White Chocolate
(has 9 batches)

Bottle from De Caigny shared with Jan. Another prestigious Bruery product from a 75 luxury bottle, apparently a bourbon barrel aged wheat wine with added cocoa and vanilla. I was very curious to try this. Lightly lacing, egg-white, irregular, stable but slowly dissolving head over a peach blonde, initially clear beer, turning warmer orangey and hazy as more of the bottle goes in. The bouquet is both unique and mouthwateringly delicious: white chocolate indeed (and I love it), white chocolate mousse, vanilla pudding, but also a very creamy cheese-like, fresh diary-like quality reminiscent of feta, mozzarella and ricotta, eventually even a slight hint of blue gorgonzola; below these utterly dessert-like odours lies a rich barley- or indeed wheat wine profile with impressions of marmelade, candied banana, Kirsch, gooseberries, canned pineapple slices, dough, white port wine, yellow raisins, marzipan, whipped cream melting on a hot pancake, rum. Pineapple, dried banana, white grapes and gooseberry fruitiness in the onset, sweet but perfectly balanced by an underlying sourishness and in any case less sweet than expected based on the nose, medium carbonation, oily, full but supple, vinous mouthfeel (yet weirdly less vinous than you would expect from a beer of this strength), slick and a bit soapy due to the heavy wheat dosis. Wheat remains clear in the middle, with cereally and slightly caramelly edges, leading towards a more dryish finish with a lot of the vanilla returning retronasally, white chocolate notes indeed but less strong than expected based on the first sniff, a creamy aspect, gently drying woody tannins accentuating the vanilla factor, low spicy hop notes and, obviously, an afterglow of colourful, amaretto-like, liqueurish alcohol warming the chest. Very complex brew like all of these super-strength Bruery ales, a dessert beer in its deepest nature, like a glass of sweet sherry or white port - an ideal afterdinner beer more than anything really ’summery’. This luxury wheat wine must harbour great gastronomic potential, whether it be as an accompaniment to a sweet sabayon or bavarois, or even a cheese plate. I especially like the fresh ’cream cheese’ character in the nose - even tilting towards blue cheese for a brief moment - strangely blending in well with the ’white chocolate gimmick’, so to speak; the mouthfeel is also surprisingly light for a near to 17% ABV beer, resulting in a treacherously high drinkability. Every bit as delicious as I was hoping for.

Bottle at tasting. Golden pour. Aroma has sweet white chocolate, vanilla, red fruit, bourbon booze and wheat. Flavor of red fruit, white chocolate, oak, booze, bourbon vanilla, caramel and a sweet vanilla bourbon finish. Very good and really unique, never had anything like this.

Tap at Bruery, Placentia. Colour is deep cloudy orange with small white head. Aromas and flavors: Vanilla, cacao, dryness, ripe fruits, dry fruits and malts. Very strong flavors. Unbelievable drinkable.

Tap. Opaque amber color with white head. Aroma is white chocolate, malty, slightly oxidized, white wine. Taste is white chocolate, sweet phenols, white toffee, lots of booze, white chocolate aftertaste. Creamy mouthfeel. A crazy taste experience, and an amazing one!

Bottle at a tasting. Warmth is considerable, but squeezed into a very comfortable place. Aromas and flavours are abundant both in number and intensity. Raisins, resiny hoppiness, caramel, bourbon, spiciness. Lots going on and mixing well. Surprisingly drinkable.

Migdaly, slodycz, wanilia, kokos, marcepan, kako, zlozone, slodkie, sporo destylatu, do saczenia jak lycha. Ribi wrazenie, klasa