The Bruery 2 Turtle Doves

Formerly brewed at The Bruery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Placentia, California USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

(From notes). Tap @ 38 Degree Ale House, Alhambra, CA (end of 2009). Color is dark brown, murky. Light brown head, quickly receding. Aroma’s: chocolate, hard roasted malt, cocoa (sweet), hints of fruit & pumpernickel bread. Flavor: medium sweet, chocolate. Strong alcohol feel (well, at 12%), heavy mouthfeel. Finishes with more chocolate and some coffee. Very nice, not too sweet, good as a nightcap.

Dark brown pour with small tan head. Aroma of chocolate, malt and a slight licorice. Taste is malty, chocolate, touch of caramel, unsweetened cocoa. Nice carbonation and mouthfeel. Cocoa and chocolate aftertaste that lasts forever. Very good.

Sampled December 2011
A vigorous pour produces an initially two finger thick, darkly amber stained, tan colored head. The beer is a concentrated amber-brown color that shows quite opaque when held up to the light. The nose smells of dark fruit, concentrated caramelized and toasted malt and even a rich toasted nuttiness; there is almost a woodiness here that is perhaps nut or perhaps malt derived (I don’t think it is from actual oak or some other wood). There is a bitter, dark / roasted edge to this beer that is just barely there; is it from the cocoa, or is it malt derived, it is too subtle for me to be sure. As the beer warms up a touch of chocolate, some definite toffee, and a raisin / prune like note become a bit more noticeable in the aroma.

The beer is quite sweet tasting up front, there is a touch of barely prickly carbonation, a whole lot of rich, chewy and viscous heft to the body, but the finish has a touch of bitterness that seems roast derived, perhaps a hint of fruity tartness and some toasted grain husk like character that provides a touch of a foil to the up-front sweetness. Deeply caramelized malt flavors remind me of toffee, a date and raisin like fruitiness and a definite molasses or brown sugar like note. There is a general nuttiness that is fairly expressive and toasted quality to this beer, though it could in theory all be malt derived (I wouldn’t specifically guess that nuts were used in the making of this beer). The alcohol provides some warming and even some spice / heat to the finish, though it does not get overly hot or detracting. Cocoa notes combine, boost, and accentuate the nuttiness here; this almost has a sweetened, brown butter like flavor to it somehow. There is an almost smokiness to this brew; most of it is likely contributed by a touch of yeast derived phenolics and there is also perhaps a touch of spiciness, though the yeast most noticeably comes through in the ample, dark fruit character that forms the core of this beer. This is quite the sipping brew, it is sweet, even somewhat cloying at times, it really has a density to it as it rests / clings to the palate; this is a beer to be sipped in small quantities over an evening for sure.

I really like the rich, yet subdued nuttiness that is in this brew; it plays really well with the rich malt and helps to balance the big sweetness that this beer has. The nuttiness, when combined with the fruitiness, and sweetness, seems to remind me quite a bit of amaretto even. This is a bit too sweet, surely some years of age will help with this immensely though; this is likely a beer that will easily go the distance; with more nuttiness and sherry notes that come with age and help to temper the sweetness, this will likely be drinking quite divinely within about 4 years and perhaps even to 2020, or whenever this is supposed to last to. I definitely think this beer will actually improve quite a bit with some more age on it, though I wonder what piquancy it has lost in the two years since its release.

24-12-11 Bouteille 750ml: De couleur brune foncée, effervescence normale et mousse beige asser abondante. Premeirs arômes légèrement déplaisant d’olives vertes, mais suivi pas de notes de caramel, de pacanes, avec une touche de chocolat et d’alcool. Sucrée, avec une petite amertume. Saveurs bien décrites sur l’étiquette, avec du caramel, des pacances grillées et du chocolat. Bière enveloppante, qui est cependante un peu difficile à boire, qui fini par taper un peu sur le coeur et qui peut donner des petits maux de tête le lendemain!

Bottle (’09) sampled Christmas Eve ’11 Powerful cocoa nib flavors are deep and nut-roasty, augmented by the pecans. Belgian yeasts in the background, moderately subdued. Very, very sweet. Tastes nice now, but we’ll see how I feel further along into the bottle. As a previous reviewer noted, this one comes on like an imperial stout but goes out (somewhat) like a sweet Belgian strong.

Courtesy Secret Santa ’11. Thanks! Aroma was perfect. Big, rolling and full mix of heavy chocolate, dark fruit and just a hint of Belgian yeast.Pour was a deep dark brown/near black with no bubbles and a quickly disappearing tan head. Taste was very full and delicious. The heavy chocolate and roasted malt in the front would lead me to believe this was an imperial stout. However, mid swallow the mouth was washed over with plum, fig and dates. The Belgian yeast bites in the aftertaste. Very well done beer!

Bottle from South Bay Drugs and Liquor: Poured a dark brownish mahogany color with a thick and fluffy pillow of foam for its head. Rich and robust aroma that greets the nose with an overload of memories such as Belgian dark chocolate, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, spicy yeast, fruitcake, and a minor nuttiness in the faint distance. The flavor is strong with character and allows for syrupy sweet dark malts that grab all the attention while still letting some room for the slightly spiced Belgian yeast. There are other flavors too that are completely undeniable to my tongue such as the sweet taste of a sugar cube, maple syrup, vanilla extract, milk chocolate, cream soda and either a finish of rompope or a melted root beer float. Incredible balance going on between all the ingredients they actually did use and the carbonation was near perfect. This is a mighty fine example of what a Christmas beer is and I hope I will be able to find more of this when it becomes closer to X-mas

Two year old bottle. Deep black color with some brown hues. Surprisingly big brown head on the top. The nose is full of cocoa and nuts. The taste is quite nutty with a good amount of dark fruit and cocoa. I loved this beer when it was new and love it even more with the age on it.