bruery's 3rd Anniversary weekend over Memorial Day, so I'm incredibly thankful to enjoy this at the Surly Goat, which is easily my favorite beer mecca in LA.

So I drag Tiff over to the Goat to watch the Bulls and Heat game while enjoying a tulip glass of this old ale with the alcohol content of a glass of wine. Only there's more than a glass of wine in these tulip glasses. Party

Glory be to Jebus!

I'm fortunate to have a certified Cicerone (beer sommelier) and BJCP judge (national beer competition judge) behind the bar pouring tonight. Playoff Basketball, Anniversary beer, Bruery, beer geek, strong alcohol...my head's going to explode.

The Cicerone said they opened up a bottle of Papier when they received this keg, and it's just now hitting it's prime (2 years later). The Cuir, he touts, is the most drinkable right off the bat of the three brews.

My first sip of the Cuir reveals the barrel aging of this batch and the blends, as there's a 2x4 of pine hits my tongue. Next comes a big sweet malt and dark fruit flavor profile. As the beer warms up, I'm tasting the complexity of the profile, including brown sugar and dark fruit. I love how it opens up. I will say, that it's more of a Belgian Quadruple than a Coton Old Ale. Age may prove otherwise, however.

Tiff says it's explosively sweet, as kills the last of it. She's a pint sized gal, and the 14.5% without dinner is rocking her world. She's yelling at the Bulls on TV like a banshee, even though she's from Hawaii and never watches basketball. Me thinks it's extraction time to the nearest taco joint, post haste.

In finality, it's just so...COMPLEX! What else can I say? It's something else. The Bruery Anniversary beers are like the Godfather's; you kiss their hands in their presence and even on the day of their daughter's wedding, you're sweating asking them a favor. You are not worthy. BAD BOYS rating.

Mischief Gone Wild celebrates Nic and AJ's matrimony

Nick G, Beth, David and I head north to Paso Robles to watch our close friends Nic and AJ tie the knot. David and Christi rearranged the hotel sign in hilarious tribute.

Wedding was damn beautiful and so was the bride.

Here is the new couple, Nic Ewok and Amdrea Bear

I had my emotions on lockdown but the groom (who is a screenwriter) wrote vows which weaved a line from TRUE ROMANCE, "You are so cool," to become a metaphor to say "I love you" to his bride. It was pretty brilliant and I'll be damned if David and I almost succumbed to what many men refer to as, "as expulsion of eye water due to female-like irrationality." But we held it together.

The Beereverday boys dressed to impress.

After we helped the caterers dispose of their wine, the ceremony moved to the barn dance floor and we popped open a special Mischief 'Gone Wild.'

Someone brought a bomber of Pliny the Elder out to party as well. Love that Mischief label

The good fellows at The Bruery brewed up a batch of Mischief but rather than use their typical yeast to ferment the wort, they used Brettanomyces, a type of yeast used primarily in lambic and sour ales ales but is also popular among several Belgian brewers, including the trappist beer Orval who introduces the yeast at bottling. Many American craft breweries have had great success utilizing it, but brettanomyces is a notoriously difficult yeast for a homebrewer to cultivate and use correctly. It's not as easy as popping a smack pack or unscrewing a White Labs yeast; rather, people buy barrels which already have the yeast in it from older sour ale fermentations and then capture airborne yeast which is then cultivated and then saturated in the oak. Here is an interesting article from a blog I subscribe to: ambient spontaneous yeast starters.

My previous Mischief post is here: Bruery Mischief. It's easily one of our favorite beers this year and we're both looking forward to this twist on the classic. True to the original Mischief, the Gone Wild has the belgian strong pale ale body with exceptional carbonation and the Brettanomyces add a lively fruit and floral flavor as it goes down. Lively is putting it mildly, it's like a floral left cross to the tongue. The more I drink, the more I feel like describing it as Mischief on Redbull. It's got an "oomph" to it that's hard to describe. Turbocharged? You get it. I feel privileged for being able to try this limited run. I wouldn't trade the Gone Wild for the original Mischief, but but I certainly enjoyed it. TRANSFORMERS rating.

We certainly weren't done drinking yet (not by a long shot). One of Nic's best men Dallas Hammons was awesome enough to bring out his first homebrews, a bold Imperial Wheat. Check out his blog here. http://www.hammonshomebrew.com/

This was a fantastic weekend spent with close friends and their beer. Loving life.

Bruery Provisions Imperial White Orchid is a spicy wit on viagra

The Bruery’s White Orchid is a pretty tasty strumpet. A Belgian wit beer brewed with orange peel, coriander and nutmeg. The Imperial White Orchid is version 2.0, bigger and bolder that clocks in at 9%. That's right ladies, it's bigger. But not every beer tastes better when it’s super-sized. What will the verdict be?

David howls at the moon

This is the first full bodied wit beer I've had. It steps up to plate and levels you in the eye and dares to be drunk. I love the spices, which match the increase in body. I like the beer but wonder if the general populace would enjoy a wit on steroids. The wit-style is usually refined, delicate and smooth. It’s regular White Orchid is a stroll down the trail opposed to the Imperial’s mountain hike. If your palate tiptoes around in your face flavors, I would stick with the regular orchid, which is also a great beer. But if your tongue doesn’t mind a full frontal assault, this is worth getting your mitts on a bottle. THE ROCK rating.

Bruery Provisions Salt of the Earth made with Truffle Salt is Savory as Scheisse

What the Scheisse is Gose beer? Apparently it’s made with some intriguing ingredients - coriander and truffle salt.

"Gose is a top-fermented beer style of Leipzig, Germany that are brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat. Because of the use of coriander and salt, Gose does not comply to the Reinheitsgebot (German purity law). It is allowed an exemption from the rules on the grounds of being a regional specialty."

I have a case of Bronchitus so my sore throat remedy is ice cream and beer. I’m mature like that. David picked up this up from The Bruery Provisions store yesterday during its limited production run.
The Salt of the Earth is at 5%, which is true to the style but low for a typical Bruery beer. The malt is savory thanks to the prominent truffle salt. The complexity reminds me of this fantastic chocolate they sell in wine stores and whole foods, which is a dark chocolate shell around caramel with sea salt on top. There is an explosion of flavor, and this beer packs the same punch. The salt in both beer and chocolate brings out tongue bursting flavors.

This is a really interesting beer. How many U.S. craft brewers brew with salt, let alone truffle salt. It’s an experimental beer that hits it out of the park. THE ROCK rating.

Bruery Provisions Cornballer isn't as...a-maize-ing...as I hoped

The day has finally come that Nick G can make it to The Bruery. This man is one of the biggest fans of this heavenly beer and now, he pilgrimages to his Mecca. What's the occasion? He and AJ share a birthday and to celebrate, we're doing a brewery tour. We're joining several of Nick's coworkers as well as Karl who is coming up from Temucla after wine tasting, if he's still vertical. On the way up, we listen to a birthday mix I made for Nick and AJ and in case you were wondering, Oingo Boingo was definitely on it. The video is one of Danny Elfman's finest moments -

The timing of this trip is excellent, because according to The Bruery newsletter, they're releasing their fifth and latest Provisions Series batch today (Provisions is a limited one time only release) AND Bootleggers Brewery is releasing their greatest creation ever, the very limited release Knuckle Sandwich DIPA. Victory is ours!

Best Friends and Beard Brothers - at least that's what it says on our eharmony profile

Going brewery tasting is fun for the obvious reasons, but this trip doubles the fun for me because all the people except for Nick know nothing about The Breury or Bootleggers, so I'm allowed to ramble on and wave my hands uncontrollably while explaining everything I know about their beer. Imagine if you gave a 10 year old kid Redbull and a plate of cookies and that's how excited I am. Finally, someone clubs me over the head like a baby seal and my I shift my focus to the beer of the day, the Cornballer.

Bruery has some pretty great names for their specialty brews (Gunga Galunga, a Caddy Shack reference, being the best) and this one brings back fond memories of infomercials from Arrested Development (unfortunately the above is the best I can find)

And let me tell you how much I enjoyed it...eeeeeeee not so much -

Eat sink, cornballer (I didn't flush it, but God I wanted to)

I love The Bruery. I have been there four times. I own two growlers. I have several of their beers saved under my bed. I even own a shirt and will probably buy a hat next trip. Yay merchandising. I'll probably name my second born son Mischief after their finest brew, but this beer makes me cringe.

The Cornballer is their attempt at a malt liquor and it's 50% of it is made out of corn and the other 50% made out of 6 Row Malt (2 Row Malt is typically used to make beer). It smells like citrus hops mixed with a mildew sock. It tastes similar, with a dash of sourness. There's just something rotten about it. Everyone except for Karl agrees with me. Karl likes this, but he's also high on mescaline and wine.  I love so much about brewery, but not this. This was hard as a horse to put down. I never thought I would bestow the worst rating to a Bruery beer, but stranger things have happened. PEARL HARBOR rating Thanks goodness they still have the Cuadruple on tap, because I'm gonna need a 'forget me now' after this one.

On another note, happy birthday Nick and AJ! I've known them both for over 9 years and they're my two favorite people and I wish them the best birthday and in the year to come!

 

I bought a Loakal Red and a Cuadruple to add to my cellar/bed collection. Nick G went certifiably awesome and bought a CASE of Bruery beer, a baker's dozen to be exact. On a side note, he will soon be the proud owner of a shotgun. Who has two thumbs and can't wait to combine both? THIS GUY

Gunga Galunga....Gunga, Galunga-Lagunga (The Bruery Provisions series)

Chalk up another reason why The Bruery is awesome; they named one of their Provisions series after a Bill Murray / Caddyshack quote. Unfortunately the internet Nazi's have disabled the audio for all the video clips of the scene so I can't post it but below is the quote. It is tummy-tickling hilarious that they actually named a beer after an improvised Tibetan phrase from a golf comedy.

Carl Spackler: "A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

The Gunga Galunga beer is a black ale brewed with galanga (ginger), kaffir lime and fermented with brettanomyces, whatever that nanobot sounding material is.

I lost my Caddyshack box and this was in arm's reach, what can you do?

Strangely enough, it smells like icy hot. There are super dark malts with crazy fruit flavors and a little citrus thrown in for good measure. The Gunga and the Premiere have intense profiles. This beer is kiwi coffee on steroids. It's wild. I don't know who could drink this often but it's worth a shot if you're into fruity coffee beer. ARMAGEDDON rating.

Bruery Provisions Series Premiere is more whiskey than beer

I'm talking about the mythology of Star Wars with David while watching Avatar. We're pretty balls deep in nerdness right now.

Speaking of balls deep, I was picked up from the airport Sunday and was greeted with more than David's ugly mug. David ordered me a replacement kangaroo scrotum for Christmas after the Great Scroatacular of 2009, in when David dog sat Kamari. Kamwow decided that my cherished captain kangaroo balls looked like a delicious snack. So she ate them and then threw them backup onto David's bed hours later. My life hasn't been the same without my scrotum. Thanks David!

Oh yeah, beer. The Bruery creates a few brews on the side that are small production and purposed to only be bought at their Provisions store > Bruery Provisions.  This is a belgian golden ale aged in bourbon barrels and boy can you smell the bourbon! Like you were in a barrel factory. It ours a beauitful golden pale but the taste, whoa nelly. The bourbon is overwhelming. I enjoy bourbon too much, but not like this. They went a little crazy with this and in a sense, it's a novelty beer because you wouldn't actually drink a lots of this.
Their golden ale is so strong that it's still a decent beer, but not worth your time. TRANSFORMERS rating.