This review is part of the ongoing “The Brux Project” at I think about beer. To read the details, follow this link: The Brux Project.
The fourth bottle was reviewed on 03/05/2014.
Appearance: Hazy gold, off-white head, ok retention.
Aroma: lemon peel, pineapple, pepper, pear, funky and earthy.
Taste: Tart, biscuit, bready, earthy, white pepper in the finish.
Overall Impression: First off, be careful with your cork extraction! It really wanted to come out. Also, have a glass ready to go. Basically, treat this beer like a highly carbonated Belgian beer. Expect to make a mess opening it if you’re not prepared with a glass. The beer has continued its slow Brettanomyces fermentation in the bottle and with no place to go, carbonation is getting stronger. As part of this process, the Brett is also eating more of the complex sugars that were left in the beer and is continuing to dry out.
The beer is very spritzy, although the head retention isn’t fantastic. The beer keeps its carbonation well though. While the mouthfeel has lightened some due to the drying out effect, it still has a nice, round mouthfeel with some oiliness. Brux is starting to get funkier and slightly tarter. It’s definitely a bit more advanced than it was 6 months ago when I reviewed the last bottle. At this point, I’m unsure if I should try another in 3 months or wait the full 6 months like I have so far. I guess I’ll have to decide in June. My recommendation at this point is split, you can drink it or continue to hold it.
Cellar: If your curious about what the conditions are that I’ve been keeping the bottles at, check out the link above to The Brux Project to see how I’m storing it. If you’re storing yours warmer, it may be a bit further in its progression than mine. If it’s cooler, a bit less.
Availability: Probably mostly gone from shelves by this point.
8.3% ABV