The Bruery - The Wanderer

I'm kind of a big fan (read: the biggest homer ever) for The Bruery's sours. As far as quantity AND quality go, I don't know if any American brewery can match what these guys do. And if you don't believe me, take a look at the scores of their sours on beeradvocate. Ridiculous. One of their highest regarded sours is one that got re-released to the Reserve Society last year (to my girlish screams of excitement when I heard the news). It's called The Wanderer and it's a dark sour ale aged on blackberries and cherries. It was a collaboration with City Beer Store in San Francisco a few years ago and it took silver at the Great American Beer Festival in 2011. Oh, and did I mention there's a platypus on the label? Awesome. Luckily, The Bruery decided it was time to make another batch. At #200, The Wanderer.


The Wanderer pours a dark amber color with a purplish tinge similar to Welch's Grape Juice to it. A one finger tan head drops away pretty quickly. As soon as you pour it, the room seems to be filled with the smell of tart mixed berries. As you get closer to the beer, you start to get more of a sweeter mixed berry and cream note along with some blackberry, juicy red cherry, oak, leather and some vanilla. I was excited enough to try this before opening the bottle and after smelling it, I couldn't wait to dive in.

The taste opens with a slightly lactic (and almost Greek yogurt-like) and sharply tart underripe blackberry and red cherry skin note. The Greek yogurt character isn't like anything I've ever come across in a sour, but it works really really well. Then the flavors smooth out and you get a long push of red cherry, vanilla and caramel. The finish brings things all together with an absolute explosion of new flavors. A light brown bread note, dates, underripe mixed berries, cherry skin tannins and a hint of wood round things out really nicely. This is a fantastic sour. I really hope they continue to make this.

Final Grade: A

Top 250 Beers Tasted: 129

The Bruery - Preservation Series: Shegöat

I usually try to not do two reviews of the same brewery in a row, but I picked this up from The Bruery the other day...

...so reviewing two beers from them in a row was pretty much going to be inevitable at some point. Luckily, The Bruery doesn't make a whole lot of bad beer, so tasting through all of these isn't going to suck. For one of the first ones I tasted, I went for a recent release, Shegöat, a weizenbock.

Weizenbock isn't a style I'm too familiar with, mainly because almost no one makes them. Schneider Aventinus is the most prominent example out there, but beyond that, I'm struggling to remember other weizenbocks I've tried. As a style, they're closest to Dunkelweizens (the sweeter and more tan brother of Hefeweizens), but the alcohol tends to be ratcheted up a few notches. Shegöat clocks in at a hearty 8.7%. Let's give this one a try.

Shegöat pours a deep brown (much darker than I was expecting) color with a thin, cream-colored head. The head stuck around nicely, leaving faint tracks of lace with each sip. The beer is sweet and malty on the nose, with banana, clove and dried persimmon coming to mind right away. Some spice cake and dark fruit notes are in there as well.

The taste opens sweet and malty, with some caramel, raisin bread, banana nut loaf and a good amount of brown sugar present. The finish is a touch spicy with a good amount of drawling malt sweetness and just a kiss of alcohol. The carbonation is on point, just enough to keep the sweetness of this beer from becoming cloying without detracting from the flavors in here too much. Weizenbocks haven't really been a style I've sought out much in the past, but if there are more like this one out there, that may be changing soon. Good stuff from The Bruery.

Final Grade: A-

Top 250 Beers Tasted: 127

The Bruery - Bottleworks XII

If you're going to call yourself a craft beer city, you're going to need a few things. People who want to drink your beer is a must. As is a wealth of standout breweries. But you also need a really great bottleshop. I would argue that San Diego has this in Bottlecraft. San Francisco has it in City Beer Store. And Seattle's has it in a shop that I'm dying to visit someday called Bottleworks. If you're into beer, you've probably heard of this shop before, mainly because the reputation of their anniversary beers precedes them. Every year, Bottleworks gets together with a different brewery to make an anniversary beer. And the breweries tend to be legit. Breweries like Cascade, Russian River, Stone and New Belgium have all been involved in Bottleworks anniversary beers. Almost three years ago, The Bruery made the Bottleworks 12th Anniversary release, but I didn't come close to getting a bottle. Luckily, the beer was so warmly received that they decided to brew it again last year. It's a raspberry sour that's part Witbier, part Berliner Weisse, and this time, I definitely grabbed a bottle. At #199, Bottleworks XII.


Bottleworks XII pours a hazed apricot color with a glowing, deep golden center and a one finger white head. (By the way, no picture of the actual beer here. I destroyed my phone and a replacement hasn't shown up yet. You're just gonna have to imagine how good this beer looks. My bad.) The smell presents a nice mix of coriander, lemon zest and tart mixed berries. The raspberries are definitely in there and they come through with a slightly underripe note. There's an overlaying lactic aroma here along with just a trace of brett. This is gonna be good stuff.

On the first sip, the sourness hits you right away. It's big and lactic, bringing with it a ton of lemon and some intensely tart raspberry. The base beer here is a witbier and that shows nicely, with some coriander and light wheat notes coming through in the middle. The beer finishes tart, clean and a touch dry with some jammy, ripe raspberry notes and a touch of wine barrel finishing things out. I keep hearing mixed things about The Bruery's sours, but I'm not really seeing what's not to like. Everything I've had has been phenomenal and this beer is another one they've absolutely knocked out of the park.

Final Grade: A

Top 250 Beers Tasted: 127

Clown Shoes - Genghis Pecan

The holiday formerly known as Thanksgiving is a mere days away and everyone won't stop asking me what beer I'll be bringing to my family's dinner table. OK, I lied, only one person has asked me. OK, no one has. But IF they did, there are a few beers that come to mind. Most of these beers are fall (read:pumpkin) beers, such as Dogfish Head's Punkin' Ale and The Bruery's Autumn Maple (my #1 suggestion. You know, in case you were gonna ask). But there are other beers that would fit the bill. And when I saw Clown Shoes' new beer, Genghis Pecan, I thought I had another lined up for sure.


Everything about Genghis Pecan as a Thanksgiving beer works on paper. Like pretty much every other Clown Shoes beer it has a stellar label, featuring the dreaded Mongol lobbing pecan pies at an unseen foe as turkeys wearing clown shoes are landing around him. And like pretty much every other Clown Shoes beer, it has a name that's definitely a conversation starter. And a pecan pie porter? How could that not be good? This seems like a shoe-in for a recommendation for Thanksgiving Dinner. Let's check it out.

Genghis Pecan pours a deep drown color, almost the color of maple syrup. A one finger mocha colored head forms immediately and leaves some faint traces of lace after each sip. Everything about this beer's label screams "dessert beer," so I was expecting a ton of sweetness from the smell. But it never really showed. Instead, the smell was incredibly faint, with traces of earthy malt and yeast. The yeast had just a tinge of Belgian yeast sweetness to it. There was also a trace of almond meal and the oil of pecan skins.

The taste opens with some lightly roasted malt and just a hint of cola nut before the flavors drop off and go comatose. It's the strangest middle of a beer I've ever come across. There's just nothing there. Finally, it revives itself and a fairly brief finish shows some toasted walnut, pecan nut oil, faint brown sugar and some raisin. These flavors are so brief, though, that they really feel like an afterthought. The mouthfeel is probably the best part of this beer. It's slick and just a touch heavy, providing the perfect medium for an awesome dessert beer. But unfortunately, in this case, it's kind of like putting an awesome frame around a blank canvas.

So my friends, it is with great regret that I recommend you choose something else to drink for your Thanksgiving meals. Genghis Pecan just never lives up to all of its great promises. I love the concept and love the design, but the execution just wasn't there. I'd like to wish a very happy and safe Thanksgiving to all of you out there. Whether it's beer, wine, or something else, may your glasses be filled with something more interesting than Genghis Pecan.

Final Grade: C

Top 250 Beers Tasted: 130

The Bruery - Melange No.3

In case you didn't know this already, I'm a pretty big fan of The Bruery. This year has been my first year as a Reserve Society member (which gives you access to awesome limited beers and events) and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to stay one for as long as the Reserve Society exists. Every beer they release sounds better than the last, and the beers they've hinted at being in the lineup next year sound amazeballs (rum barrel-aged Black Tuesday, anyone?). Anyways, while savoring yet another fantastic new beer in The Bruery's lineup a few weeks ago, it dawned on me that I hadn't reviewed some of The Bruery's classics. Melange No. 3 would be one of the first to fall into that category.

Melange No. 3 has been part of The Bruery's lineup for a few years now and is undoubtedly (to me, at least) one of the better beers they make. It's also unique in that it's a blend of three of The Bruery's other beers (White Oak Sap, their Anniversary beer (this year, it was Bois), and the infamous Black Tuesday). Because of the beastly ABVs of its three components (led by Black Tuesday's 18% ABV), it should come as no surprise that this is a big boy. A 15.5% big boy. So let's put on our big boy pants and check this one out. At #66- Melange No. 3.

Melange No. 3 pours a deep cola color, similar to The Bruery's anniversary beers. Because of the high ABV, I was pleasantly surprised to see a fairly large tan head form off the pour. It didn't last long, however, as after a minute, nearly all of it had been sucked back into the viscous liquid. The aroma is deep and sweet, with toffee, vanilla, bourbon, caramel, a hint of coconut and some toasted brown sugar.

The taste opens sweet, similar to the smell, with a big dollop of molasses, burnt caramel and milk chocolate covered raisin. There's some dark fruit in there as well, with black cherries being the first thing that came to mind. The middle shows some chocolate and sweet bourbon before diving into a finish of toasted oak and brown sugar. There's a hint of warmness on the swallow and the mouthfeel is a touch thick, but other than that, the massive amount of alcohol in here is very well concealed. I'm going to have to get a lot more of this. Melange No. 3 is an absolute keeper.

Top 250 Beers Tasted: 126

The Bruery - Mash & Grind

Two nights ago, fantasy football season officially started for me. After weeks of anxious waiting, countless mock drafts and pre-draft trash talk at work (where all of the other league members are), the real draft finally happened. I hate being the bearer of bad news, but being on my team tends to be the kiss of death for pretty much any player I draft (quarterbacks, kickers, team mascots, etc.). In fact, by Week 3 last year, I was forced to change my team name to "Injured Reserve." So I'm sorry, fans of Green Bay, Indianapolis and St. Louis. You may want to start drinking heavily now because a bunch of your star players are likely in for a world of hurt this season.

And if you plan on drinking heavily, what better way to do it than to start with what I was sipping on draft night, The Bruery's new 12.5% barleywine, Mash & Grind? As a Reserve Society Member, I've gotten to enjoy a TON of new beer from The Bruery this year. Mash & Grind (along with it's sister beer, Mash) is yet another new addition to the lineup and is a bourbon barrel-aged barleywine that is brewed with coffee from Portola Coffee Lab, a company The Bruery has teamed up with on a few beers before this one.

Mash & Grind pours a rich, deep brown color with caramel highlights on the edge. A one-finger, creamy tan head forms immediately, but simmers down quickly, leaving nothing buy a few small swirls on the surface. The coffee is immediately evident on the nose, with rich and earthy dark roasted coffee notes showing right away. Caramel, booze soaked raisin and toffee can all be found as well, along with a bit of a dark chocolate covered berry note. Very inviting.

The taste opens up with a nice wave of earthy coffee, then progresses to notes of toffee and some spicy, earthy hops. Caramel and vanilla hit in the middle, with some bourbon and just a touch of boozy heat sneaking in on the finish. For a beefy beer, the mouthfeel is remarkably light, never coming close to feeling heavy or syrupy. I think I enjoyed the standard version of Mash a bit more than this one, but I do feel like the coffee was a really nice addition. This is another top notch beer from The Bruery and was a great sipper during the draft. Good luck to all of you playing fantasy football this year and especially to all of you who are unlucky enough to be fans of the teams I listed above. You're gonna need it.

Final Grade: A-

Top 250 Beers Tasted: 127

The Bruery - Sour in the Rye with Kumquats

The kumquat is a pretty fantastic fruit. In fact, it might be one of my favorite fruits. My grandparents used to have a kumquat tree in their backyard that seemed to always be loaded with fruit. So at any given family event, it was a pretty sure bet that the tree was getting its load lightened significantly by my sisters and I.


Kumquats are awesome, but they're also pretty different. They're the only citrus that I can think of that you can eat without the hassle of having to deal with a peel. Just pick and scarf. They're also very seldom used in the kitchen, unlike a lot of other citrus out there. They're not the sweetest fruit,
but they are delicious (plus, if you get sick of eating them, they make great projectiles for when a nearby acquaintance (friend, sister, grandma, cat, etc.) isn't paying attention). So I was pretty excited when The Bruery announced that they were going to be bottling a version of their Sour in the Rye beer with kumquats. Let's check this bad boy out.

Sour in the Rye with Kumquats pours a murky copper color with a glowing orange core. A small head formed initially, but fizzed away into nothing pretty quickly. Looks-wise, this beer was a little disappointing, but any disappointment I may have felt went out the window the second I smelled it. The kumquat aroma coming off this beer is fantastic. It almost smells like someone grated a bunch of kumquat zest over my glass right before I took a sniff. There's also a spicy rye aroma that goes great with the natural zestiness of the kumquats. In the background, I picked up some faint lemon, oak, tangerine zest and vanilla. As far as beer smells go, this one is top notch.

The kumquats aren't featured quite as much in the flavor as they are in the aroma, but this beer still tastes amazing. It opens with a drawling lemon/lacto sour note across the palate with a touch of underripe green grapes in the background. The middle is smooth with a hint of grain and rye and gives you a quick respite from the sourness before the finish slams you with a hit of sour that's all kumquat. To me, the finish was less kumquat flesh than the skin and oil of the kumquat, which leaves a sort of spicy bitterness as the final note.

As far as sour beers go, this one is top notch. I didn't think Sour in the Rye could get any better, but the kumquats really take this beer to another level. I'm really glad The Bruery decided to bottle this one. Kind of bummed I only bought two bottles though.

Final Grade: A

Top 250 Beers Tasted: 129

The Bruery- Coton

After taking 2 months to write my Hood to Coast piece, you better believe I have a few beers to review. I've been very busy trying out new styles and new breweries and I'm going to try to get a lot of reviews up in the next few days. Let's start with a biggie.

The Bruery is a relatively new brewery based out of Placentia, California. They make some of the most coveted beers on the market right now, including one called "Black Tuesday;" a once a year release that packs a punch at nearly 20% ABV. Wowsers. They try some pretty different styles and for their second anniversary, they released a beer called Coton.

I had heard a little bit about Coton and was definitely interested in trying it. However, with beers from The Bruery being pretty hard to find with the exception of 2 or 3, I figured I might not get the chance. Then my girlfriend and I were having dinner with some friends in Culver City and I noticed that they had Coton on their specials list. Sold. There was just one problem. I assumed the beer would come in a small goblet or pint glass at the most, but soon the waiter brought out a 22oz. bomber of it and a glass. Uh oh. I checked the label to see how strong it was- 14.5 %. It was going to be a long night. I poured a glass and had a look.

To tell you the truth, I've never been so taken back just by looking at a beer as I have by Coton. It poured a thick dark brown color that was almost black and had no head or hint of carbonation at all. I took a whiff and it smelled like soy sauce. I couldn't believe what I had gotten myself into. Then I took a sip.

The taste of Coton takes you places most beers don't go. It's classified as an Old Ale, which means that it is typically aged a bit longer and has a higher alcohol content than most other ales. A portion of Coton is aged in bourbon barrels, so the smell definitely has a bit of heat to it from the bourbon. For a beer that smelled so strange, the taste was really surprising. It was full of dark fruits and pleasantly sweet. I picked up a strong flavor of raisin and hints of plum, burnt brown sugar, a bit of the alcohol, smoke, caramel, molasses and fig. That's a lot going on for a beer that smells like soy sauce. As it warms, the flavors open up even more and the smell definitely becomes more complex.

The mouthfeel of the beer is very thick and syrupy, but it works somehow with the flavors. To tell the truth, it almost feels more like drinking a brandy than a beer. It's really a unique experience.

Coton is a beer that is not meant to be pounded. It's one that needs to be sipped and shared to be truly appreciated. I would absolutely try this again if given the chance. As I was drinking it, I couldn't help but think it tasted like it was begging to be aged. I feel like a year or two of aging would make this beer really special. Still, it's a fantastic offering by the Bruery.

Final Grade: A