Bruery Terreux Batch #1731
I was unaware at the time of purchase, but Bruery Terreux Batch #1731 is the result of a competition — the winner having the company produce and release their entry. And while this 5.1% ABV wild ale is quite tasty, the label unfortunately declares the brew a “100% brettanomyces-fermented hoppy session ale.” Come on. Really? I’m used to drinking big 750ml bottles all by myself, but even my tastebuds were fatigued halfway through this one. And nothing at this level of alcohol content should be labelled sessionable.
Yes, the beer is wonderfully funky and certainly carries a big hop presence thanks to the fermentation and a blend of El Dorado, Mosaic and Chinook hops (all varieties that I really enjoy by the way), but it’s just too much going on at once for me personally to sit down with for an extended period of time. This is a beer that needs to be shared — not due to its size or potency, but because it’s sharp on the palate, has quite the hop bite and finishes incredibly dry. Labelling quibble aside, all of these aspects do make for a darn tasty brew.
I congratulate the inventive winner of the competition — they’ve created a nice array of flavors. I’m not sure if they had a hand in naming/labeling this one or if it’s all the Bruery’s marketing team, but some one somewhere in the industry needs to put the brakes on this type of categorization before I get a bottle of barrel-aged, imperial stout weighing in at 19.3% ABV that’s been labeled sessionable.