The Bruery and Cigar City Marron Acidifie

Another day at the parents means another opportunity for me to break out one of the beers I left in their crawl space.  Who says parents are good for nothin' (jokes! just jokes I swear!)?  I picked this one way back in college and have been looking forward to it for a while now.  At a little over 3 years old, I figured it was time to open this one up.  Oh, and it's another Bruery beer.  Shocker.

The Bruery/Cigar City Marron Acidifie Collaboration

Appearance- A dark brown ruby color, rather hazy.  Small, bubbly, tan head that disappears almost completely leaving only a small circle around the glass and small patches.

Smell- Deep, rich smell of dark fruits, mostly cherry and currants.  Some slight vinegar tart character followed by vanilla and wood.

Taste- Smoother than I thought it would be.  The rich, dark fruits come through to give the beer a solid backbone.  Cherries and currants slowly mold into leather and tobacco undertones.  A slightly sour base begins to pick up in the middle and builds through the finish.  The finish of the beer spikes that sour and finishes much like a red wine with a noticeable wood flavor imparted from the barrel.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with low carbonation.  Very dry finish with a mild sour.

Overall- Although this might not be a mouth puckering sour that some are looking for, but it makes up for that in its overall complexity.  Age seems to have melded together the flavors nicely.

2010 Three Floyds Dark Lord

Well, coming home for Thanksgiving means one thing... drinking all the beer I leave at my parents.  Over the years I gathered some things here, but unfortunately forget to get to much when I come home.  However, I figured it was time to open up the Darklord that some forgettable clown got for me.  Blah blah blah, some other bad joke of mine.

2010 Three Floyds Dark Lord


Appearance- An opaque motor oil black with very little tan carbonation.  There is a small ring around the glass with faint remnants of carbonation throughout.

Smell- Strong roasted/burnt malts.  Hints of coffee (brewed with Intelligentsia) with dark fruits of currants and plums.  A musty, maybe slightly oxidized scent that finishes with a strong alcohol.

Taste- The burnt malt isn't as strong or overpowering.  A slight chocolate malt and dark chocolate taste.  Strong acidic coffee with burnt dark currants.  Some small amounts of vanilla and bitter coffee finish.  A warming alcohol finish, but not harsh considering the high alcohol content.  A little time stowed away seems to have helped this one.

Mouthfeel- Thick and chewy body that coats the mouth from the first sip.  Minimal carbonation with a warming alcohol finish.

Overall- Although I never had a fresh beer to compare this to, I'm going to state that the age helped this one.  For such a big beer, very smooth.  Some oxidation seems to have crept in, but nonetheless, quite the graduation gift that paid off 4 years later.

Southern Tier Warlock

I have quite the gift at neglecting this blog thing.  That being said, I have a lot of notes I have taken on various beers and brew days since my last update, and hopefully I can go back in fill in those days soon.  Apparently doing law things takes up time and unfortunately, at this point, drinking beer is not an adequate excuse for me not getting things done.  So why not start this back up with a pumpkin beer that will most certainly cause me to complain and gripe like usual?  Well, tis the season!

Southern Tier Warlock

Appearance: A brownish black color with small head composed of tiny tang bubbles that disappears completely.  Almost reminds me of a Coke.

Smell: Unsurprisingly, pumpkin pie spices dominate with roasted malt playing a supporting rile.  Behind the spices I can discern a small amount of real pumpkin/squash.

Taste: A small amount of roasted malt quickly turns to pumpkin pie spices of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Very little of an actual pumpkin taste as the beer finishes slightly bitter and a touch of alcohol.  

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly it is medium bodied with medium-low carbonation.

Overall and Notes: Hard to actually call this an imperial stout as it is labeled.  I would have preferred the beer to have more stout characteristics rather than relying so much on pumpkin pie spices.  But, alas, I am once again drinking another pumpkin beer, so what did I expect?

Rue D'Floyd (Three Floyds and The Bruery Collaboration)

I was lucky enough to get my hands on both of the version of Rue D'Floyd.  However, I was unlucky enough to then find out from The Bruery that there were signs of infection in the beer.  Per their instructions, I decided to drink them before June 30th just in case.  Such are the prices you pay when you are making sweet beer at The Bruery.

Rue D'Floyd

This version is an imperial porter aged in bourbon barrels with cherries, coffee, and vanilla beans.

Appearance- Opaque black with a small tan head.  The head disappears almost completely with little to no lacing.

Smell- Strong scent of oak and vanilla, almost overpowering.  Dark fruits somewhat noticeable along with the dark roasty malts and kinds of coffee.

Taste- Unsurprisingly, the vanilla and oak smack you in the face (nose?) to begin.  The cherries are distinguishable towards the middle, but becomes sickly sweet.  The end slips into a lingering roasty flavor that pairs with a rich vanilla as a hot alcohol finishes off the beer.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied with low carbonation.  Finishes with noticeable alcohol warmth.

Overall- Beer is a little too overwhelming at this point.  I think it could be helped with some aging, but unfortunately that was not much of an option this time around.

Floyd D'Rue

This version is an imperial porter aged in rum barrels with spices added

Appearance- Opaque black with a fizzy dark brown head that barely appears before it is completely gone.  Absolutely no lacing.

Smell- Much like the last version, vanilla dominates with the addition of some heavy spices that almost seem in the vein of a Christmasy/nutmeg beer.

Taste- Starts similar to the smell with a heavy dose of vanilla, but the rum barrel is more prominent.  Towards the middle some light dark fruit flavors with roasted/burnt malt, but the vanilla is overpowering.  The beer finishes with strong, hot alcohol that is paired with the burnt malt.

Mouthfeel- Thick motor oil sensation with very minimal carbonation.  Hot alcohol that could use some time to cool off.

Overall- Much like the last version, this is quite an hot beer.  Once again, no time to age so I was forced to drink this one a little too early.

Hair of the Dog - Ruth

I believe I mentioned a while ago that my friend came back from Portland bearing gifts.  This included my first chance at trying Hair of the Dog.  Unfortunately, I forgot to post this after I drank it/took notes. So sue me?

Hair of the Dog - Ruth

Appearance- Clear Straw yellow color with a small fizzy head.  Little to no lacing.

Smell- Herbal smell with lemony citrus hops.  Doughy/bready malt character with some residual sweetness.

Taste- A subdued lemon with a fairly underwhelming malt sweetness.  Crackery middle is accompanied by a very mild bitterness.  Some bitterness continues into the finish with a lingering sweetness.

Mouthfeel- Surprisingly low carbonation and a medium light body.

Overall- A bit underwhelming first try from this brewery.  Tastes like there is not much beyond some yeast esters.  Further, the lack of carbonation made this one harder to drink.

Half Acre 2023M Soft Sour Ale

I have been yelling at people for sometime that Chicago is ripe for some sour beer brewing, so I got a little excited when my friend at Half Acre threw their new sour beer my way.  Not only are they the masters of Big Hugs, but when you have wonderful employees helping you out, what more can you ask for?  A lot of things is the answer, but whatever.

Half Acre 2023M Soft Sour Ale

Appearance- A surprisingly clear orange color.  A rough pour produced a small egg shell white head, but it disappears quickly.

Smell- Distinct trpical fruits, mango and pineapple shine through most prominently. Noticeable caramel malt smell in the background.  Tart, lemony, and slight hay character apparent throughout.

Taste- Tropical fruits with the mango in front.  Surprising amount of malt sweetness.  A lemony hay character with a slight basement musty taste finishes out the beer.  Just the slightest tart character.

Mouthfeel- Medium-light body with low carbonation.  No dry finish like you would expect with a sour.

Overall: "Soft" sour is right.  Where is the sour?  The beer generally lacks any umph or really distinguishing qualities.  I know that this is not meant to be an incredibly sour beer, or maybe Half Acre is fighting back against the idea that more sour is better, and maybe I am just a tad bit biased, but its efforts come up a little short here.

Brett Trois IPA

A while ago I brewed a Brett Trois IPA and was too lazy to post the recipe and such.  Being doubly lazy, I also forgot to post the tasting of it!  The Brett Trois IPA follows a general IPA recipe, but in a bought of naming creativity, uses Brett Trois as the choice of yeast.  Although brettanomyces is often associated with given funky/barnyard tastes, that does not accurately reflect its capabilities.  Luckily, there are individuals to explain its complexities for those of us who lack the ability to communicate effectively.  Long story short, Brett Trois can give off some pretty great fruity characteristics that work perfectly with the hops in an IPA.

Brett Trois IPA

Appearance- A very murky orange brown with a small bubbly white head.  Noticeable lacing on the side of the glass.

Smell- A lot of grassy hops with noticeable resin.  Some sweet pineapple behind the hops along with caramel and a rich malt.

Taste- Grassy hops hit firs but meld into a well balanced pineapple and slight mango flavor.  Ass the beer slides into the finish, there is a slight candy quality before inching back into the grassy hops and a slight alcohol taste.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied with moderate but prickly carbonation.  Slightly sweet finish.

Overall and Notes- Probably my best beer to date.  However, next time I will beer on dry hops for less time in order to avoid the large grassy character.