The Bruery Partridge in a Pear Tree Beer Review

Partridge in a Pear Tree

Review Date 8/8/2022 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.

But, what do you do when you are the Bruery and you reach the end of your 12-year run? Why, you start all over again, that’s what you do! In 2020, The Bruery relaunched their classic holiday lineup, re-releasing Partridge in a Pear Tree, a Belgian-style quadruple ale brewed with spices.

I missed this beer the first time around, and in fact did not find any of these brews until the 5^th release. I almost missed this re-release, too, as Covid stopped the Bruery from sending beer to Georgia in 2020, or so I was told at Total Wine. I did spy the beer on Craftshack.com, and that is where I got this bottle.

The Bruery says on the label:

Tradition and innovation, consider this a blend. We innovated by staying the course. This quadruple ale sings traditionally familiar notes of dark sugar, caramel, spice, and a Bruery twist with the addition of poached pear, for a well balanced, fruit-forward, ale. Meant to be shared over special occasions with family and friends.

I didn’t drink my bottle of Partridge in a Pear Tree that winter, wanting to age it a bit, though not as long as I am normally wont to do. I drank it during my July 2022 Christmas in July celebration, with about a year and a half of age on it. It was glorious indeed.

The Bruery Partridge in a Pear Tree has an alcohol content of 11.3% by volume and I paid $10.75 for my bottle from Craftshack, a decent price indeed since Total Wine was selling it for $11.99 in 2020. Just not in Georgia.

The Bruery Partridge in a Pear Tree pours to a murky brown color with a moderate creamy tan head of foam and a nose of luscious plum, pear, and spice. Taking a sip, the beer is full in body with dark plummy fruit notes, hints of caramel and brown sugar. It’s yeasty and big boozy with hints of pear, vanilla, and clove at the last.

Not getting any partridge but hey, that's my only complaint here.

Would I buy it again? Try and stop me folks. This one is simply incredible, for Christmas in July and, I’m sure, December.