Bruers’ Barrel-Aged Zesty Mounds by The Bruery

Rating: 6/6

Bruers’ Barrel-Aged Zesty Mounds by The Bruery is a 13.6% ABV Belgian Dark Ale brewed with Cacao Nibs, Vanilla Beans, Coconut and orange zest aged in bourbon barrels.

#BABEERDAY
Barrel-aged Beer Day is our staff’s day for premiering flavors that cannot be achieved outside of the art of the blend or by any one beer. This staff-winning blend, created by Jennifer Anderson, Conner Coghill, Adam Funderberg, Jeff Scott, Andrew Stretch and Patrick Traster, showcases mounds of candy bar-esque flavors, with vanilla, coconut, cacao nibs from TCHO and orange zest folded into an exclusive fusion of some of our darkest, richest and most malt-forward bourbon barrel-aged beers.

Orangey chocolate almond joys!!

Share This O.C. by The Bruery

Rating: 6/6

Share This O.C. by The Bruery is an 11% ABV Imperial Stout with Orange zest, Cacao Nibs and Vanilla Beans.

Label:
LEND A HAND

We donate $1 for each bottle we produce in our Share This series. This orange chocolate release supports the mission of Food Forward which donates fresh produce to hunger relief agencies in Southern California, including Orange County.

Share This is a series of beer that spotlights unique ingredients and important causes. This rich imperial stout is inspired by orange and chocolate flavors. It’s a profile we’re quite fond of, given the abundance of orange trees in our own backyard. Food Forward takes one step further – reaching over 100, 000 people a month with recovered fresh produce.

==Introduction==

The 3rd beer in the Share This series brings some local ingredients of Southern California to the flavors of an awesome stout. The previous beers in this series have been amazing and I can only hope the next one is just as awesome or better. The best thing about this series is that with everyone that is purchased, you are donating for a good cause and so don’t just take it from me but find out how these beers are and know you are helping people in need. Let’s take a look and see how this one is, cheers!

Aromas:
Chocolate Orange creamsicle, Orange Mocha, graham crackers, Danish cream, Irish cream, peach cobbler, tres leches/3 milks cake, marshmallows, chocolate smores, orange sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, orange mint, chocolate milk shake, dark chocolate and dark fruits.

Flavors:
Rich Chocolate and Orange creamsicle, tangerines, candied orange hints, fruity pebbles, dulde de leche caramel, flan, orange preserves, peach preserve notes, peach cobbler, tres leches/3 milks cake, egg nog, orange chocolate milk shake, Orange Bang, cinnamon, coriander spice, orange tang, Danish cream, Irish cream, Orange Mocha, graham crackers, earthy hop notes, rye bread, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, marshmallows, chocolate smores, orange sweetened condensed milk, Chocolate and Baileys Irish cream, hazelnut nectar, peppermint york patty, tapioca pudding, orange cheese cake, anise, molasses, orange mint and cocoa powder.

Aftertaste:
Finish with rich flavor of Chocolate Orange cordials, dark chocolate, caramel, marshmallow smores, chocolate orange bundt cake, hazelnut caramel and vanilla sweetness. No alcohol in the taste despite the ABV, Dark Full body, creamy, smooth, velvety and chewy mouthfeel along with a moderate to sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Pure Chocolate Orange Creamsicle bliss. This beer is insane! A true chocolate and orange cordial type of dessert. While the main factor for the rating is that they got this sweet and yet balanced beer to be the way a dessert is, but also managed to break out some great complexity as well. You can’t even taste that alcohol despite it being so high and yet it drinks so damn smooth. As always, the Bruery making magic. This is a public release so make sure you get this one, I highly recommend it!

Anime Corner:
Quetzalcoatl from Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid was chosen in this pairing as I wanted to choose a character that would work with the colors of the label but also the colors of some of the ingredients. Sharing is caring and in some innuendoes ways counts too. I’ll leave that to your imagination.

Sources:
http://animeerogazo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/nizi_miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-16.png
http://animeerogazo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/nizi_miss-kobayashis-dragon-maid-6-2.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4wqiNUWAAAV7aK.jpg
https://68.media.tumblr.com/8a1635d189f5f13524fb22c1c7e68071/tumblr_omqhy5RfY71s2qcrdo1_1280.png

2016 Dodie by The Bruery

14289938_505261043003336_8602052632933589383_o 14317505_505261033003337_2174933124002673992_n 14305202_505261039670003_1485742873544735752_oRating: 6/6

2016 Dodie by The Bruery is an 11.7% ABV American Strong Ale aged in bourbon barrels with grape must, cherries, orange zest and spices.

Label:
HOTSY TOTSY

Dodie is inspired by a classic New York concoction and shares a nickname with Grandma Rue, who was keen on the ritzy drink.

It’s time to dip the ill with Dodie. With no giggle juice on its rap sheet, it’s a dandy recreation of the profile of a classic Manhattan cocktail – from the grain (rye, wheat and barley), bourbon barrel -aged character, and blend of 20+ spices and grape must for bitters-eque and vermouth-like notes. Fancy a garnish? Cherries and orange zest come out as your kisser hits the glass.
==Introduction==

Released to the Bruery Reserve Society. I didn’t think too much about this beer at first since I had no idea what it is about and yet the Bruery always surprises with their full on experimentations. Once I saw what it was I was definitely intrigued. A beer based on a mixed drink. Reminded me of the L’deracola (Cola flavored beer) or the El Roble (Margarita based beer). They always come up with great beers and definitely are an inspiration to homebrewing. It is because of their willingness to experiment that I have taken it upon myself to make my own experimentations. Let’s have a look at this one though and see what it has to offer, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark fruit fruit raisins, prunes, plums, figs, dates, dark cherries, capirotada bread pudding, brown sugar, wine grapes, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, oak, orange zest, coriander, bananas, clove spice, coconut, chocolate orange creamsicle, cherry cordials, cherry cobbler, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, English toffee, Danish Cream, brown sugar, marshmallows, smores chocolate, almond joy chocolate, rocky road ice cream, cinnamon, fruit cake, allspice, nutmeg, chai tea and coffee cake.

Flavors:
Bananas, clove spice, coconut, Rich dark cherries, orange zest, bourbon, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, wine grapes, dark fruit raisins, prunes, plums, figs, dates, coriander, ginger bread, cinnamon, fruit cake, allspice, nutmeg, chai tea, green tea ice cream, dark chocolate, marshmallows, smores chocolate, almond joy chocolate, rocky road ice cream, chocolate orange creamsicle, cherry cordials, cherry cobbler, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, English toffee, Danish Cream, Dr. pepper notes, cherry cola, mocha, molasses, anise, mint, licorice, tangerines, coffee cake, capirotada bread pudding, and lots of brown sugar.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with rich flavors of dark fruits, cherries, oranges, pecan pie, oak, marshmallow, bananas clove spice, vanilla and caramel. No alcohol in the taste, Blood Crimson clear body, smooth, creamy and velvety body along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Exceptionally awesome. I have had different mix drinks in the past and while I still have yet to try a Manhattan, this is pretty damn delicious. Almost as if it was what they were going for. Either way, it was enough for me to try to seek this one again. Spicy rich, fruity, citrucy and nutty, this one a highly recommended brew from me.

Anime Corner:
Jessica Rabbit from Disney’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit was chosen for this beer for many aspects such as beer color, label and theme. Essentially, this beer was made to mimic the Manhattan cocktail drink. As such, Jessica wears a cocktail dress and the movie, while it took place in Los Angeles, the theme seems very similar to New York in the 1920’s. While her character comes off as seductive like the flavors of the beer, the strength of the beer mimics her sense of justice to help Roger out in the movie. A childhood classic, now tribute with a brew.

Sources:
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/980/555/aa7.jpg
http://yayahan.com/images/made/uploads/images/jessica_600_866_s.jpg
http://cs323416.vk.me/v323416272/62b8/kKMVMto_-YA.jpg

Milton’s Madness I Said NO Salt! By B. Nektar Meadery

13568766_10103362746635750_988108386605052597_o 13528474_10103362746625770_5415171111217718551_o 13507084_10103362746550920_7508455027015579365_nRating: 6/6* Mead Rating

Milton’s Madness I Said NO Salt! By B. Nektar Meadery is a 14% Agave Mead/Melomel made with Lime Juice, Lime Zest & Orange Zest

Label:
Hello, B. Nektar fans, what’s happening? Did you see the memo about the margarita-style wine cocktail? You see we’re putting this bottle out in the market, so if you could just go ahead and buy one, that would be great. Mmkay? oh, and uh, if some no-talent ass clown asks you if you have a case of the Mondays, don’t set the building on fire. Fix the glitch and avoid confrontation whenever possible. Terrific, thanks.

Damn it feels good to B. Nektar.

==Introduction==
Office Space is an awesome movie. Some beers have come out in the past to theme with the movie. But this is the first time I see a mead, and damn, what a mead! One made with the intension of being close to a margarita as possible. Well, it is more of a melomel as the mead did ferment with Agave and fruit. I think the fact that since this is to pay tribute to Milton and his stapler, it really made me want to get it. It is a pricey mead but I do crazy things sometimes for the site and the fans that read my reviews. Appreciation before purchase is pretty important to the consumer base. So let’s see how this one goes, Salud!

Aromas:
Rich Agave, lemons, limes, honey, Key Lime Pie, Margarita notes, tequila, wild flower honey, dragon fruit, guava, mango hints, stone fruit peach, white wine, green grapes, red grapes, oranges, tangerines, kumquats, lychees, passion fruit hints, mint, salty tejuino hints, cherries, plum, raspberries and lechugilla Agave juice.

Flavors:
Rich Key Lime Pie, Agave, Tequila, Margarita, Rich Honey, apples, lechugilla Agave juice, salty hints, wine grapes, stone fruit peach, white wine, green grapes, red grapes, oranges, tangerines, kumquats, lychees, passion fruit hints, mint, lemons, dark fruit cherry, plum, raspberry hints, white grapes, concorde grapes, mezcal notes, vanilla, wild flower honey, dragon fruit, guava, mango hints, kiwi, honey dew melon, sour apple, lemon and lime candies, whip cream and lemon merengue pie.

Aftertaste:
Finished with rich Key lime pie flavors lingering with rich lechugilla agave nectar juice, salty hints, oranges, stone fruit, dark fruit notes and tropical fruit hints. Slightly boozy in the aftertaste but not detracting from the flavors despite the ABV, Super Clear Pale lemon and lime green color body, smooth, refreshing and syrupy mouthfeel and a moderate to sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Taste just like a margarita if was blasted into the wine category with pure lime and agave goodness. What really takes this mead or melomel to the top is its very rich flavors. It is almost like a Margarita, without the salt ofcourse. While it does have some fruity complexity, the intention and the theme is what really drives it home. This and the fact that it is a pure Agave mead also sets it perfectly in the style of what they were going for. I highly recommend it and if you can get this goodness on tap, the better!

Anime Corner:
Midori from Space Patrol Luluco was used in this pairing to mainly go with the colors of the beer. Mainly Green as Midori is Japanese for Green. However, the sour and sweet like demeanor of Midori is pretty unique in the show and fitting in for the stubborn and whiney Milton was perfect to go with the overall pairing. The fact that I found some of the perfect beach pictures further enhances the eye candy to make it a great pairing.

Sources:
https://data.desustorage.org/a/image/1461/00/1461001964005.png
http://img1.joyreactor.cc/pics/post/full/Anime-Uchuu-Patrol-Luluco-Midori-(Uchuu-Patrol-Luluco)-3122833.jpeg
http://img0.joyreactor.cc/pics/post/Uchuu-Patrol-Luluco-Midori-(Uchuu-Patrol-Luluco)-murakami-hisashi-Anime-3064134.jpeg

Victoria by Inland Empire brewing

11902529_10102772115016250_8905767293887676579_nRating: 5.35/6

Victoria by Inland Empire brewing is an 11% ABV American Strong Ale brewed with Orange zest and Orange Blossom Honey.

Label:
Named after Victoria Avenue in Riverside where we get oranges to hand zest. The orange zest lends a slight bitterness, which together with the hops, creates a unique citrus flavor and aroma. Orange blossom honey is also added to augment the already apparent malt flavors. Enjoy!

==Introduction==

Inland Empire is making some great brews as I heard but this is actually the first time I get a shot at one of these brews. I got this one at craftshack.com since I have yet to even see one in my side of the neighborhood. At 11% ABV, American Strong this seems like a winner as there aren’t many American Strong beers out there that are purely Strong and do not belong to a specific style but are very rich in flavor. If that is the case, then this one must awesome! Let’s take a look a this one. Cheers!

Aromas:
Great amount of malty deliciousness like caramel, orange honey blossom flowers, honey, maple, Oranges, Blood Oranges, Citrus, Tangerines, Grapefruit hops, caramel, vanilla, rye bread, mango, butterscotch, sourdough bread, flower notes, oak, earthy hop notes, toasted barley, butterscotch, sourdough bread, flower notes, oak, earthy hop notes, toasted barley and brown sugar.

Flavors:
Oranges, Blood Oranges, Citrus, Tangerines, Grapefruit hops, rich honey, rich toffee, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, rye bread, mango hints, butterscotch, sourdough bread, flower notes, oak, earthy hop notes, toasted barley, toasted coconut hints, dark fruit raisins, dates, figs, dark cherries, stone fruit apricots, honey dew melon, dragon fruit hints, passion fruit, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, flan hints, brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk hints.

Aftertaste:
Grapefruit hops, rich honey, toffee, vanilla, stone fruit, dark fruit, earthy hints and toasted coconut hints. No alcohol in the taste, medium to full deep amber and honey body, creamy, syrupy and velvety mouthfeel and way too easy to drink despite the ABV and should be take in carefully.

Overall:
Reminding me of Double Bastard but with more citrus and honey flavors, this beer is pretty damn exceptional! For being named after a Mexican Lager, this is not that light lager beer and is a completely different Victoria! The dangerous part about this beer is its drinkability. I almost finished the bottle just by trying to figure out all the goodies this posses. Citrus, Honey, Malty goodness and all around awesome. A definite winner and one I will need to seek again if I can find it. If you can find it, it is a must win win!

Anime Corner:
Reiko Mikami from Ghost Sweeper Mikami was used in this pairing as I wanted to contrast the rich flavors of the beer such as the orange, honey, complex fruits and malts as well as complement the label. Mikami shows her flavors like orange and honey of her hair, green hops in her eyes and her dress of complex dark fruits. She is strong in the show as represented by the ABV and it is her sexiness that makes this beer attractive and smooth.

Sources:
http://i.imgur.com/tBvrMzv.jpg

White Dog IPA by El Segundo Brewing of California

1234344_10101406244461790_1270308687_n 1016498_10101406244526660_109971997_nRating: 4.85/5

White Dog IPA by El Segundo Brewing of California is a 6.9% ABV India Pale Ale brewed with 50% wheat (Wheat India Pale Ale)

Label: 
Named for Rob’s dog, the White alludes to our use of 50% wheat instead of barley in this beer. Aside from that though, this beer has very little in common with what most people consider a “wheat” beer. The wheat in the malt bill gives the beer a lighter texture and mouthfeel, and helps to accentuate the bright citrus characters of the fruity West Coast and New Zealand hops we use. The result is an IPA that Hop Heads will love, but that is immediately approachable for most people.
___

Been meaning to get a review going for this beer. The first time I had tried it on tap at Jean Simmons Rock N’ Brews in Torrance California I was very amazed. This beer almost had that Heady Topper type of flavor. At the time the brewery in El Segundo had not released any bottles of this until recently. The last time I had had it was at their brewery which I still thought, freaking amazing IPA. To add wheat to make it somewhat of a hybrid wheat IPA is freaking amazing.

Aromas are of grassy, piney, grapefruit and tropical hops, orange juice, pineapple, coriander, mango, kiwi, lemon, dragon fruit, passion fruit notes, biscuit and caramel

The flavors are of sweet oranges, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, grassy, pine and tropical hops, biscuit bread hints, coriander, wheat bread, honey dew melon, dragon fruit notes, passion fruit notes, kiwi, caramel notes, honey nectar, and tangerines

After taste leaves off like an orange zest, hop bitterness and a bit of tropics. The beer is moderately easy to drink and quite the refreshing beer.

Overall, this is one of those IPA that if you love some nice hop tropical and somewhat dank type of IPAs, you are sure to like this one. Even people that do not like bitter IPAs, are welcomed slowly into this one. Nothing too bitter and pleasant for even the non-IPA drinker. Here is to you young Heady Topper in the making.

Elysian Mortis Sour Persimmon Ale

27898_10100933685269200_1297530019_nRating: 4/5

This is a series from Elysian, The 12 Beers of the Apocalypse. “The End is Beer”
Beer#11 (November) Mortis is a 6% ABV Sour Persimmon Wild Ale.

Mortis or Death is in reference to the final apocalyptic event before the ultimate judgment (after death). Regardless of what ever apocalyptic event that was stated would happen in the previous theories (Elysian Apocalypse beer reviews) of the end of the world, this is the final aftermath of those events. Ultimate annihilation, the last horseman of the of apocalypse. The event of Death befalling all mankind, animals, plants, you name it. Ultimately, whether anything happens in 12-21-2012 or whenever the true end of the world is, one thing is certain. We are all mortal and are destined to pass away at some point in time. Regardless, it doesn’t mean we can’t make the best of what time we have so far :P. I tried to match the artwork with the beer artwork as best I could. I would assume the representation of death is personified in the clutches of the serpent. LOL or you can see it as as the clutches of original sin. Whatever works, it is still bad ass pieces of art here. 

Upon opening this beer, you get a lot of the fragrance that reminds you of a saison. Some Belgian yeast, peaches, lime, orange zest, some plum and banana. The flavor is quite interesting. Starts off like a saison with like a bread and peach cobbler flavor and fades into like pilsner flavor. Persimmons tend to be a sweet fruit that leaves sorta dry with a tangy flavor. I assume that the pilsnery cereal but fruity after taste is part of the fruit. The Persimmon looks like an orange tomato but taste like a peach and orange almost but leaves the mouth dry. This beer also has some grape and vinous flavors but they are not as strong as like a Jolly Pumpkin Sour/Funky Ale. This beer tries to be more of a Brettanomyces ale (Like New Belgium Brett Beer) brewed with Persimmons. It gets better as the beer warms up. It is a pretty good beer if you enjoy Belgian or Saison beers but not to the level of Wild Ales, although some Wild Ales when made right (a la Jolly Pumpkin) can be pretty awesome.

St. Bernardus Tokyo by Brouwerij St. Bernardus in Watou Belgium

Rating: 4.25/5

St. Bernardus Tokyo by Brouwerij St. Bernardus in Watou Belgium is a 6% ABV Witbier. It was made in honor of their new pub in Tokyo. Spreading the awesomeness all over the world 🙂

Label:

This beer has been created for the opening of the St Bernardus Tokyo pub in Kanda, Tokyo Japan, that will be run in partnership with out good friend Ryohei Sugawara-San.
It is a unique , single batch brewed on February 3rd and 4th 2012
Intensely cloudy, unspiced wheat ale brewed with the use of malted wheat . The specific yeast strain of St. Bernardus and the Golding and Magnum Hops from our own hop field next to the brewery give the St. Bernardus Tokyo a citrusy aroma, a solid mouth feel , a touch of acidity with very smooth and clean finish.

The beer is somewhat lighter than most of the St. Bernardus Beers I am used to in terms of flavor and alcohol. With flavors of sweet biscuit bread with orange zest, banana cloves, peaches, apricots, apples and apple cider is noticeable. It also has some floral grassy hops in the back end but taste more lemony that bitter grapefruit and pine. This is more of session Belgium. Could be drunk with ease as it is not too over powering but still holds its own pretty good 😛