Review Date 7/20/2015
Try?
Re-buy?
And here it is, my friends, beer number 5000: The Bruery Smoking Wood. That’s not 5000 beers mind you, but 5000 different beers, at least that I’ve tracked. For some reason, 5000 seems to be a significant milestone, and it’s likely to be the most significant until I hit 10,000 (I’m already on the way there at 5027 as I type). Why these nice round numbers seem more important than say, 4242 or 7777, I don’t know. But people do see them as such.
Anyway, for beer 5000 I wanted something special, hence The Bruery Smoking Wood. This was a special beer (is there any other kind from The Bruery?) that my wife bought for me last Christmas as a gift. It’s described on the label as a “Smoked Imperial Rye Porter Aged in Bourbon Barrels”.
More from the label:
Smoking Wood is brewed with a hefty amount of both rye and smoked malt, contributing to a full body and light spiciness, balanced by extended oak aging. This beer will cellar gracefully but is best enjoyed fresh. Best stored and cellared around 55 degrees F (13 degrees C) in a dark place. Ideal serving temperature is 50 degrees F (10 degrees C). Best served in a tulip or wine glass.
The Bruery Smoking Wood has a formidable alcohol content of 14% by volume for the 2014 edition with 30 IBUs, and an equally formidable price of $17.99 for a 750 ML bottle. It seems the last batch brewed in 2012 was a bit milder at 13% by volume. The Bruery website says “there are both rye barrel and bourbon barrel aged variations of this beer”. My bottle was aged in bourbon barrels.
The
Bruery Smoking Wood
pours to
a jet black color with a medium head of creamy tan foam and an intense nose of
chocolate, licorice, and woody smoke. Taking a sip, the beer has a thick, smooth
and rich mouthfeel that slides over the tongue with a luxuriant silkiness. Dark
chocolate, licorice, woody oak, and a subtle smokiness permeate the beer. The
beer has an incredibly thick and sinful body packed with an almost splintery
woodiness, oodles of roasted malts, chocolate, and smoke overtones. Spicy rye
notes and rich bourbon whisky flavors abound, along with a hint of Vanilla and
more toasty oak.
This is a very complex and wonderful sipping beer, and one that I found more and more interesting as it progressed. Given its strength, its best split with a friend or enjoyed over an evening after dinner, and perhaps on a cool night by the fire. The Bruery suggests you drink it fresh, but I suspect that’s just a sneaky way to get you to buy more. I drank mine with just a little age on it, perhaps just under a year. It was truly magnificent (if perhaps it seemed more an imperial stout than an imperial porter to me), and I wish I had another bottle to age further. I guess I’ll try to track one down, as even at the price, it’s a beer I would certainly buy and drink again.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
