Tart Of Darkness - The Bruery

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a dark brown, pretty much black with a little red coming through at the edges. Capped with over a finger of tan head that leaves some spotty lacing.

Smell. Tart light fruits, chocolate and cherry, maybe a little old coffee. Just a little bit of funky old wood.

Taste. Quite sour, some tart cherry and cocoa powder, sour grapes and green apple tartness with just a drop of espresso.

Mouthfeel. Lighter body with medium-strong fine carbonation.

Overall. A very unique and very tasty sour.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 01:53:09 | More by Rutager

vfgccp

New York

4.53/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Midnight black with trace ruby highlights. Thin khaki halo sits low with low retention and poor lace.

S - Bright, sour oak nose. Sweet Tarts candies, rice vinegar, copper, and fresh cut wood.

T - Holy crap that was not what I was expecting. Raw, bright, acidic lemon juice. Touch of agave sweetness. Crisp oak. Mouth-puckeringly deep sour center. Lemon rinds and a trace of caramel on the backed. Outrageous.

M - Light, crisp, and bracingly sour.

O - An awesome, uncompromising american wild. It's fresh lemonade with the sugar cut to 1/10th of the original recipe.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 23:57:55 | More by vfgccp

KajII

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

[Suggested Glassware: Tulip Glass]

The pour was a very dark brown with a ruby hue making it look almost dark purple, and had an average (1-2 finger) light tan fizzy head that dissipated in seconds and left behind virtually no lacing.

The aroma was rather tart right up front along with some chocolate malts and a musty sour Brett yeast with notes of dark chocolate, berries, a slight red wine odor and a bit of cask.

The taste was very tart from the get go with a slightly sweet roasty taste and a hint of chocolate that almost went unnoticed, and then became very sour and extremely fruity which lasted pretty much throughout with a mild woody taste at the very end. The flavor hung around for an average duration following the swallow, with a fruity roasty tartness fading away at a slow steady pace.

Mouthfeel was medium in body and dry in texture with a mildly soft carbonation.

Overall this is a brew that is not for everyone, but if you enjoy a good Sour Ale with a really dark side this one is for you. I found it to be exceptionally tasty and quite sour with a really smooth drinkability. I am definitely getting more of this before I no longer can....

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 16:46:02 | More by KajII

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

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Jason, 750ml into a tulip.

Dark brown, almost black with a cream coloured head. Light retention and OK lacing. Nose is tart, dark berries, some chocolate and even a bit of roast perhaps. Taste has roast, light smokey malt with tart berries character overlying these. Acidic finish, and this carries on for quite some time. Medium body, medium carbonation. Too tart for everyone else who it was shared with, but I quite enjoyed this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 17:09:22 | More by liamt07

tut2528

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: pure jet black, with absolutely no transparency whatsoever, even when held directly up to the light. creates very minimal head formation. the head that was created was mostly forced carbonation. there is a slight lacing that hugs the rim of the glass, that is tan in color.

S: damn thats awesome. big tart and sourness from cherries, and other various berries. very subtle hints of peppery spice, slight oak towards the back.

T: immensely sour. damn, intense sourness. salty, huge vinegar, immense tartness from the fruits. sour apples, cherries, raspberries, sugar candy sweetness, just an awesome balance.

M: very light, nice carbonation, causes an immense salivation, leaves an awesome fruity tartness on the palate, urging me to take another sip. but its almost too light... slightly watery

O: such an awesome brew all the way around. still pretty new to the sour tasting comparatively speaking, but this one is immensely sour and has an awesome balance. definitely a must try.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 22:02:54 | More by tut2528

ToddT

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Black with almost no head , a hard pour produces only a thin tan that quickly disapates and leaves no lace on the glass.

S- Sour notes right away, plums, chocolate, and hints of wood char.

T- Follows the nose sweet and sour like a sour patch kid. Notes of chocolate, plum, candied cherries and bit of oak. Finish has a sour puckering quality to it but it not over done nor unpleasant. Complex flavors in this one.

M- Thinner in body that what I envision in a stout, but with decent carbonation. It could be a little better here but it not too far off.

O- Interesting and complex brew and at only 5.6% ABV you can enjoy the whole bottle. Not one I would want a lot of but I did like it.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 05:55:11 | More by ToddT

PsilohsaiBiN

New York

4.03/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark with a half finger head that regresses to be all but gone.

Smell: Sour oak, caramel, vanilla, cherries, pickle juice, vinegar.

Taste: Sour, as expected. Tart cherry and sour sweetness wreck the palate instantly. The chaos then magically disappears into a dry finish with some oak notes and smokiness in the background. This beer attacks your mouth and gives it a swift, powerful kick to the nuts before the experience is over. In this regard, this beer is intensely like no other I've had before.

Mouthfeel: Above average carbonation for a stout. The feel is nowhere close to as viscous as some stouts, but it's not notably deficient in the body department either.

Overall: This is a pretty intense brew. A roller coaster ride of flavor descends into a dry finish that may fatigue the faint of heart, if they're not careful. Would drink again, but would just like to have some forewarning...

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 04:42:15 | More by PsilohsaiBiN

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

DimensionX

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2012 bottle poured into a HOTD tulip

pours jet black, somewhat thick but holds carbonation well.

Smells like a tart funky sour, very strong but pleasant nose

The sour character is incredible and I could drink it all day long. That being said the beer is somewhat one dimensional as the sour is really the only flavor present. If I couldn't see the color I wouldn't even know it was a dark beer or that it was barrel aged. Luckily the sour character is tart, refreshing, and delicious. If you are gonna do one thing then you had better do it well I guess.

a little bit of slickness to the mouthfeel

overall an excellent beer even if it wasn't that complex due to the sour domination.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 01:21:00 | More by DimensionX

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

DaveBlack

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Dark brown, almost black, with reddish tints when looked at through the light. The head is maybe 1/2 finger, and it disappears as quickly as I pour.

S: The smell on this beer hits you as soon as you open it. Dark malts, a little coffee,some oak, vinegar and fruit.

T: Lots of tartness, black cherries. The background brings through some nice roasted characteristics. Slightly acidic and definitely sour (though not puckeringly so), and the dark malts break through and slightly temper the sour fruit. The aftertaste brings through a lot more oakiness.

M: Moderate body, lightened by an incredible amount of carbonation.

O: Would I drink it everyday? No. But it is a damn tasty beer, and is a nice change from the standard beer-fare. The brown/black ale characteristics play nicely with the sour fruit to keep them both in check.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 23:10:44 | More by DaveBlack

bonkers

New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a snifter, jet black pour with a medium white head. The aroma is acidic, vinergary, sour. The first sip is very sour, notes of cherries, definitely sour, not much stout. The body is medium, highly acidic, pleasantly tart. A very tasty sour, a little overpriced IMO at 21 bucks, but very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 00:52:18 | More by bonkers

minnesotaryan

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Tomtwanks for hooking this up as an extra!!!

Pours a nice deep black slight tannish head in a New Belgium balloon glass.

Smells intriguing, can't decide if it smells like a sour brown or a stout, leans towards sour brown. Notes of roast and sour berries.

Goodness this is tart! Lots of berry/apple/pear/lemon up front, moves towards a roasty robust malt profile, perhaps subtle hints of coffee. drinks like a light roast coffee that was in a wine barrel.

Nice mouthfeel, good body, nice carbonation, lingering sour flavor on the tongue.

Overall this beer is awesome, a genre bender and I appreciate that. Not a dull moment, great complexity yet easy enough to drink. Would gladly buy if I see it for sale.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 04:47:51 | More by minnesotaryan

jsanford

Georgia

4.2/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark black with brown edges and a thin ivory ring and very wispy haze. Nice aromas of tart vinegar, cranberries, dark malt, and a touch of chocolate. Really nice, definitely reminds me a bit of Oude Tart. Taste is similarly tart, with more vinegar, cranberry, oak, dark chocolate, and red berries. Mouthfeel is definitely puckering, with a medium body, good carbonation, and a dry finish. Really neat beer, always stoked to try something different.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 02:29:42 | More by jsanford

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into a tulip

The body sits an ink black with a bubbly tan head. The head fell quickly, forming a thin collar with some dots of lace. The nose is intensely sour. Tons of lactic sourness with black cherries, oak, cocoa, and leather. On the palate, huge lactic acid and cherries assault the palate. Oak tannins, leather, cocoa, and roast are all secondary. Medium bodied with minimal carbonation. Puckering finish, extremely dry. Lingering sour notes with dry oak and mild roast. This is a winner. The base stout has been transformed considerably by the bugs. This guy definitely lives up to its name.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 03:02:44 | More by ColForbinBC

harrymel

Washington

4.2/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Provisions version....Been fearful

Dark leathery brown with some tam foam. Smells of molasses with a sour cherry and some lemon skin. Flavor is a nice, well less stout, but more brown ale with a good amount of clean plumy, lemon, lactic and cocoa, coffee, some vinegrated character. I'm really impressed with how much I like this. Fuck. Nice medium bodied with sharp and resonant carb with a dry finish. Nice beer. Really nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 03:48:43 | More by harrymel

BilbosNuts

California

4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a goblet.

A: Pours a pitch black color with a creamy off-white ring for a head. Lots of carbonation creates a soda-like appearance.

S: Very tart aromas of lemon, green apples, and dark fruits. Definitely very acidic and funky.

T: Nearly exactly like the aroma. Acidic, tart fruits, and a light vinegary taste. It has a nice earthy and lactic backbone.

M: Medium bodied with quite a bit of carbonation with a sour and dry finish.

O: This is an awesome sour with a unique angle being a sour stout. Definitely a must try for sour lovers.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 22:21:22 | More by BilbosNuts

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

brystmar

New York

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the recent (2012) batch.

Body appears pitch black but is actually a dark brown color upon further inspection. Tan head fizzes up from the depths, stays for a cocktail, then exits amicably. Soured yeast & oak barrels in the nose; pretty nice but not intense enough.

One sip leaves no doubt this is an American-style sour. Hardly any stout left from the base as the infectious yeast summons sourness atop the oaky barrel residue. Has more body than most sours. Reminds me of Mother Barrel, though not quite as good or well-refined. And not nearly as tart or acetic.

A respectable beer considering the amount of this they brewed this year. Tart of Darkness is hardly The Bruery's best work, but if everything they make is at least this good from here on out, that's a resounding win for the craft beer world.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 04:07:28 | More by brystmar

DonDirkA

Arizona

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours deep black/brown with a brown bubbly head that fizzes away quickly leaving just a ring. Nose is sour black cherries, red grapes, tart green apples, plums, a bit of roastiness and just a slight hint of chocolate. There may also be just the slightest notes of oak in the back. The nose is tart but not in your face. The tartness of the flavor, however, is a punch in your tongue's face. Acidic without burning, cherries, plums, some berries (black and maybe raspberries too), pears, apples, some lemon and a hint of lime in the aftertaste. The roasted malts and other stout characteristics are there but hardly. All the tart, wild flavors are balanced ever so slightly by a lingering roastiness, but its not there nearly as much as you'd think for a stout. There's also a so subtle bit of oak but again you kind of have to search for it. I love sours, so I love this but I want to find a sour stout with a bit more "stout" to it. This and Jolly Pumpkin's Madrugada Obscura are very similar in that the sour qualities dominate excessively. Still an excellent brew though.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 05:26:53 | More by DonDirkA

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into taster

Pours an inky black with a thin toasted brown head resting on top. Fades out quickly with a cloudy film on top.

Stark sourness in the nose with black cherry skin, dark fruit and oak. Hints of toasted dark malts and chocolate along with some acidic notes.

A bite of sour right up front with black cherry, raspberry and currants. Acidic and slightly vinegary (but not offensive) with a soft tempering of dark malts. The roasted chocolate and oak tones are pretty understated, but definitely attempts to balance the sourness. Finishes tart and funky with dark fruit.

Lighter medium body, higher carbonation, dry and lingering on the tongue. I've had sour stouts before and hated them, but this was pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 11:43:16 | More by xnicknj

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

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

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Split the bottle with angrybabboon.

Appearance: Dark brown. Relatively thin pour with a decent carbonation. Bright red hues when held up to light. Small off-white collar. No head, slightly bubbly.

Smell: Nice citric tartness. Mildly acetic pushing toward vinegar. Sour cherry and oak barrel. Warm leather. Lemon zest. Some minor roasted malts and a clean underlying sweetness. Touches of caramel malt sweetness. Roasty and sour.

Taste: Acetic sour built on lemon juice and zest. Mellow roastiness. Caramel malt sweetness runs through the back. Minor citric sour coupled with some lactic/bug tartness. Backing oak presence. Sweet and sour. Some minor earthiness and funk layered throughout. More tart as the beer warms, with some of the roastier malts dropping out. Backing lactic edge. Some nice pushes of leather and dark cherry.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, decent carbonation. Puckering and dry.

Overall: This is how you do a sour stout.

One of the best offerings from The Bruery to date. A nice blend of tart and roasty without the overbearing sweetness and aggression I expect from The Bruery.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 18:54:15 | More by Goblinmunkey7