The Bruery 11 Pipers Piping 750ML

The Bruery 11 Pipers Piping 750ML is a limited-release, bottle-conditioned Scotch-style ale at 11.0% ABV from Placentia, California. The eleventh installment in The Bruery's acclaimed "Twelve Days of Christmas" series, this 2018 release scored 91 on BeerAdvocate and, like every beer in the series, was brewed only once and never repeated.

Quick Facts: ABV: 11.0%  |  Origin: Placentia, California, USA  |  Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy  |  Brewery: The Bruery

Production & Heritage

The Bruery was founded in 2008 by Patrick Rue in Placentia, California, and quickly earned a reputation for ambitious, boundary-pushing ales. 11 Pipers Piping is a Scotch-style ale brewed with Belgian candi sugar and coriander, then 100% bottle conditioned—meaning all carbonation develops naturally through a secondary fermentation inside the bottle. As the penultimate chapter of the Twelve Days of Christmas series, each annual release corresponds to a verse of the classic carol, and each recipe is produced just once, making every entry a true one-off collectible.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with layers of toffee and brown sugar before shifting into ripe red fruit and a subtle vinous warmth. As the beer warms, those caramelized sugar notes deepen and a faint spice from the coriander emerges in the background.

Taste: The entry is rich and malt-forward, with generous toffee and caramel giving way to a mid-palate burst of red fruit—think dark cherry and plum. Belgian candi sugar adds complexity but is absorbed into the heavier malt backbone, while the coriander remains a gentle supporting note rather than a dominant flavor. A soft, almost plush texture carries the sweetness without becoming cloying.

Finish: Notably dry for a beer this malt-driven, the coriander steps forward at the close and checks the residual sweetness with a clean, spiced snap. A lingering warmth from the 11% ABV rounds things out with a vinous edge that fades slowly.

How to Drink 11 Pipers Piping

Pour into a tulip glass or snifter at around 50–55°F to let the malt complexity unfold as it warms. This is best savored on its own, but it adapts well in a few creative applications. A Beer Flip highlights its toffee richness when shaken with a whole egg, simple syrup, and nutmeg. A Scotch Ale Float pairs a small pour over vanilla ice cream, playing the caramel and red fruit off the cream. It also substitutes beautifully in a Black Velvet variation, blended with dry sparkling wine for a festive, malt-driven take on the classic.

Best For

• Collecting as part of The Bruery's Twelve Days of Christmas vertical
• Holiday dinners or wintertime gatherings with rich comfort food
• Gifting a craft beer enthusiast who values limited-release ales
• Cellaring to observe how bottle conditioning evolves the flavor over time

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 11 Pipers Piping taste like? It delivers a rich, malt-driven profile dominated by toffee, brown sugar, and ripe red fruit, with a surprisingly dry finish driven by subtle coriander spice.

How does 11 Pipers Piping compare to Founders Dirty Bastard? Both are malt-forward Scotch-style ales in a similar ABV range, but 11 Pipers Piping incorporates Belgian candi sugar and coriander, giving it a more complex sweetness and a drier finish than Dirty Bastard's straightforward caramel-and-smoke character.

Is 11 Pipers Piping good for sipping neat? Absolutely—its 11% ABV, layered malt profile, and bottle-conditioned carbonation make it ideal for slow, contemplative sipping from a tulip glass or snifter.

Where is 11 Pipers Piping made? It is brewed at The Bruery in Placentia, California, a craft brewery founded in 2008 that specializes in inventive, limited-release ales.

What foods pair well with 11 Pipers Piping? Braised short ribs complement its caramel-malt depth. Aged cheddar or Gruyère echo its toffee sweetness. Sticky toffee pudding mirrors the brown sugar notes directly. Roasted root vegetables match its earthy warmth, and dark chocolate with sea salt contrasts its dry finish.

What sizes does 11 Pipers Piping come in? This release is available in the standard 750ml bottle format, consistent with The Bruery's limited-release series.

Is 11 Pipers Piping worth the price? As a one-time-only, bottle-conditioned release from a well-regarded craft brewery, it positions as a premium collectible ale; the 91-point BeerAdvocate score and its role in a multi-year series add genuine scarcity value.

Why 11 Pipers Piping?

What makes this release matter is its finality—as the eleventh entry in a twelve-part series produced over more than a decade, it represents one of the last opportunities to experience The Bruery's Twelve Days of Christmas concept in real time. The combination of Scotch ale tradition, Belgian candi sugar, and coriander is not a recipe anyone else has replicated in this category. A 91-point BeerAdvocate score from nearly 100 reviews confirms it resonated with discerning drinkers, not just collectors. For anyone interested in American craft brewing at its most conceptually ambitious, this bottle is a genuine piece of that history.