Epic Brainless on Cherries (Batch 5 and higher, Red Wine Barrel)
Note: batch 5 and all subsequent batches are put into Red Wine Barrels (the batch number is printed on the label). All earlier batches were in White Wine Barrels and should not be rated here. Release 5 of Brainless on Cherries, has a new twist- we used Red Wine (cab and syrah) barrels for the second fermentation and aging as apposed to White Wine barrels. The result, dryer, lighter body, fruit shines thru and a bit of tannin and wood notes in the finish
3.3
246 reviews
Salt Lake City, United States
Community reviews
(Release #40) Un liquide qui montre la couleur du fruit utilisé. Une mousse presque rose pâle se forme pour rapidement se transformer en anneau. Gros nez d’alcool et de levures du pays des moules et des frites avec un effet surprise des cerises. Les saveurs sont chaudes d’un alcool qui me semble mal contrôlé avec une cerise et son noyau qui mènent à une finale boisée et épicée. Le corps est assez rond et je note un pétillement plutôt bas. La texture est celle d’un vin costaud. Bof et rebof.
Bottle. Pours a clear pink gold with small frothy off white head that lasts. The aroma is cherry skin and oak. Thin mouth with strong cherry, vinous, oak, light tartness, good.
Tap at Watering Hole. Lots of oak and cherry notes on the nose with a slight medicinal quality but not in a bad way. Thin body with less than average carbonation and a medium body with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. More oak on the palate with some almond and booze. Boozy finish with a tart cherry finish. Not tart or sour enough really, but still interesting.
650 ml bottle. Pours a pinkish copper color with almost no head. Aromas of cherry cotton candy and metallic Belgian yeast. Flavors of woody, dry cotton candy, and earthly Belgian yeast. Sticky. OK but can’t see what the fuss is about. Way over priced.
From Bottle King for 12 bucks or 13. #37, supposed to be opened by 2013 it seems but not sure.
Aroma: Cherry, alcohol, wood, a bit of sweetness.
Appearance: cherry concentrate red, dark-ish with a nice head. Looks like dark cherry juice, ala Tamek or some other brands.
Taste: Medium sour cherry up front with light sweetness and a little too much alcohol. A little vinous also.
Palate has a good amount of alcohol, some pepperiness, real sipper. light flz.
A little too much alcohol but pretty good.
22 oz. bottle thanks to Willrunforbeer. Release number 19. Violet color with thin white head. Aroma is cherry skins, cherry cough syrup, and oak..
Flavor seems like it has sat to long or wasn’t great in the first place. I hand this after sampling the Peach and Raspberry directly before it. The oak with cherries comes off in a cough syrup / cold medicine flavor. The oak isn’t astringent but comes off with a weak bitterness. Sugar notes are low but here. Carbonation is almost flat. Not the Brewers fault on that. Meh. I enjoyed the other two fruits much more.
Bottle from trade. Release 19. SLC 1240. Pours deep red brown with a few off white bubbles. Aroma is caramel, cherry, red wine. Flavor follows. Caramel, dark cherry, a touch of oak.
On tap at Denver tap room, pours a clear copper with a thin white head. Aroma of cherry cough syrup and Belgian yeast. Taste of Belgian yeast, lots of bitterness and some oak. Meh, not undrinkable.
Poured from a bottle from batch #25.
Aroma has some medium light cherry notes to it, but also a fairly strong red apple and pear character with other Belgian esters. Light phenolic notes as well with a bit of a grass note. Faint oak and light caramel and honey.
Pours a hazy, reddish copper color with a medium large, slightly off white, rocky and thin white head that recedes quickly and disappears. No lacing and small legs.
Flavor is slightly tart but with a moderate sweetness as well. Medium cherry notes, but somewhat medicinal. Some light tannins from the oak and cherry skins. Medium light fruit esters with red apple and pear being most prevalent. Hints of phenolics with medium high bitterness. Meidum light alcohol spice in the finish. Some honey, candi sugar and caramel notes as well.
Mouthfeel is medium full bodied with medium high carbonation. Low astringency and medium low alcohol warmth.
Overall, I am not a fan at all. I thought I remembered liking this beer, but if it always tasted like this than my memory was wrong. Tastes a bit like biting into an overripe, mushy apple with some alcohol and cherries thrown in.
Tart cherry. Mild Belgian yeast. Medium low carbonation. Hint of wood. Not very complex. Ok beer, just kind of boring.
Bottle. Reddish orange, average white head. Phenolic, sweet, with medicinal cherry flavour that is surprisingly low key. Where is the barrel influence? No funk, no sourness, and whatever vinous traits are here seem to be eclipsed by intrusive medicinal phenols. Not my thing-- a disappointment for sure.
Appearance: clear ruby-tinted amber with a short, short-lived pinkish head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cherry syrup with a medicinal edge, vinous red berries, lightly woody. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, moderate tart. (5/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, cough syrup finish. (2/5)
Y’know, I’d be the first to admit that I’m a hopeless romantic kind of guy, prone to believing the best of people on little evidence. So, it’s probably not surprising that I went into this with expectations that were way too high - but to be honest, the prior offerings from this brewery had me thinking they could do no wrong. Bow, howdy, was I wrong. The double digit ABV is capable of getting you brainless, sure, but so’s Nyquil - and in fact, there’s a strong resemblance. The bottle says there’s nothing artificial added, and it’s not that I don’t believe that - but I sure don’t taste that. Having had some of the best Belgian krieks around, this is, while perhaps not terrible on its own merits, a pretty pale shadow of those beers. (10/20)
Smells pretty good. Very funky. Looks okay. Really leaves a lot of carbonation on the side of the glass. Tastes good. Again has that funky flavor. But you do get those cherries. Tasty
Draft at the source in Denver with Andrew, Ellen and her friends. Pours a clear reddish golden body with no lacing. Mouthfeel is stringent with notes of Belgian spice, candy, clove; hardly any cherry.
Not a bad beer but could’ve been so much more. Aroma was fantastic. Sorry cherries and notes of red wine. A little funk and sourness to it. Pour was a beautiful dark red with no head. Taste was very disappointing after that nice aroma. Started out tart and quickly turned to thick artificial tasting cherry syrup. No complexity and not much else coming through. Can taste the red wine notes but the syrup kept it to a whisper. Decent carbonation. If I didn’t love cherry beers so much I would’ve given this a lot lower of a score
Aroma of subtle cherries and woods. Wow this has a complex flavour. Getting a very nice cherry flavour up front layered with woody notes, along with a hint of smokiness and spices.
Not what I expected. Not funky at all. Pours a bright pink/red with a thin pink head that later dies to litereally nothing. Smells fruity and sugary with no wood or earthen notes. Light bitterness with a literal syrup of cherries being the only flavour profile. Slightly tart and bitter with too much sweetness up front for me.
75cl bottle in glass
A opaque slightly red orange no head
A sour honey, peach, red fruit
T sour with cheery and strawberry undertones
P light body, no carbonation no bitterness
O very enjoyable refined sour, highly recommend
500ml bottle pours a pinkish red color with very little head leaving no lacing. Aroma is mild cherries with some woody notes and hints of red wine. Taste is a light cherry tartness with a malty sweetness and dry red wine and woody finish. Flavours did not blend well in this brew, kind of a mess. Not one of my favorites for this style.
Poured from a bottle. Pink orange color, no real head. Sour cherry and wine aroma. Light body with a slight sour cherry flavor and a light finish.
Poured from a bottle. Not an attractive beer, no head or lacing, orangey red. Sharp vinegar nose with vanilla and cherry. Not nearly as sour as I expected.
A subdued aroma of oak and wine with a hint of vinegar. Pours a pinkish orange color with no head. A sour taste with hints of cherries, a dry feel with a chalky mineral finish.
Slight cherry hint on the nose. Lacing fades very fast leaving a very slight head. Color is golden brown with a slight red hue. Cherry pit on the nose. Not a whole lot as far as palate goes. Finishes smooth but fades fast. Not my favorite, but definitely worth a try.
On tap at Albertsons. As much as I liked the raspberry edition, I like this one even more. Perhaps the barrel aging adds some nuances, but overall perception is good, no sign of the 10%+ ABV. Deep amber pour with faintest of heads. Mild fruity nose, more pit fruit elements in the taste, hints of a Belgian dubbel as well. Complex, refreshing, tasty...waiting for the kick.
Poured from a bottle it is a rise color with a slight head the aroma is of a sour cherry pie The taste is a sweet cheery flavor that finishes in a cherry cough drops
From a 22 oz bottle at home. Pours an opaque light reddish brown with a scant off white head. Aroma of sour pie cherries.Flavors of cherry cobbler. Sweet followed by tart finish.
Formidable cherry aroma, dark fruit, and yeasty esters. Pours light brown body with pinkish hue. Thin white head with zero sustainability. Tart, somewhat acidic, taste of cranberry and cherry with a clove-like spiciness. Dry, semi-sweet finish with gentle wood flavor and some wine characteristics.
Aroma: cherries, sweet, belgian zesty notes, peachy.
Appearance: amber-reddish color, nice white head.
Taste: almost no bitterness, amazing balance between sweetness and sour cherries notes, peach, zesty, nice dry champagne finish, perfectly covered alcohol, woody and some vanilla notes.
Palate: medium body and medium carbonation.
Overall: Great beer, complex taste, perfectly desgined beer.
Not as cherry centric as I was hoping for. Some barrel and wine come through, as does too much strength and sweetness, as with the other fruited brainless beers. Nice enough drink, but they cost too much for this level of quality.
I get nice woody, oaky aromas with vanilla and almost whiskey like. Taste is similar. I feel like there are whiskey flavors in there, but then can almost get the spicy red wine character as well. Cherry is an afterthought on this one. Does have almost a slight medicinal finish, but it is complex and a very nice beer overall.