The Bruery is a small, well respected brewery out of Cali that many of my fellow beer nerd friends have been talking up for a while. All of their beer is bottle conditioned and never pasteurized. Luckily, my go-to beer store recently expanded and started carrying some of their beers. This is likely the first of many from this – keyword – intriguing, brewery.

Brewery Home: Orange County, CA

Serving Style: 750ml into Belgian beer glass

Beer Style: Saison / Farmhouse ale

Appearance: Cloudy, dark orange or rustic gold. Fine bubbles rise quickly from the head and settle back into the body with a small amount of lacing.

Aroma: Yeah! Brett! Brettanomyces to be exact. The bright twang of bacterial fermentation hangs up there with bready rye, musty/sweaty aromas. There is a fair amount of spice balancing the yeast and bread notes; coriander? grains of paradise? It ends generally sweet (maybe with some citrus?!), hints of aged hops in the background. Enjoying swirling up my glass for the unique bouquet!

Taste: Intriguing; my first impression is that the flavor does not bring the same bright profile as found in the aroma. I can detect a mix of rye and Brett twang that melds with bready malts. The spices follow soon after but they are accompanied by a dull bitterness that can almost be perceived as metallic in some sips. The flavor has some phenolic qualities – hints of green apple and ginger-like flavors – that ebb to and fro on the pallet. Light alcohol burn, likely from the higher fermentation temperatures typical for the style. Medium mouthfeel.

ABV: 8.5% ABV

Drink one or all?: One got me all warm.

Cost: $12/750ml

Overall: +16/20. Intriguing but not exceptional. Look for more from this brewery.