Tart Of Darkness - The Bruery

n2185

North Carolina

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

A: pours dark brown with two fingers of tan head that fades into a thin layer with good lacing.

S: tart and sour fruits up front with acetic vinegar aromas following. There are some slight funky and roasted notes underneath.

T: tart cherries and sour lemons dominate the flavor with a fair amount of acetic notes as well. Roasted malt flavors hide underneath with some funky barnyard notes. Very tasty.

M: medium-ligh body with lowish carbonation, this beer avoids being watery, but only just.

O: a nice sour overall. Not the most complex, but simple and delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2012 17:09:15 | More by n2185

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Duvel tulip glass.

My man Ryan was raving about this beer, so I felt I just had to grab a bottle while I still could, if for no other reason than to see what the hubbub was about. It pours a deep black-sienna, nearly completely opaque, topped by a fleeting half-finger of tan foam. The nose comprises cocoa powder, vinegar, tart berries, light roasted malts, and a touch of maple syrup way in the back. The taste leads with the vinegar, rolls seamlessly into some tart berries and fruits (lots o' lemon on the back-end), then, just when you think this is just some sour, some roast and cocoa soften things up a bit before a haymaker of slightly metallic tartness finishes things off. Animality! The body is a straight medium, with a moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda drying finish. Overall, a decidedly enjoyable sour stout, possibly the best of the genre I've yet had.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 01:13:45 | More by TMoney2591

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

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

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for sharing this beer

Consumed 10/13/12

Appearance: Dark brown, pours with an off-white head - retains a nice ring, leaves some streaks of lacing

Smell: Sour and tart - lactic with some acidity - it looks very dark, but it actually smells like it could be lighter - mostly caramel and amber malts - dark fruits, like cherries and applies

Taste: A sour stout that tastes good? I thought this was impossible - tart and sour - lactic and acidic sourness - very puckering - dark and roasty notes, with some caramel - some chocolate and coffee - dark fruits, like cherry skins and apple peels - some woody oak as well

Mouthfeel: Medium body, nicely carbonated, nicely puckering

Overall: This is way better than I could have expected

This is the best sour stout I've ever had. Serious bonus points for this. And it might be the best beer I've ever had from The Bruery. It's nicely sour, nicely tart, and has a nice malt base. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 21:39:27 | More by angrybabboon

TexIndy

Texas

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

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a tulip glass. No bottling info that I could find. It was a dark brown color with ruby edges. It had an average sized bubbly head that quickly settled into a think collar. Massive surface action in the center with the carb streams from the etching. Slight lacing with none sticking.

The aroma is heavy on sour cherry, lactic acid and oak with hints of chocolate and roasted malt in the back if you really sniff for them. You can smell the sour bit that is to come. And there it is! The taste is heavy sour with a sharp tart bite. Good accents of oak and chocolate as well. Really good tasting sour that will have you puckering the whole time. Light to medium mouthfeel with sharp tart bite and loads of carbonation.

Overall, an excellent wild ale that will definitely satisfy your tart urges. Highly recommend if you like tart. Not avail here - got from Hoss! Rotation - wish I could get some more to age as I'd like to see how it develops.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 01:32:17 | More by TexIndy

Chaney

District of Columbia

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

I decided to just pop this thing on a whim tonight.

Served in a Mad Elf glass.

A: Poured about as black as a stout gets, with a nice 1/2 finger mocha ring around the brew.

S: I smelled the sourness from the second the cap came off. I dug deeper and got lots of pepper and oak. As the marketing speak dictated, this smelled roasty for sure. Pretty awesome.

T: Sour, and it was cool it hit the back of my throat in such an amazing way. I thought I would get malt from this, but that wasn't the case. I got only a hint of chocolate here...

M: Acidic, but not too much. I didn't get any dark roasty malt (in the traditional sense). No lacing, but that's not what this bastard was about.

O: By far, the best Oaked sour stout I've tried... but it was my first also

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 04:24:19 | More by Chaney

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

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

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

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours a solid dark black color. Head is mocha and initially well built. It quickly pops away to only an outer ring connected to an inner Pangaea of foam. Manages to laces pretty well despite the mild head. When held up to the light, the beer's outermost sectioning is brown. Then it slowly fades to black.

S-Cool! Semi-lactic with tart cherry. Tart chocolate with cold coffee. The polar-opposite aromas blend together very nicely. Roasted, oaky and a bit burnt; the dark characteristics are a great pairing with the sour, wooded cherry notes.

T-The flavor is very tart and pleasing. Milk chocolate and lighter roasted coffee piggyback behind the sourness. Unripened blackberries aid the cherries. The oaken jacket holds all the flavors together. I am very happy with the level of sourness. The flavor is tart > roasty. I applaud the sourness for winning the flavor battle. They really made it work here; the flavors augment one another. I dare say I could use a bit more roasted character in the flavor (splitting hairs).

M-Possesses wine-like tannic properties. Fuzzy (teeth in socks) feel. Body is creamy but far from heavy. Carbonation adds to the fuzzy feel. Tartness lingers and lingers. Goes down with shocking finesse.

O/D-For $21 bucks (750 ml) this better be a damn good beer. It delivered. It nearly reached my "Top-Tier" level but fell just short. I found it to be delectable, but it ever-so-slightly faltered in terms of depth and complexity. Regardless, I will blow this back and be happy. Quite the gem.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 20:28:14 | More by VelvetExtract

mdaschaf

Washington

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

Thanks to James for this one!

A: Pours a very dark brown with a small tan head that reduces quickly leaving a thin ring on top Minimal lacing.

S: Some sour/tart cherries up front followed up by a bit of roasted malt and chocolate. The stout part of the aroma is rather weak though as the tart cherries really dominate.

T: Similarly one sided on the flavor profile with a good bit of tart cherries and very little in terms of stout qualities.

M: Medium bodied with low to medium carbonation, definitely on the tart side.

O: A really nice sour, just don't really see where the stout comes into play here. Consumed without seeing the color, I would never have pegged it a sour/stout.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 00:43:02 | More by mdaschaf

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

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

Poured from a bottle into a Lost Abbey Teku. The beer pours out extremely dark reddish-brown with some light escaping through. The head dissipates almost immediately, no doubt due to the high acidity of the beer. Lots of acidic sourness on the nose as well as some cherry character. As the beer warms, some soft, funky wet hay aromas come through.

The beer has a medium body and a firm mouthfeel. There is an intense cherry-like sourness on the tip of the tongue. It's so intense, that it makes it difficult to distinguish any other flavors. I don't get much of the roastiness of the stout, but I do get some nice oaky flavors on the back of the palate. The finish is very wine-like and mouth-drying, leaving you begging for another sip (no matter how sour it is). Not very high in alcohol, but the high level of acidity definitely makes this a sipper.

I haven't had too many sour beers (they're scarce in this part of the country), but this one is certainly the sourest beer I have had to date. If you're a fan of extremely sour beers, you should seek this one out and try it at least once. If you've never had a sour beer, I would not suggest making this your first one. I found it to be pleasant to drink, but I prefer more balanced, moderately sour beers. This one is so tart it overwhelms my palate. I did enjoy it, but given the price of this beer, I probably won't buy it again. If I did, I would let it age for a while, just to see if any of the sourness melded with the other flavors a little better.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 02:29:42 | More by deadonhisfeet

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

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

Thanks to Momar42 for the bottle! About 6 oz poured into a Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a very dark brown color that looks pitch black in this lack of lighted scenery. The head is rather light and bubbly for its body color, a less-than-one finger head with thick bubbles and underwhelming retention.

S: TART! I'm really enjoying the tart cherries the aroma provides, and I don't really care that it's not very stout-y.

T: See the aroma - this is tart as hell, but balanced nicely. I can find the dark, roasty, mildly chocolaty base if I concentrate, especially after several sips of palate-destroying sourness, but the tartness is what dominates the flavor profile. There are *very* slight touches of complexity, but again, TART!

M: Dry and refreshing, without being comically tannic. The carbonation is light enough to make this really easy to sip for a sour.

O: I'm starting to love great sour ales, and this is a great sour ale. It's nicely sour, yet not overbearingly oppressive in its dry oakiness. A must try, just expect it to be more sour than stout.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 00:43:29 | More by ThisWangsChung

beerhan

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

750 mL, 2012 edition

A- Incredibly dark, black with a 2 finger head that sizzles away pretty fast-not quite what I was expecting.

S-Apples, pears, greaps, vinegar, some chocolate and maybe a hint of oak.

T-Almost like incredibly sour cherries dipped in chocolate and allowed to sit in wood. Very sour and actually for me kind of hard to taste. Small sips allow for a nutty roasty oak taste to come through.

M- I enjoy this beer but it is almost a little too sour to get down at times. It is very acidic and puckering.

O-This beer somehow manages to come together in a very unique and interesting presentation. I enjoy the flavor profile but it is almost too sour and not balanced enough for all the flavors to come out. I would have like to have seen more stout on this but instead I feel like I have just any other wild ale dyed black.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 03:30:08 | More by beerhan

macrosmatic

Florida

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

Thanks to eyebereej for this one. Reviewed from notes. Poured from bomber into a CCB pint glass.

A: Black and essentially opaque, with a thin, just off-white head. Minimal visible carbonation with a fair amount of floaties.

S: Tart, sour, a bit fruity, vinegary and vinous, with some oakiness and some dark sweetness/brown sugar.

T: Tart, puckering sour, tart cherries, some oaky sweetness, some citrus (lemon or grapefruit) sourness. Roasted malts lend just a bit of sweetness. Finish is puckering sour, that reminds me of eating a lemon slice, and dry.

M: Medium body, tingly mouthfeel. Minimal alcohol presence and moderate carbonation sensation.

O: I really enjoyed this beer, although the thick layer of chunky off-white sediment that formst on the bottom of the glass is a little strange. Overlooking that, though, this was thoroughly enjoyable, and recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 23:50:33 | More by macrosmatic

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

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

A-hazy brown color with a small light tan head and minimal lacing

S-sour cherries, grapes, hints of malt and caramel

T-sour cherries, dark roasted malt, caramel, nice biting sour finish

F-medium body with light to moderate carbonation, dry

O-an interesting sour stout, strange combination but it works for me

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 20:18:24 | More by MDDMD

Danny1217

Florida

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

Pours dark brown. What little head there is dissipates almost instantly. Can see some active carbonation in the glass.
Smells fruity and funky. Sour cherries, grapes, oak. A faint smell of roasted malts. Closer in smell to a red wine than your average beer.
Very, very sour. The sourness dominates the beer, leaving the stout character behind. Sour cherries and grapes, some oak, roasted malts, and caramel. The fruit flavors dominate though. Lively carbonation and medium body.

Could be the most interesting beer I've drank in my life. I really enjoyed it. However, it is hardly worth the price tag ($22.99 where I found it.) Definitely glad to have tried this once though.

Warning: The sourness dominates this beer. According to the bottle, this beer is actually brewed as a stout before being barrel aged with wild yeasts. However, the stout character is very faint. Don't buy this beer expecting a stout.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 04:09:43 | More by Danny1217

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

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

Presentation: 750 mL from the 2012 vintage served in a Kate the Great tulip glass. Chilled prior to serving. Allowed to warm over almost an hour to around room temperature.

Appearance: Pours a slight, less than one finger medium brown head that dissipates almost immediately. Definitely looks a bit lighter in body than a heavy stout. Nice dark brown to black color.

Aroma: Some tart cherry, green apple and a touch of lemon upfront. Some smoke and chocolate tones, that blend with some red wine tones. I get just a touch of caramel and bourbon from the Black Tuesday barrels, but it works nicely to add some depth.

Taste: Really bright and sour upfront. The cherry and lemon tones definitely stand out. Some really nice red wine notes as well. Almost puckering. Some very light chocolate, caramel and bourbon notes add some nice depth. Definitely more on the sour end, but nice, refreshing and complex.

Mouthfeel: Light body with lower than average carbonation. Easy to drink.

Overall, a really nice, tart and complex sour. I really liked the mix of sour notes with some bourbon and stout backing notes that were truly background notes. The low ABV really worked well too in making the sour notes and stout notes come together without any harsh booze character. Very refreshing a drinkable. Definitely worth the price of a bottle. Glad I got one to age.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 01:33:26 | More by Gosox8787

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

stephenjmoore

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a very dark brown, looks almost black with some ruby highlights in the glass. Not much head to speak of, just a ring of off-white bubbles around the edges of the glass.

S- Funk and grape must dominate the nose. I get a hint of berries, some roasted malt, sour cherries, grapes and even an earthy aroma.

T- This one makes you pucker-up right away. Juicy sour fruit hits right of the bat, followed by a slight roasty note that is just enough to let you know it a partial stout. Finish is dry, sour and fruity.

M- Very sharp, high carbonation, stings the tinge almost immediately.

O- A very different sour offering that should be tried at least once. The dark malt adds some balance, but is not extremely noticeable.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 01:21:49 | More by stephenjmoore

yamar68

Minnesota

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

Pours a dark coffee brown/black - darkness indeed. A noisy finger of light brown head fizzes and retains for about a minute before sinking down to neat collar.

Very interesting... soft chocolate stout character is layered with a slight funky twang. A bit of caramel, sour citrus, very smooth.

The tart notes that aren't all that powerful in the nostrils really take on a lead role on the tongue. The most refreshing "stout" I've ever had. This might be the first time my thirst has been quenched by a beer this dark.

Hugely unique. Try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 01:13:31 | More by yamar68

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out a solid black color with a few globs of yeast chunks in the bottom of the cup, two fingers of fizzy khaki head that lasts for about a minute and a half, leaving behind no lacing but a persistent collar of froth. Lighter side of medium body and light carbonation levels.

The nose is an 50/50 even split between roasted malt / coffee and soured tart raspberry / cherry aroma. The oak wood... doesn't register in the smell until after the glass has warmed up somewhat, but when it does, the resulting combination in the aroma is quite wonderful to smell. Flavor is unfortunately about 85/15 between sourness and stout, which is not as close to the nose's proportions as I had hoped. The bright and puckery sour acidic cherry / oak wood blast masks out the great majority of the roasted flavor, and I am left with a soured ale that uses a whisper of roast as a garnish. Don't get me wrong, it works, but a bit more "darkness" on the tongue would have been appreciated.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 18:31:30 | More by WastingFreetime

Justin_Neff

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: The body of the beer is black with a reddish hue. Not much head that dissipates quickly.

S: Hints of cherry with a strong oaky woft. Smells reminiscent of an oaky wine.

T: Starts extremely tart - to the point of puckering. After the initial sour flavor, the taste of cherries surfaces mildly, followed by a strong acidic oak flavor.

M: Light, and maybe a little too carbonated

O: Overall I like this one quite a bit. Love the idea, but could be a little thicker in my opinion. Also, a little over priced.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 00:51:30 | More by Justin_Neff

claspada

New Jersey

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

Pours a dark dark brown color with some maroon highlights with a khaki tan foam of head that dissipates leaving minimal lacework.

Aromas begin with dark cherries, earthy light molasses and light dark cocoa. As it warms you get some mild oak and a bit of funky Brett and red wine vinegar.

The tastes begin with a hefty dose of tart sour dark cherries, balsamic vinegar, earthy oak/mushroom umami-notes and some generic roasted malts at the back end. As it warms the mild sourness increases and the sour yeast cultures begin to win the battle for your palate but by no means overbearing or anywhere close to the sourest beer I have had.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium-high carbonation. Finish is quite dry, aky and tannic.

Overall this is a good dark sour but I have had two better in the last month. It is too one-noted and generically sour cherry brett-forward. It lacks the complexity of Weyerbacher Sour Black that had awesome red wine notes and more roasted malt flavor in the background. It also lacks the sourness that Capt Lawrence Barrel Select Black has which is just crazy sour mixed with lightly roasted malts. This is just a but too generic for the hefty price and won't be in my regular rotation anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 19:48:26 | More by claspada

BarryMFBurton

Indiana

4.48/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Interesting idea for a beer, and I hear this one delivers. Glad to finally be cracking it open.

A: A deep brown decant leads to a thick, almost impenetrable darkness in the body and a dense, foamy head. The cream’s color is just that – cream – contrasting nicely with the richness of the body; I’m guessing that the juxtaposition between light and dark is something this beer is trying to pull off, and it shows here. Cream is slow to settle, leaving thin yet frothy lacing.

S: An immediate eye-opener of a nose: coffee and vinegar, oak and cherry, vanilla and berry puree. It holds its head high as a dessert beer, bringing to mind hints of cherry cordial, though with a lot more sour kick. Luscious chocolate and dark, rich caramel stand together, ever-present in the background of the more intense aromas – not bold, but not timid, they keep the nose grounded in a dark, sugary place. There’s a lot going on here, but there’s nothing over the top or out of place; everything is absolutely top-notch.

T: Like a little raspberry flavor in your coffee from time to time? I certainly do. And when this beer first crossed my lips, it’s one of the reasons why I was instantly satisfied. First and foremost is a rush of sour flavor, propelling the palate into tart raspberry and juicy lemon before crashing into heavily roasted coffee and grain – love that mix of flavors. Now, sours do take up the majority of the palate, but there’s still room amongst the darker flavors for salty caramel and cashew, as well as candy corn, maple, and sweeping chocolate undertones. Plus, there’s this constant taste of smoke lingering behind every individual flavor, which is just different enough to be evident at every moment of this palate; astounding. Aftertaste has that smokiness in force, with only light reminders of sour acids.

M: This beer is definitely built like a sour, evident most of all here: taut bubbles on the tongue that make this sizzle with every sip. In fact, I’m glad it isn’t as thick as it could have been; I can just imagine something with the viscosity of Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge being too much, even though stouts are normally very full-bodied.

O: And with that, a new favorite emerges in the world of sours. Even though it was a damned expensive bottle and the balance was shifted more toward sour than anything, to me, every ounce is worth its weight in gold. Superb.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 19:28:03 | More by BarryMFBurton

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