This month The Bruery released two ales, first through their Bruery Preservation Society and then to the public. Both are imperial stouts with heavy cacao nib flavors. We couldn’t resist opening a couple of bottles.

First up is The Bruery Share This O.C., the third in the brewery’s “Share This” series of brews, meaning one dollar of each bottle sold is donated to Food Forward charity. Besides the Tcho cacao nibs, this stout also has orange zest and vanilla beans added. The chocolate fills your nose instantly as you tilt the glass of this ale toward your lips, with its dark chocolate body and creamy caramel head. It continues to dance across your palate, lingering thorough to the end. The orange is there but remains a muted partner, like a thin veil. The vanilla, as it does in cooking, nicely rounds out the other flavors. This ale is very smooth and would pair nicely with a mandarin orange cheesecake. 11% abv. A+ / $15 per 750ml bottle

The Bruery Chocolate Rain is heavier on the chocolate than Share This O. C. It is also a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout, which is immediately evident at the first sip. If you like The Bruery’s It’s Black Tuesday, you’ll be pleased to know this is similar, previously released as a single casked version in 2011. Chocolate Rain’s body is very dark; even black in low light. The head is nice but vanishes in seconds. The cocoa nibs used here are Tcho cacao nibs, and the flavor is followed by vanilla bean. The non-sweet cocoa scent fills your nose like sniffing cocoa powder but then intensifies on a second pass. It is strong, as are the bourbon notes, from first sip to last. It may be too strong for some folks. The vanilla does its job of bringing the flavors together without taking center stage, and the back end reveals a hint of pepper, which could be a product of the charring process on the barrel. This would go wonderfully with barbeque ribs. 19.6 abv. B+ / $40 per 750ml bottle

thebruery.com

The Bruery Chocolate Rain

$40

8.5

Rating

8.5/10

About Post Author

Kim Richards

Kim Richards lives in Santa Rosa, California. She is an author, amateur cheese maker, wine/mead maker, and a novice home brewer. She enjoys a nice cocktail while listening to live music, watching movies and mixed martial arts, or dining at home and in restaurants. She and her husband frequent festivals and love to visit breweries and distilleries.

Favorite cocktail: Old Fashioned with maple syrup.

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