Tart Of Darkness - The Bruery

DarthKostrizer

California

2.08/5  rDev -50.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Shared a bottle with BHOBS and Alucard4

Look: Black as night with a 1/4 tan head and no retention

Smell: Right off the bat are hints of sour cherry not really what I am looking for in a stout. If you search hard enough you will find hints of chocllate malt and some oak

Taste: The sourness that is overpowering hides all of the characteristics of a stout. All you pick up is the sour cherry it is a one way street in my opinion as far as taste goes. The taste is not bad but it is in no way a stout

Mouthfeel: Very water for a stout with a medium amount of carbonation

Overall: If you go in thinking this is a stout you will be let down because this is essentually a sour made with black patent or chocolate malt or roasted barley. It looks like a stout and that is about it. If you are a fan of sours you will appreciate this beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 19:18:18 | More by DarthKostrizer

snegopady

New Jersey

2.43/5  rDev -42.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This beer LOOKS beautiful, but I dunno, guys. I like funky and I like sour; loved the Oude Tart. But this is Warheads sour. If there was ever a stout in there, it has vanished beneath the aggressive, lemon-juicy sourness. I don't see how anyone could call this "balanced"--the sour is so strong that it takes over everything. Seriously, you could make vinaigrette with just this beer and some olive oil.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 14:43:05 | More by snegopady

maximum12

Minnesota

2.65/5  rDev -36.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Shared by the trio of DalzAle, MatSciGuy, & ArminJewell, thanks guys. This is one I haven't see in the wild yet.

Pour is dark brown shading into black. Smells like a fruit-infused beer, not much else.

Tart of Darkness isn't my cup of tea, though I was in the minority. Mild roast faces off against the red fruit tartness & is quickly subsumed. The stoutishness is in full retreat almost immediately, & by the time the beer warms, this is a full-on bug beer. Not interested in more than a couple ounces.

Just didn't do anything for me; my first taste of a 'soured' stout & if this is representative of the style, it might be the style, not this specific beer, that just doesn't agree with me.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 18:22:31 | More by maximum12

Dennoman

Belgium

2.8/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle from a trade, shared with the guys. Great evening again! 2012 bottling, so not the Provisions Series.

A: Looks adequate for a stout. Nice and dark, light frothy head.

S: Very interesting. The biggest thing I get from the smell is charred toast. And I mean charred, not just burnt. Best described as a mix between toasted bread and charcoal.

T: Mostly acidity throughout most of the actual taste and swallow, but slight malty bitterness pops up at the very beginning. Not hugely complex, even slightly unpleasant.

M: Chalky, quite unpleasantly sour.

O: I guess this is a perfect manifestation of the morbid American fascination with all things sour. In this case (gratuitous pun inbound!) I guess it all turned a little sour. All in all a little too extreme for what I think they were going for. Good effort, but that's just about everything I can say really.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 11:27:25 | More by Dennoman

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

2.98/5  rDev -29%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A bomber bottled on 5-8-12 (approx 9 months old). Lot 35. Purchased for $21.79.

A- Pours thin black and opaque with little to no head (tan).

A - Tart, sweet with a little funk.

T - Initially I got that taste you get when you have a bad burp and some stomach acid makes its way into the back of your throat. Sour, acidic and dry.

MF - Smooth

O - A huge disappointment. Drain pour for the remainder of the bottle. Roasted malts - No! Stout - No! Bottle says suitable for aging up to 3 years. I might try it again, but as a taste and only at three years.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 02:05:01 | More by Sludgeman

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.15/5  rDev -25%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours black. Not pitch black, but black. Head was initially a robust 2 finger of tan colour, dissipating very quickly to nothing. Ends up being this still, black, uncarbonated-looking beer. It's still carbonated, but just, well, still. The aroma is unique. Though, it takes a good bit of inspection to draw it out. Of course, it's tart and sour. Not profusely though or over the top. There is some subtle oak notes and if you really dig, some roasty and mild stout characters. The taste is just one dimensional to me. I don't mind the sour notes, but beyond that, there just wasn't much there. Tart, sour, acidic, pears, apple skins.... it just doesn't develop really beyond that. Lets face it, it's light in body. It doesn't even have an American Stout type light body. It's thin, almost watery. I know it's technically a wild ale, but the base stout should come through.

This was just disappointing to me. It julfilled it's sour obligations, but didn't do anything to expand upon that aspect. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 22:22:41 | More by EgadBananas

Walshwi

3.18/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had it out of a 750ml bottle.

Pours very black, almost no head.

Smells tart, with roast and slight sweetness.

Smacks you initially with tartness. Stout flavors come in. First sip was not appealing; however, I continued and found it to be interestingly balanced. The combination works best in small sips and quick swallows. If you don't do that, you get too much tartness or stout flavor. Alcohol is hid extremely well. It actually drinks fairly light - not heavy at all.

Plan on sharing if you have a large bottle. This is definitely not something I would be able to drink in one sitting. It's an above average beer primarily due to its uniqueness. Good to try, but this is the last time I'll have it. Good on The Bruery to spice things up.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 01:11:09 | More by Walshwi

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.33/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to ipa247 for this one. 750ml capped bottle poured into a Cigar City snifter. Shared with schen9303

Thin light mocha colored head with little retention. Beer is opaque black. Lacing is stringy and spotty with decent stick. Average for the style.

Smoky and slightly tart with roasted malt, lacto, and some dark fruit. Appropriate.

Opens dark cherries with some smokiness and liquorice. Very sour. Roasted malt tartness towards the middle and ends cherry puree. Filmy, sour aftertaste with some dark chocolate notes mixed in.

Light bodied with ample carbonation. A bit thin. Prickly and sharp in the mouth. Filmy going down. Long, lingering aftertaste. Nice and crisp.

Overall what I'd expect from a dark sour. Some smokiness and dark fruit. Nice complexity with a solid feel. Decent but really not my favorite style.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 01:39:46 | More by SpeedwayJim

smonice

New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is my first review and unfortunately it isn't a good one. I bought this bottle after reading all of the hype just to give it a try. I guess when I read tart, I thought it wasn't going to completely overpower the "beer" taste.

As soon as it my mouth, it felt as if I had a mouth full of those sour warhead candies. It lingered for a few seconds and then the finish was rather smooth. At that point I couldn't taste anything else but the tartness. I guess it is an acquired taste.

A: Very dark color with little head and lacing.

S: The smell was very good and did not prepare me for the tartness to come.

T: Super sour up front and mellow at the end.

M: Moderate carbonation.

O: Not my thing but definitely opened my eyes to a different class of beer.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 23:59:01 | More by smonice

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: A dark otter-brown pour yields flat black results in the glass accompanied by a healthy 2 figner khaki colored head that was frothy and clumpy. Retention was good, the lacing was clean and the visible carbonation was light and slow along the edges.

S: The smell of sour cherries and sour plums were noticeable on the nose. Some sour chocolate malt with a light strength was also present. A faint sour-acetic hint can be had towards the finish.

T: The flavor was highly acetic from the get go, major eye squinting material. Had thier flanders the previous night and it was no wheres near this level. This is a kick of vinegar and acetic nature that unfortunately drowns out most of the other aspects this beer may have had to offer. Am i wrong to assume that this was some kind of sour stout? the lack of roasted maltiness and body will tend to convince me otherwise. Some sour fruitiness, but the stout qualities are far my expectations and almost non-apparent. Flavor is thin, like watery lemon juice and every bit as sour.

M: Oily slickness thins out to a watery vinegar-lemon juice feel toward the end. No carbonation, just a healthy helping of sourness and acetic nature.

O: Not going to lie this is one hard bastard to down by one's self. Like sucking down 24oz. of lemon juice. Its level of sourness is balls to the wall but its range of flavor and stout qualites leave much to be desired. Like dropping lemon juice into a schwarz bier. Thier Flanders was a fine example, managable sourness and exceptional to style, this was a sour with a misleading stout labeling. Your gonna have to split this with a friend, or two, or three.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 00:21:12 | More by beerthulhu

dirtylou

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle, split

appearance: served in my delirium chalice, dark mahogany body, active carbonation - beige bubbles, light lace

smell: dry roast, sour metal, tart sugars

taste: The sour stout phenomenon (not quite...) is not something I really support - the flavor profiles just dont mesh on my palate. Tart of darkness brings it with the puckering effect, but the dry chalky roast is just not palatable.

mouthfeel: sour, dry

overall: just not my thing

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 01:14:34 | More by dirtylou

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at Devil's Den in Philadelphia.

Tart of Darkness pours out a very black color, not jet black but black enough. A good skim of tan bubbles forming a smooth cap up top, some sticking on the glass surprisingly. The scent is pretty straight forward, some roast and some bugs, I don't pick up any oak or the such, just lacto and the guys. Small traces of cocco and tootsie roll with warming and some faint malt. Wow, this is a sour beer, I thought this would be easy, yet the sour is pumped up. I get a lot of lactic feeling with some berry, blackberry, roast malt, cocco, tootie roll etc. While sour, it's not an integrated sour that leads to a satisfying finish. I get battery acid on the tounge with tartness, small relief from the small stout base. Body is a step up from light. Eye opening. While I appreciate the effort and base style used in this, I just could not drink a ton of it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2012 00:20:13 | More by onix1agr

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip. Batch 2 (2012) from the super awesome Black Tuesday barrels. Big thanks to bigsippin for helping this get to me.

3.0 A: Black color. Two and a half fingers of foamy tan head. Retention is below average as it quickly fizzes away and no lacing is left. Edit: Strange enough, the final pour with lots of yeast made really sticky lacing.

3.5 S: Tart and moderately acetic nose. Big cherry component along with mixed berry. Balsalmic vinegar with tangy lactic funk. Light roastiness. Not a lot of the more typical funk components overall though. No basement or barn. Rather, this is more fruity and vinegary. The Black Tuesday comes out as this warms up. You can detect the residual leathery bourbon and chocolate.

3.5 T: Like the nose, this is all about fruit and vinegar. Loads of tart cherries and berries. Balsalmic vinegar and vinous tart grape. Some tangy funk, moderate roastiness, and hints of coffee and chocolate. Again, not a lot of traditional funk. Oak with just the slightest hint of tannins.

3.5 M: Lighter medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Not really creamy at all. Reasonably smooth considering how acetic it is.

3.5 D: I'm starting to feel that the Bruery should start making artisanal vinegars instead of wild ales. Most of the stuff they make is acetic acid-forward. While still good, I'm more of a fan of complex funk (which is why I choose 3F over Cantillon most of the time). In any case, I'm glad I have a few more since this will definitely scratch the acetic sour itch that I get occasionally.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 00:30:34 | More by DavoleBomb

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: dark brown mahogany pour
Smell: Light roasted malt, slight sourness (think Oude Tart), chocolate, sour cherries, oak, leather
Taste: Similar to the aroma, sour but too malty with the dark malts muddling the sour cherries, oak, and leather.
Body: medium-full body with light carbonation
Overall: The stout element is overbearing, I assume it is some blend of Oude Tart and something else.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 02:22:12 | More by craytonic

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a deep brown with great carbonation at first leaving a sexy tannish cap, loads of bubbles which fade to a thin ring around the hedges

S: Sour funk with Earthy wood, vinegar with whiffs of chocolate

T: Starts with a nice acidic sour vinegar with dark cherries with some cocoa notes with a long lingering lacto finish and acid sting. Actually to much. I find some elements of spent wood and some Earthy notes in there but very light. I find it to be a little

M: Medium bodied, well carbonated for the style, loads of nice acidic sourness really stick a=to the palate

O: Good? Yes. Worth the hype? Negative.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 02:57:30 | More by barleywinefiend

nataku00

California

3.53/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2012 bottle poured into a tulip glass. Beer pours out like cola, dark brown but with lighter clear brown at the edges. Half a finger of tan color head on the pour that dissipates immediately leaving no lacing. Plenty of fine carbonation at the edges of the glass.

Nose is mainly a vinegar acidity, maybe some molasses sweetness, light citrus. Not much stout coming through.

Taking a sip, balsamic vinegar and some molasses sweetness, some chocolate mid tongue, before finishing very dry with a red wine tannin like feel remaining on the tongue.

Light to medium body and heavily carbonated, but more champagne like with ample fine carbonation that keeps the tongue fresh. Pretty easy to drink and enjoyable, but not that interesting.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 04:04:49 | More by nataku00

seeswo

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my Lost Abbey stem. American Stout, btw, seems to be the wrong designation for this beer.

Pours very dark brown with an off-white head. Looks fine. The nose is funky cherry fruit, oak and maybe some port. It smells decent enough. I get almost none of the 'stout' other than the slightest touch of roasted/chocolate malts. This beer tastes like a pretty normal sour beer. If you closed your eyes, you would have a hard time telling me that this was a stout that was soured. Pretty strong flavors of tart cherry. Acidic and highly carbonated. Dry and light in body. Just pretend it is a run-of-the-mill sour and use that as your guide as to whether you are interested.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 13:17:47 | More by seeswo

nlmartin

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer was chilled and served in a snifter.

A- The body of the beer is black with ruby opaqueness when held to the light. The head was fizzy and short lived.

S- The aroma of the beer lightly roasted malt leading into a acetic wine / tart cherry aroma.

T- The flavor of the beer is puckeringly tart and moderately acidic upfront. A brief lighlty roasted sweetend malt flavor comes out and is swallowed up into the tartness of cherries / red wine. The lactic tone of the beer again reassert themselves at the finish.

M- The body of the beer is light and well carbonated. The acetic and sourness of the beer can be puckering at times but welcome.

O- This beer is good but not great. The price point of the beer is a bit high for simply a good beer. I would buy again if this beer was around $14 a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 06:07:23 | More by nlmartin

smakawhat

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Bottled May 8th 2012.

Out of the bottle pours with lots of fizzy and cola sounding snapping carbonation. Body forms with a dark walnut brown body with a real nice mocha like head, but it doesn't last at all. As the snapping pops away, nothing is left, not even a pencil thing collar. The head color was real nice, but too bad I hardly got to witness it. This looks like Kvass with a little less carbonation. Too bad.

A good sense of Flanders brown ale sensing sourness on first smell. A quick tart and vinous nose, sour cherries. Quite subtle but nice.

Palate hits with a true VERY tart punch up front. VERY sour but tolerable, with a good acidity that isn't painful. Aftertaste brings lots of lemon and lime juice. Oak aging round character and feel is somewhat lacking here, the body is a little bit wet, but it works well with a vinous palate.

Overall It is dark very true, and truly TART. Would love to try this again sometime, I am wondering if this could have been better.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 23:51:48 | More by smakawhat

emmasdad

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks cavery and brother; most generous. Poured from the bottle a dark reddish brown/nearly black color with a good brown head. Aromas of bourbon, red wine, vinegar, dark chocolate and roasted malt. On the palate, this one is medium bodied and very tart/sour, with flavors of roasted malt, bourbon, red wine, dark chocolate and cocoa.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 03:36:10 | More by emmasdad

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle. Pours a dark brown color with a light tan fluffy head. Dark fruit, roast, and some oak notes in the nose. Light mouthfeel. Much more sour than I would have anticipated. Dark fruit tart sour flavors gives way to a slight roast note that lingers. Nice lacing. Overall, this is a solid dark sour, light and refreshing with a nice sourness and roast level.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 16:42:11 | More by kbutler1

Pahn

New York

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle split 3 ways. Most recent bottling. Thanks to BA KevSal for sending this in a recent trade!

Appearance: Black with maroon highlights. Fizzy head that disappears immediately. No lacing.

Smell: Some acetic aroma, suggestion of sour cherry, smokey red wine aromas, and some tartness. Smells good.

Taste: Very sour up front. Hints of roasted malt along with the sourness. Not much oak in the flavor; some comes up at the end. Bit acetic. There's kind of a "stout's sweet malt" flavor without the sweetness, which is interesting.

It tastes like a very straightforward sour beer, with about a quarter of a low ABV American stout thrown in and dominated by the sourness. Could stand to be a lot deeper and oakier, but is very enjoyable to drink nonetheless.

Mouthfeel: Vinous and tart. Puckering finish, at times almost stingingly sour (yet not painfully acidic). Low carbonation.

Overall: Nice play on "sour stout." Less going on than in most stouts or sour ales, but to such a degree that it fails to be a good beer. I know the Bruery can do better than this, but I'd buy another bottle if the price was right.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 01:58:18 | More by Pahn

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a wine glass.

Appearance
Opaque black with some heavy carbonation trailing up the side. The 1-2 fingers of heady rapidly dissipates to nothing.

Nose
Balsamic vinegar, lactic acid, black cherry and touches of coffee-esque notes (you really have to search for those.)

Taste
Big lactic sourness, lemon juice and hints of raspberry. Cherry Jolly Ranchers, balsamic vinegar and touches of French oak. There also seems to be a little bit of concord grape and black currant. There is really no roasted malt present at all.

Mouthfeel
Light-medium bodied and mouth puckering.

Overall
Surprisingly sour but unfortunately loses all Stout qualities. Good sour, bad Stout.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 18:22:53 | More by justintcoons

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark brown/black with a big tan head that recedes a bit. Decent lacing and retention.

Lots of sourness on the nose. More straight lacto than any really funky or bretty aromas. Sour cherries and oak. Maybe a bit of roasted character in the background.

Intensely sour flavor too. Lacto cherry with lots of drying oak and other dark fruit flavors. Pretty similar to the nose. Hardly any roasted charcter makes it through to the flavor.

Low to medium bodied with pretty high carbonation that makes it pop and enhances the sour.

I enjoyed the hell out of this beer, but don't get them marketing it as a sour stout when it's about 99% sour and 1% stout. Well made, but definitely a sour. Still went down very smooth.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 16:18:14 | More by jmarsh123

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes dictated into voice notes on my iphone.

It's a pretty deep brackish brown with some reddish hues. Very little carbonation. Very small head.

Smells like sweet malts and then... ummm... some acetic acid... The flavor starts sweet before getting tart with an *almost* sour finish... It's almost there! I wonder if age will increase the sourness here?

The body is pretty hefty-- but it works in this. Low carbonation is ok because there is a big malt body to stand on its own in a sense.
Overall-- not bad. I could drink this... but it isn't one I'll seek out. It's a bit like Sour in the Rye for me--- it's a beer that isn't bad, but it isn't going crazy over!

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2011 17:00:44 | More by AleWatcher