Tradition.. on it's Ear: The Bruery tasting @ The Bluebird

woah... i haven't posted anything in a while (sorry nate)

"We are a small craft brewery that specializes in Belgian-style ales. Our calling is to create beers with character and depth using the simplest and purest of means. We do not filter or pasteurize our beers. All of our bottled beers gain carbonation through 100% bottle conditioning, allowing carbonation to naturally occur through a secondary bottle fermentation. We strive to use unconventional ingredients, and we proudly state what we put into our beers."

The past year or so I've really started to develop a more focused beer palate. I've found that in the process of developing my beer palette I concentrate more on the beers I don't like, and ask myself why. Usually when I find out the technical details of a beer that I don't like, something is out of balance or they are trying too hard to add/do something different. Unlike wine, beers are recipe driven so I feel like creating balance in beer should be easier than wine. There are more variables in beer yes, but a seasoned winemaker has to really pay attention to his or her variables and manipulate on the fly. When looking at both craft brewing in winemaking with all of these factors at play, those who really pay attention to tradition & simplicity are the ones that can in the end make the modifications to eventually reach a truly unique wine or brew. Of course with beer there is room for playing with recipes, but I think that beers like these from The Bruery all taste like they are from the same brewer. I love it when I can taste the 'style' of a brewer or winemaker. In Austria last year I became even more hooked on Johannes Hirsch wines and I could probably pick out one of them blind from a mile away. He is another example of somebody who truly understands tradition but, not without skepticism, does it HIS way... in his case keeping just the faintest bit of residual sugar. Austrians typically like their wines extremely acidic and young. At the tasting with Johannes we learned what 10 years does to those wines and then you really begin to taste their efforts of creating their own style of wines.

Tasting these wonderful brews from The Bruery I'm immediately impressed with their branding: sophisticated & minimal labeling with a steady theme throughout all packaging, however, am even more enamored by their ability to craft true Belgian-style and run with it.

The lineup: Orchard White, Rugbrød, Saison Rue, Mischief, Hottenroth Berliner Weisse, Saison De Lente, Oude Tart, White Oak

Didn't waste any time, I went straight for it... the beer I knew I'd be most critical over, the Oude Tart. Slight oakyness from aging in red wine barrels leads to a leathery dark fruity character on the nose... I wanted to keep smelling it forever but it also begged to be drunk. My tasting notes read, "This is easily the best domestic sour I've ever had." Coming from my last post about the Ska sour, this is what I'M TALKING ABOUT!

The Orchard White, hazy, typical to this style with coriander & citrus peel includes lavender added to the boil. Lavender apparent on the nose gives this a new approach to this style but I think works pretty well considering I put this style of beer under the aromatic category. Rolled oats were also added for texture. I tend to like my witbiers pretty racy, I thought the oats took this away a bit.

Rugbrød, deeelicious... definitely up my alley. A Julebryg-style strong brown ale. Inspired by the traditional Danish dark whole-grain rye bread. Nutty malts with bready and roasty elements in perfect balance.

The Saison De Lente is their Spring Saison with a great rustic brettanomyces character. ABV 6.5%... I could drink this stuff every day, one of the highlights of the tasting.

The Hottenroth Berliner Weisse is quite unique. A few tart reactions and whispers around the room led me over to the table with the meat & olives before sipping this one. Tart indeed, with the wheat really coming out. Definitely a food beer, not a quaffer.

Why do all hoppy beers have to have some sort of keen or edgy name? I guess it's because most of the time they are plowing you over with toungue-numbing bitterness. Mischief, stays true to the name here and tiptoes around your palette with grace. The vibrant hop nose led me to believe I wouldn't like it, despite its deep and complex nose of melon & pear. "Fiendishly" (American) dry-hopped, I'm filled with joy to say that I LOVED this. 8.5% abv, lil high, but wow the balance here you just don't find in many beers done in this style.

White Oak, wildly unique. Rarely do you see a 12% abv beer this color. Light golden hue, unripe peach & oaky vanilla on the nose. The bourbon barrel aged wheat wine is blended with fresh Belgian-style Golden Strong ale to give this beer it's... well I can't even say. It's not something I'd drink, but I'm impressed with how smooth, yet not too rich, it is. I actually got some banana like qualities on the finish too.

Big thanks to Jason Baldacci @ The Bluebird for continuing to bring in QUALITY tastings. Cheers homie.. here's to you!