9 Ladies Dancing

Review Date 12/22/2020  By John Staradumsky

           

Oh, those canny folks at The Bruery! You’re probably already aware, but they released a line of 12 beers named for the classic Christmas song, The 12 Days of Christmas. These are potent brews packaged in 750 ML bottles (they also sell them packaged half that size in a case of the entire collection, if you can ever find that). They recommend aging them and drinking them all together, a sly way to get you to buy two bottles of each. One for now, one for later.

For my part (when I can find them) I have bought one-for later. Which is why December of 2021 finds me ready to tell you about The Bruery 9 Ladies Dancing, bottled in 2016. The Bruery calls this Ale with Cacao Nibs, Vanilla, Coffee and Lactose Added.

On the reverse label they say:

Here’s a pick me up for the latest verse in our Twelve Days of Christmas™ series. Inspired by flavors and ingredients found in a tiramisu, including lady fingers, 9 ladies Dancing mimics the Italian dessert by whipping together flavor combinations and layers on its own. This includes notes of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee-clearly the leading ladies in this rich, dessert-like beer.

The Bruery 9 Ladies Dancing has an alcohol content of 11.3% by volume and I paid $13.99 for my 750 ML bottle.

The Bruery 9 Ladies Dancing pours to a murky mahogany color with a thick fluffy tan head and a nose of cocoa, coffee, and vanilla. Taking a sip, the beer is medium to full in body with notes of cocoa, espresso, and vanilla. I get green olive in the nose and palate, incongruous to a Tiramisu, but this is tasty all the same. Some marshmallow appears in the palate, and I do get impressions of Espresso-soaked cake here.

This is, for me anyway, the weakest entry yet in the series, but to be fair all of the prior beers have been simply stellar. The green olive notes are strange, perhaps a product of the aging, but The Bruery does advocate aging this beer up to 3 years (I went a few over that). This one should be re-released in 2028, so we will try it again then, if we can find it. Sadly, Two Turtle Doves, the 2021 release, is nowhere to be found in the Atlanta area (and believe me, I have looked).

5 Golden Rings

6 Geese a Laying

7 Swans a Swimming

8 Maids a Milking

 

 

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??

 

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled, Canned

(D)=Draft





 

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