Bruery Terreux - Griffon Bruxellois (2017)

This 2017 bottling has aged brilliantly, with incredible fruit flavor balanced by roasted malts and lactic tartness. Griffon Bruxellois pours a deep, bright Burgundy red with an orange hue, topped by a well-formed off-white head with good retention and lacing. Very expressive. We found an immediate impact of bright red fruits and tart citrus in the aroma, with rich cherry presence leading the charge. Mouthwatering, well-integrated acidity throughout.

Moderate carbonation combines well with a lean overall feel and bold acidity. Expressive cherries, well-tuned citrusy acidity, and strong underpinnings of oak form the core here, with hints of cinnamon-like spice. This offers hints of the sweet-sour aspects of Flemish browns, but it’s not overplayed, with bright acidity and fruit along with caramelized malt complexity. Refreshing with exceptional fruit, and nicely layered with some surprising toasty elements.

This seems to be drinking at its peak right now but should be able to easily handle some additional cellar time. The Bruery suggests pairings of cherry pie, seared duck breast, and kale salad.

What The Bruery has done for beer in Orange County, California, while impressive, is just a part of their contribution to the greater brewing landscape. Once just a confusingly named, obscure little brewery from a curiously named little Southern California town, The Bruery is now known to the majority of beer geeks across the country and beyond. They’ve continued to develop their extensive barrel-aging program, launched the Bruery Terreux line, opened The Tasting Room at Bruery Terreux in Anaheim, and ultimately become one of the most respected breweries in the nation. They’ve even recently added a third Bruery location: The Bruery Store at Union Market in Washington, DC, establishing a wee East Coast outpost.

As a result of their unbridled creativity and skilled brewing practices, The Bruery’s beers are still some of the most highly coveted out there, period. It was back in 2009 that they released the beer that took the brewing community by storm: Black Tuesday, a massive imperial stout (clocking in around 20% ABV) aged in bourbon barrels for well beyond a year. Hugely oaky, rich, velvety smooth, and borderline nourishing, it caused both a stir and an annual tradition. The demand for this stout led people to drive and/or fly from hundreds (or even thousands) of miles away.

A handful of breweries have managed to take the “limited-release” concept as far as The Bruery has done with their beers, with annual vintages that sell out in a single day. Some folks have even gone one step further, creating the release equivalent of a serial novel, as The Bruery did with its recently completed 12 Days of Christmas series of annual beers.