Provisions Series: Mother Funker - The Bruery

gkatsoris

Pennsylvania

4.95/5  rDev +31.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Golden yellow. No head at all. Looks like a glass of apple juice. Yum.

S: Vinegar. Apple cider vinegar. Apple juice. Pears. Strawberries. Apple rinds. Sour cherries. Hay. Vanilla. Granny Smith Apples.

T: Sour pears. Pear vinegar. Bananas. Sour apples. Sour strawberries. Cherries. Vinegary. This is super funky sour, but in the most delicious way possible. Absolutely delicious. I can taste this in my nose.

M: Crisp and clean. Very thin, but there is a delicious coat on the tongue.

O: You may not be able to drink this all night, BUT I would drink this every night if I could!

thanks redliner8!!!

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 21:16:44 | More by gkatsoris

BassBone

California

4.8/5  rDev +27.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle from the Bruery tasting room poured into a small tulip.

The beer pours a fantastic yellow/gold with no head to speak of. This is a beautiful beer to look at.

The smell is tart citrus, lemon, a bit of sour grapefruit. There is a little vinegary undertone beneath the fruit as well. The smell only hints at the marvelous sourness to come.

The initial taste is sharp sourness that shocks the palette. After the shock wears off, there is a big lemon presence and some sharp white wine vinegar, probably from the chardonnay barrels in which the beer is aged. There is a bit of geuze about this beer. It finishes long and dry with a big hit of vinegar.

The mouthfeel is crisp and dry with light carbonation. Very on style. It goes down easily. I could drink this for hours and I wish this weren't a limited release.

Overall, this may be one of the best sours I've ever had. I can't wait to pick up another bottle of it.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 06:18:47 | More by BassBone

sitarist

Ohio

4.8/5  rDev +27.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Another blind review, via the blind bif 7.

Pours slightly hazy, pale blonde in color. Hard pour yields no head, just a few bubbles that retreat to a pin, thin ring. Really no lacing, just a few spots that slide back into the drink(Almost looks like bourbon legs).(4.0)

WoW! Funky, tart, fruity aroma. Sour fruits(lime, lemon, sour apple), white wine, the feet that stomped the grapes(funk), wood, and vinegar. A nice balanced funky blast to my nostrils.

This is one tasty beer. Sour, fades into a wonderful long lasting finish. Lemons, limes, & vinegar slowly fade to cider, and an oaky white wine then back to a mild citric tease at the end. One of the best tasting sours that I've ever had!

Light to medium body, slightly carbonated, acidic. Awesome long finish.

One of the best sours that I have tasted. Its aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel complement each other. The way its flavors fade from tart, to mild, then back to tart again; it simply just blows my mind.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 01:19:30 | More by sitarist

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 mL courtesy of Overlord, much appreciated. Pours a slightly hazed gold color with a small white head. No lacing and poor retention...not too uncommon on a sour though.

I can smell this bitch from a mile away...sour as funk. Wow; clean and tart, mouthwateringly so. I haven’t smelled anything like this since I had a Captain Lawrence Barrel Select at least a year ago.

It profiles the tartness perfectly; nothing else gets in the way. The sourness is just so impressively clean. Like SweeTarts dissolved in pickle juice. One-dimensional for sure, but in a very delicious way. I love it...super light malts, salty sourness and puckering tartness. Yummy yummy yummy.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 01:43:25 | More by twiggamortis420

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.73/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Purchased at The Bruery Provisions in Orange, CA.

A: Cloudy, golden-yellow with a white head. Builds and fades quickly.

S: Funk, sour, barn...big nose.

T: By far the funkiest beer I've had to date. So sour, tart, and funky!

M: Smooth, sweet, and tasty.

O: I'm glad I didn't look at the average score of this beer before purchasing because I might have overlooked it. It was fantastic so ignore the score if you like super sour brews.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 03:42:01 | More by Gatch

sweemzander

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

750mL bottle poured into a tulip. Thanks for the bottle Shane!

(A)- Pours a hazy golden yellow color. Some white froth and lace.

(S)- A really nice bone dry funk with acidic lemon, orange, and subtle lactic bits of oak.

(T)- A big acidic kick up front. Flows into some awesome sour lemon/orange citrus. A really nice up front oaky funk; not quite lactic, but close.

(M)- A good carbonation level; a tad higher than expected, but it fits well with the overall profile of the beer. Good fruits and acidic sourness. Great subtle barrel character.

(D)- I like the sourness level of this. Not too strong to rip the enamel off my teeth, but sour enough to really thoroughly enjoy it. A great take on the style and one of the better american made sours that I have seen that is pretty close to smelling and tasting like a gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 14:39:29 | More by sweemzander

MrTopher

California

4.6/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Been on a little bit of a reviewing hiatus, and I thought I would break that with a review of the Provisions Mother Funker.
Served from a 750ml bottle into two Duvel tulips, shared with my wife last night.

A – Pours a nice straw yellow color, almost florescent in color, think white head that dissipates really quickly.

S – SOUR is the first thing that hits the nose, then a little bit of floral characters, some faint oakiness, and then more sour/lemon/funk.

T – This is a sucker punch to the taste buds, just sour/tartness comes at your first, followed by some mild sweetness, and then just another smack of sour. This seems to never stop, and keeps building and building. There is a faint taste of some oak, and vinegar, some lemon zest.

M – Perfect carbonation for a robust beast like this, it is a little on the thin side, but isn’t bad.

O – I’ve had some pretty sour beers in the past, but I believe this one has to take the cake as the sourest I have had yet. And a 750ml feels like a bit too much for 2 people, 3+ people this is an ideal amount of people to share this with. But honestly, it was amazing, really broke some rules with this one and pushed the boundary of what can be done if you try hard enough.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 23:29:53 | More by MrTopher

Gobzilla

California

4.58/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: poured a golden orange in color with pale yellow highlights and no head to speak of which left absolutely no lacing sticking to t glass.

S: lots of citrus upfront on the nose with acidic, vinegar, some brett, and apple character but with aomeoaky woodiness as well.

T: wow!!! super sour punch that wrecked my mouth on impact that included apples, citrus some vanilla from the barrel, a little oakiness, adicic notes and brett character.

M: the brew was medium in body with absolutely no carbonation which had a slight sweet, mild fruity, oaky, bretty, acidic, very sour, and slight dry finish.

O: it was definitely worth all the money spent and have to say it was probably the most sour beer I have tasted from the bruery thus yet. Great job!!!

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 22:26:25 | More by Gobzilla

jvillefan

California

4.5/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: A hazy yellow with a minimal head.

S: Sour. That is pretty much it.

T: Amazing sour. There is intense sour from the yeast. There is also a subtle sweetness present as well.

M: Very carbonated and fills the mouth well.

O: A very good beer. This beer is on par with Russian River's Sanctification.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 04:22:25 | More by jvillefan

aasher

Indiana

4.45/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This bottle was courtesy of kstrickler. Thanks Kyle!

Mother Funker pours a cloudy tarnished gold in color with only a slight lacing around the glass. By appearance it could be mistaken for a Belgian lambic. The nose is perfectly acidic. It features just a touch of fruit with plenty of acetic sour and a light brett finish. The flavors are spot on. It hits your tongue with instant sour, reminiscent of a Belgian made gueuze. It makes your tastebuds take notice. It's definitely more sour than Russian River's standard lineup, and more acidic. It has great flavor. It drinks dry and medium in body for the style. Overall this is a fine beer and definitely worth seeking out. I know I'll be looking for more.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 20:04:45 | More by aasher

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a hazy golden-yellow color with a thin layer of bubbly white head atop. The head fades down very quickly leaving behind a touch of lace.

S - Aroma is full of tons of funk and sourness with some oak, lemon, acidity, peach, green apple, and lactic acid.

T - Starts off with some strong tartness and acidic lemon and lactic acid with some light oak and tart green apple. Through the middle, more sourness and funkiness comes through with some peach, vanilla, and more tart green apple flavor. The finish is a mix of oak, vanilla, lots of tartness, sourness, and funk, with some lemon and light fruits.

M - Medium-light bodied with moderate-mild carbonation. Feels smooth with an acidic, sour, and tart finish.

D - Very drinkable. The sourness, tartness, and funkiness are all really big and bold in this beer, and I really like that.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 06:54:41 | More by ngeunit1

GRG1313

California

4.38/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Worthy of a review not just to help it get graded but because it's a really good beer and a must try from a California brewer.

Pours a bright and appealing golden yellow color with a small off-white head that fades quickly but very true to style.

The nose is huge assertive acidic sour with big citrus/lemon, white wine and hints of grapes, a funky undertone but with that nice funky tart sour nose which is inviting....you think you know what's coming!

Mouthfeel is super tart, fresh, citric and puckery. (Is puckery a word?) - but you know what I mean. This one has you salivating from the acidic mouth albeit a nice acidic mouth with layers of character. Mouthfeel is medium carbonation and just about perfect with food. This one invites food.

Flavors follow the nose and gives what's expected and more - super tart/sour, acidic, with assertive flavors of lemon, tart green apples, white/green grapes, and wine vinegar. The sour is calling out to be consumed with food and I suspect would be amazing with a meal and almost too sour by itself in any quantity.

The beer is tart with sweet and sour and will gain in complexity with a bit of age. This is a "sour sour," be warned. However, it holds it's own with the best of Belgium and is one to try.

I find that it gets better and better as it gets some air. Just about perfect after around 10-15 minutes in the glass. Nice job guys.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 03:25:01 | More by GRG1313

chugalug06

Colorado

4.38/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Slightly hazed yellow with lots of orange. Very little white bubbly head.

Major tropical notes: Toasted coconut, pineapple, lemon, and orange. Tart nose on this brew... Lots of malt vinegar.

Spot on sour ale. Very light and refreshing. Creamy, wet, and heavily carbonated. Brilliant sour lemon, apple, and pineapple. No heat, but it'll hit you like a brick.

One of the best sours i've ever had. Very fruity and unique. Creamy and well diverse in flavor. Highly recommended

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 02:38:22 | More by chugalug06

FosterJM

California

4.3/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1086th Review on BA
Bottle to stemmed tulip
750 ml

Thanks to GuruDel for sharing.

App- A little bit lighter than Filmishmish and had a bit more of a brighter orange color with some medium orange and yellows spread throughout. A small 1/8" head and then falls to nothing but liquid.

Smell- Its just purely sour on the nose. Has a ton of vinegar and oak behind it. I see what they did with Filmishmish and wanted to create the opposite profile with this one.

Taste- Very similar to the nose but more citrus and sour comes out over time. This is was pure sour with tons of acid notes and vinegar punch. It really did get more sour as the beer warmed. It was a fun beer to drink and see where sour/oak/malts can combine.

Mouth- A light-medium body with a medium high carbonation. A nice residual sour with a small amount of funk and fruit/oak

Drink- Holy hell batman. I see what Tyler/Patrick and the gang were going for. They want to stake a claim they can make sours more sour. (Our amps go to 11 type of thing) I would love to age this to see what happens. Very sour and you will need to brush teeth and have some tums.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 00:19:43 | More by FosterJM

DovaliHops

California

4.28/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a very cloudy yellow color with a tiny white head...mainly just bubbles though. Seems pretty still. Scent is...wow...very sour and acidic aroma. Very funky barrel notes in the nose, along with some stinky cheese and tangy citrus. Sharp cheese with white wine and vinegar. Taste is just what the nose implies...sharp sourness up front which mellows out with some barrel notes, which immediately turns back to sour. Finishes tart with some nice oak flavors. Plenty of lemon and funk with each sip. Some yeasty flavors toward the end. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and extremely acidic...mouth puckering with the sour. I can almost feel my gums wasting away after every sip. Drinkability is pretty high. Overall, this is a damn tasty beer. Could use some more carbonation though.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 07:46:40 | More by DovaliHops

brystmar

New York

4.28/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Many thanks to my Bruery trustee Cory!

Pours yellow with minimal bubbles and zero head. No lace, kinda plain.

Strong, funky aroma of sour fruits warns your stomach of the impending acidity. Saliva pools in my mouth as I await each sip.

I hope you like your sours sour, because this is among the most sour of any I've tasted. Extremely acetic, but also quite intensely fruity. So although this has the clobber-you-over-the-head-with-sourness aspect to it, there's also plenty of funk and flavor alongside.

I love this beer, but I'll be the first to admit its complete lack of balance. The tartness and acidity in Mother Funker is intense and highly polarizing: if you dislike ulcer-inducing acidity, steer clear! This is one of my favorite sours, but it's not for the faint of heart :)

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 19:18:44 | More by brystmar

RoninTK3

Rhode Island

4.25/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thanks again GRG1313!

A - Yellow/gold with no head. A slight bit of murk, but pretty transparent.

S - Funk and some tartness. A hint of lemon. I don't get a ton of aroma from this.

T - Very sour with quite a bit of funkiness. Very acidic with lots of lemon, grapes, sour apple, and tangerine. Maybe a bit of pineapple. A hint of saltiness in the aftertaste. This is definitely sour, but not unbearably so. I didn't get a lot of vinegar like others have mentioned. Maybe it has mellowed out a bit, but I think this is an excellent sour.

M - Light bodied with medium carbonation. Very acidic.

Really enjoying this one. I couldn't drink a ton of it, but I'd certainly have it again. Went into it cautiously with some of the complaints on here, but I think this is an excellent sour.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 16:14:22 | More by RoninTK3

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.23/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer provided through starrdogg, thanks Matt!

The beer pours a nice hazy orange to gold color with a nice amount of lacing.

The smell is all lacto, pretty much but it also has a really nice light fruit sourness, like really sour cherries and grapes maybe. I really like the smell actually.

The taste is definitely sour, but not enamel stripping. Has a good lacto presence and some fruity notes too, love the second sour wave that hits after the beer has been swolled already. Vinegar notes for sure, apple cider vinegar maybe. Nice.

The feel is wicked sour, but a decent feel and depth.

I really like this, I'm surprised by the negative reviews. I tend to go for bigger flavors though, so I can see how maybe this could be too intense for some....

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 00:57:30 | More by Dreadnaught33

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.23/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out very yellow, nice big 1" of white head on it, worries about lack of carbonation are dispelled. Aroma of oak, massive lemony sourness, and definitely funky, but not the wet dog funky. Enjoyable.

Taste, puckering. Plenty of lemon acidity and vigor (not vinegar). The oak is there in sizeable form. The oak makes this dry, stone ground mustard like acidity interplay or something, but as a guy who loves mustard, bring it on! Doesn't really bring any fruit other than lemon into the flavor equation. Relatively light body, into which a souring steroid mechanism exists. Gobs of acetic acid, which I think works pretty well. This beer is going to be challenging to a lot of people. I like it, and it keeps getting better.

I've had 3 bottles of this so far. Melding the experience from both into one review, subsequent bottles will yield an edited review/score. The first bottle was on the low end carbonation wise, the next two really picked up

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 20:06:08 | More by Beerandraiderfan

wethorseblanket

California

4.22/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours an egg yolk yellow with a very unusual ghost-like, pale white-ish, large bubbled head which fades to the rim as it sits and warms.

N: Big tannic oak up front, sour, some floral notes along with lemons, funk and grass/fresh hay.

T: Wow - which comes first? Punch then pucker or pucker then punch? Could be a tie. Oaky tannins, sour vinegar, acetic acid. Straight arrow pointedly tart with a lemony finish and mildly throat clenching.

M: Fairly low carbonation and aside from the astringency, this is lite bodied. Sour + tart goes in circles.

O: Mostly just lovely. With some age, what will this be like? Hmmm.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 02:30:50 | More by wethorseblanket

IKR

California

4.2/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Slightly cloudy golden yellow color with a small white head that faded quickly. The color is nice but it has no head shortly after pouring.

Smell: Predominately barnyard funk with some fruity citrus notes. Very gueuze-like nose.

Taste: Fruity citrus notes pair up with barnyard funk notes. The beer finishes on a semi sweet note. No false advertising by the Bruery regarding the level of sour, this one is sour. But just as the hop heads say there is no such thing as too hoppy, I contend there is no such thing as too sour, 2 thumbs up from me.

Mouth-feel: Fairly light-bodied with a fairly low level of carbonation. The stillness seems to work with the level of sour, so while a little more carbonation might be nice, I can still live with the mouth-feel.

Overall: It's like a semi-sweet gueuze, one that's funky and sour. I have no regrets what so ever in purchasing this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 23:52:42 | More by IKR

bs870621345

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy straw color with no head and no lacing. Seems like an unblended limbic.

Smell is of sour apples, vinegar, brett medicinal character, lemons, and some oak mixed in as well.

This is very sour...not oppressive, but it's a sour beer. Has the major hit of sour apples and lemons with the vinegar mixed in at the beginning. Moves into a fruity and tart brett character that finishes a bit sweet with a nice oak character. Its a clean sweep off the palate with a good bit of acidity.

With no carbonation, its a bit thick for the style.

Overall, its good- I dare say on par with cantillon unblended lambic.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 01:34:56 | More by bs870621345

Seanniek91

New Hampshire

4.2/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Shared a 750ml bottle with RoninTK3. Poured into an Allagash tulip.

Appearance- Clear golden yellow with zero head and zero activity in the glass.

Smell- Lemon, white grapes, apple cider, yeasty must, mild oak. Quite pleasurable.

Taste- White wine (sauvignon blanc), pears, apples, sparkling grape juice, must, vanilla oakines, limestone. Quite acidic, but not as aggressive as past reviews.

Mouthfeel- Very light, not very carbonated, acidic, crisp.

Overall- Is this beer acidic? Yes. It is overly sour and aggressive? Not in my opinion. Polarizing reviews, but I do enjoy this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 16:10:19 | More by Seanniek91

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to smarcoly for sending this one my way. I opened it and shared with a friend on his birthday since him and I are always looking for the most sour beer we can find. Notes transcribed from footage.

750 ml bottle
Served into a chalice

A: Semi-hazy golden yellow color with a thin and fizzy white head that dissipated quickly. No lace or retention at all, though not so atypical considering the style.

S: Lemon, hay, funk, white vinegar, citrus and plenty of oak/barrel notes. There's a lot going on here and wow you can tell this is going to be pretty damn tart.

T: Initial wash of sweet citrus that doesn't really seem very sour at all coats the palate. As soon as it hits the back palate and you swallow, a rush of tart/sour covers your mouth. It even makes the back of your jaw tingle, super sour and I love it. Plenty of lemon, orange and the oak comes through more in the finish to dry things out. Talk about enamel-ripping.

M: Lower carbonation than I expected but not flat at all. I prefer my sours to have high carbonation to break things up. Perhaps this could use a little more conditioning in the bottle but it's not bad.

Aside from the mouth feel, this beer was simply stellar. Like the back of the bottle says, this is NOT one for a sour newbie. I love seeking out the most sour beers I can get and this certainly sits high atop the pile. Tasty and so damn sour.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 16:05:22 | More by ShanePB

axeman9182

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle, courtesy of my trustee JRSD. This one was allowed to warm a little before being poured into my petite Duvel tulip.

Mother Funker pours a bright lemon yellow, with a little bit of haze. A little bit of airy white foam briefly comes together, but it's beginning to fade even as I'm finishing the pour. Head retention and lacing are both abysmal, but that's not a huge deal for the style. The nose is highlighted by tart granny smith apples and some vinous white wine notes. The flavor adds some citrusy lemon peel to the potent apples, and there's a definite, tropical fruit and earthy funk presence as well. The wine-y acidity of the beer is quite potent, and it takes a few sips to acclimate my palate. After that though, the various flavors that pop up are all impressively vibrant. The body is very light, with a suitably bubbly carbonation level. Mother Funker is just about as intensely sour as The Bruery promised, and it's definitely a sipper of a beer (I spent a couple hours on my bottle), but behind all the tartness is one of the more rewarding American brewed sours I've had.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 06:30:40 | More by axeman9182