12 Drummers Drumming Belgian Style Quadruple Ale with Bourbon Barrel-Aged Old Ale

Review Date 2/6/2026 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Abbey Quad   Brewery: The Bruery   Country: USA   State: California   $ Per OZ: $.82 (B)   ABV: 12%

We did it! We’ve officially reached Day 12 of the 12 Days of Christmas, or at least we reached the 12^th beer in the series from the Bruery, 12 Drummers Drumming Belgian Style Quadruple Ale with Bourbon Barrel-Aged Old Ale. This made me think. What exactly are the 12 Days of Christmas, anyway? Legendary comics Bob and Doug McKenzie pondered this in their rendition of the classic holiday song.

Here's a quiz, quiz for Doug
Okay, I have my thinking toque on
Yeah, right
What are the 12 days of Christmas?

Cause, figure it out, right? (Um), Christmas is when?
Uh, the 25th
Right, and, what's the 24th? Christmas Eve, right?
So that's two (that's two)
And, then what's after that? Uh, uh, Boxing Day (Wrestling Day)
Get out (Boxing Day, yeah, yeah)
That's three, I know
Then, what's after that? Nothin'

New Year's
Four and what's
New Year's Eve?
Five, okay, Where do ya get 12?
Uh, there's two Saturdays and Sundays in there
That's four so, that's nine
And three other days which, I believe, are the mystery days

So, there you go, and now you know. As for me, I am trying to post reviews of those beers in the series by the Bruery that I have not yet gotten to. That became more difficult when I stopped seeing Bruery beers in Georgia, but luckily they do ship here. My wife helped the cause by buying me a 12 Days of Christmas gift box for Christmas 2025. Thanks babe!

Here are the beers I have reviewed so far, should you care to read about them:

Partridge in a Pear Tree

5 Golden Rings

6 Geese a Laying

7 Swans a Swimming

8 Maids a Milking

9 Ladies Dancing

10 Lords a Leaping

11 Pipers Piping

The label on my bottle of The Bruery 12 Drummers Drumming says:

On the twelfth day of Bruesmas, we celebrated the season with this quad ale blend. It felt fitting to end with the only barrel-aging in the collection; we are The Bruery after all. Enjoy notes of toffee, dark fruit, caramel, and oak character and happy holidays to you and yours.

The Bruery 12 Drummers Drumming has an alcohol content of, fittingly, 12% by volume and I paid (well, my wife paid) $125 for the 12 Beers of Christmas, so $10.42 per 12.7 ounce bottle.

The Bruery 12 Drummers Drumming Belgian Style Quadruple Ale with Bourbon Barrel-Aged Old Ale pours to a murky dark brown color with a thick fluffy tan head and a nose of complex cookie malts and dark fruits. Taking a sip, the beer pops with dark fruit and chewy malt. Caramel, toffee, a hint of chocolate, figs, prunes, raisins and plums all abound. Yeasty funk is subtle but present, as is the woody oak bourbon barrel aging which emerges nicely as the beer warms into the dry finish.

I think the old ale mostly imparts the bourbon notes here, otherwise the quad character predominates. As I sipped, thoughts of bourbon soaked Raisinets came to mind, among other things. Definitely a beer I want to drink again.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??