The Bruery - 10 Lords-A-Leaping 2017

The Bruery’s 10 Lords-A-Leaping 2017 was one of our favorites in the series, a full-bodied dark imperial wit brewed with a mellow assortment of 10 different spices to celebrate its original position in the lineup: allspice, anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, dried apples, ginger, mace, nutmeg, and orange peel. For the lengthy list, the overall impact is nuanced and warming and perfect for this beer. At 10+%, this one’s perfect for sipping on as the weather turns colder.

This pours a deep, dark chocolate-brown color, which gives a good hint as to where this wit is headed. There’s proudly formed foam here, a dense and fine-bubbled head that leaves thick lacing as the glass is tilted. Without a doubt, 10 Lords-A-Leaping is a densely rendered imperial wit, as generous clove and banana yeast aspects are already apparent in the nose. An engaging pour.

Upon closer inspection, those yeast-derived aromatics prove to lead the way, with peppery elements present in addition to the banana and warming clove. These generous notes blend seamlessly alongside the other spicing elements of this beer, with cinnamon, ginger, and apple additions showing through. One also gets the impression that this is heading into dunkelweizen turf overall, with some of the subtle toffee and caramelized notes of the darker malt character coming through as well, alongside the spice.

If we were to take a step back and try to describe this beer, amped-up dunkelweizen is what repeatedly comes to mind, as this combines a chewy, almost-hefeweizen-like yeast character with dense caramel and dried-fruit notes from the darker malts. The coriander and orange peel elements of the “witbier” side play out as satisfying secondary notes, helping contribute another layer and a feeling of crisp familiarity. As a whole, 10 Lords-A-Leaping comes together as a smooth, complex stunner.

10 Lords-A-Leaping has been maturing gracefully for enjoyment now and for an additional 3-5 years, perhaps longer. For pairings, those spice elements (particularly cinnamon and dried apples) have us thinking along the lines of vanilla-bean ice cream and apple-pie-esque desserts, though the overall profile also feels like a promising fit with grilled chicken- or pork-and-apple sausages.