Funk Metal Sour Barrel-Aged Stout - Jester King Craft Brewery

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Served with a nice tan head that settles to a ring. Color is an opaque black brown. Aroma is tart, roast, fruit. Flavor's largely tart with only a bare suggestion of stout. Body is a little on the thin side and again little like a stout. Finish is like flavor, on the short side, and I'm not so much a fan.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 01:34:30 | More by drpimento

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.49/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Big khaki head. Nice lacing. Black body. Good surface foam.

Smell - Lots of roast. One dimensional roast with a little bit of acidity.

Taste - Some dark fruit presence. Dark malts. Roasty. Builds to a sour finish. Clean sourness, but it doesn't have a lot going on.

Mouthfeel - Slightly sour. Medium body. Well carbonated.

Overall - Decent for a sour stout. Not a great deal can be done with a sour stout, I think.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 21:59:31 | More by Alieniloquium

LeeryLeprechaun

Colorado

3.65/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Beer poured a black color, no highlights when held to the light. Head is off brown and becomes a lace around the glass.

Aroma is of medium roasted coffee and dark chocolate. Some acid pops through on the aroma.

Taste starts of sweet, some chocolate in the middle, and a sour finished with a somewhat harsh roast. This makes the finish clash somewhat.

Beer is full bodied.

Overall this is an interesting beer. It is nice to see someone souring a beer other than a belgian gold.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 02:20:05 | More by LeeryLeprechaun

claspada

New Jersey

3.96/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy dark brown coca-cola looking color with a foamy dark khaki head that recedes to leave some decent, soapy lacing.

Aromas begin with dark cherries, dark berries, apple cider and vinegar. As it warms you get some roasty char, espresso and oak.

The tastes begin with a savory sourness that I was not expecting; highlighted by dark black cherries, red apple, blackberry, currant and red vinious notes. As it warms you get more and more burnt woodiness, espresso roasted malts and some tangy sweet unripened berries.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium-high carbonation. Finish is fairly dry with a persistent acidity and light roasted/char flavor profile.

Overall this reminds me a lot of the Melange No 1 flavor profile, albeit much lighter and more drinkable. The savory, roasty flavors throw off the flavors for me a little. I like but I don't love it.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 20:59:16 | More by claspada

merc7186

New York

3.99/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber into snifter glass.

A: Dark Opaque Hue, Passes Almost Light, Brown Hue, Mild Lacing

S: Hay, Apricots, Mild Chocolate

T: Apricots, Hay, Mild Chocolate

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Sour

Overall, a nice sour beer..but as a sour stout it missed basically.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 02:29:23 | More by merc7186

Mora2000

Texas

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

On tap at the Big Texas Beer Fest.

The beer pours a deep, black color with a tan head - exactly as expected. However, this is where things take a detour from the traditional. The aroma is extremely funky, with some very tart fruit notes and some oak, roasted malt and a little chocolate. The flavor is similar, with a lot of tartness and some vinegar notes, complimented by the expected notes of chocolate, coffee and heavily roasted malts. Surprisingly, all of this works together fairly well. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Glad I got to try this one.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2012 02:53:38 | More by Mora2000

cfrobrew

Texas

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

A pitch black with a dark head and small bubbles
S very tart smell with cocoa
T heavily tart up front with a funkiness and aok flavor. The aftertaste carries a heavy cocoa chocolate flavor
M smooth and thick with a very nice carbonation
O I like this beer a lot. I loved it when it was sour black metal, I don't love this one as much but it's still really nice. Very cool to have a sour stout but I'd like it to be a little less bitter.

I noticed after this beer had been out for a while and warmed up the bitterness totally dropped off and it was much more like the first time I had it. Much more smooth and tart. Very nice. The next bottle I drink ill let it warm up a bit.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 02:19:31 | More by cfrobrew

inlimbo77

Delaware

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

750ml, Fall 2012
Heady Topper stemless wine glass

A: Pours pretty much pitch black. There are some reddish hues on edges as it thins out. Some lacing on glass is left on the glass from the slightly tan colored head.

S: As for the smell, I am getting straight up Tootsie roll here. It's like a blend of chocolate, cherry cola, and cocoa. I am getting some tart cherry, slight but there. Not as pronounced as in Tart of Darkness.

T: Interesting. Certainly different than ToD. This is more stout like, in body smell and flavor. Tart cherry sweetness is still there first. But then you are getting that milk chocolate cocoa like character. Which really seems to own the beer more so than the sour. I like the blend here. Someone dry finish, with the tart cherry cola aspect going on.

M: Medium bodied.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 14:21:35 | More by inlimbo77

thagr81us

South Carolina

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

Shared with my doppelganger on his wedding day prior to getting ready for the festivities! Served from bottle into a New Belgium globe. Poured black with a one finger brown head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was compromised of sweet malt, roasted malt, fruit, earth, sour, funk, and wood. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark chocolate, sour, tart, funk, roasted malt, and wood. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a good brew. The tart and sour twist on this one was actually quite nice on the base brew. This made it quite drinkable and enjoyable throughout the glass. Wish this were readily available in my area so I could crush this daily! Definitely worth your time!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 15:31:44 | More by thagr81us

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.05/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottle opened on 2.12.13

A - Gusher! Pours a dark brown with a fizzy brown head that quickly moves to the edges.

S - Funky, cherry, ripe fruit.

T - Funky cherry, red-wine, strong wood.

D - Tons of carbonation with a medium body.

O - Tart and dark cherry, strong wood lingers for a bit.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 06:36:08 | More by HuskyinPDX

UCLABrewN84

California

4.08/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to mrbubbler for sharing this one at Boneyard Bistro in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour and tart with dark roasted malt, dark fruit, wood, and bourbon aromas. Taste is much the same with only a mild sourness and more emphasis on the stout flavors. There is a mild amount of roasty and woody bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a great smell but the flavors don't match up in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 17:20:00 | More by UCLABrewN84

wogreen

Arkansas

4.09/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - pours like a thick chocolate milk shake; very dark with a dark brown head

S - no major hints of the barrel like i expected also not too vinegary like some sours can be

T - the warm flavors from the barrel aging are very subtle and dont overpower the sour flavor

M - thick, rich and drinkable

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 23:46:06 | More by wogreen

amnesia85

Connecticut

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

.750 Chilled in the fridge. Popped open and poured into my HF stem. I opened the night up with a founders breakfast stout to get my stout antennae pointed into the right direction. After my first pour I went back into the fridge to find out that the beer yeasted all over the place (gushed)
A: jet black with a sliver tinged head that dissipates to form a thin layer. Not that responsive to aggressive agitation. This beer is oily and bits of the small foam layer left over cling the the side of the glass as the level goes down.
S: raspberry mocha. Acidic unripened fruit. This beers smells mad dry.
T: the initial taste is the sour (but not vinegary) fruit followed by a blast of coco powder that starts in the middle of my tongue and expands to the end of my checks in all directions, even to the back of my uvula.
M: thick and heavy. Lightly carbonated which is A.O.K. With me.
O: I was super curious to try this because of previous reviews comparing it to CD4. It is similar in that is a dark sour but is also clearly different at the same time in that funk metal sticks true to its stout by nature. I'm unaware of the blend of base beers of CD4 but I know it wasn't as chocolaty. This defiantly blows tart of darkness out of the water. That's for sure. I'd like to try it again in a few months to see how it tartens up.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 01:43:04 | More by amnesia85

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Shared with friends for the bruins game. Poured into a tulip.

A - Poured a nice dark black hue with a quarter inch head that fades to leave a thin halo.

S - Aromas of sour almost cherries and chocolate with nice roast malts. Not too bad at all.

T - Taste is similar to the nose with lots of nice sour funk and light fruit with good faint stout notes. Very well done and a good balance of both sour and roast.

M - Mouthfeel is very nice with a good amount pf carbonation for the style.

O - Overall this was a good beer with nice cross platform. Aspects. Solid and drinkable glad I shared it.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 01:53:45 | More by rudzud

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It's with impeccable smoothness and high complexity that Jester King pulls off the roasty elements of stout and with the acute acidity of sour- but doing so without conflict is not yet seen in these Flanders-inspired stouts.

The pop of the cap seems ordinary until a late build-up of foam overtakes the bottle; in other words, have your glasses handy! Pouring an eruptive ale, the beer's light mocha foam easily reaches the rim with nearly half of the glass beer- the other half bubbles. Suprisingly light on lace, the beer recedes evenly as sour ales should.

Sharp tart aroams of sour cherries, under ripened berries, light cider, vinegar, and dry wine all entice the nose with savory and sour notes that intertwine. Lurking not so far behind are the stout roast of campfire, coffee, and charred woods. The beer is certainly dry and vinous to the nose as any sweet hints are low lying and recessed far in the backdrop.

The savory sourness strikes the early palate with black cherry, crab apples, blackberry, currant, and red grape- these fruits all seem seared by mesquite fired woods and release a tangy sweetness that wraps around the taste buds like aged red wine. It's both delicate and bold in taste, which points to its sheer complexity. Mild roast flavors are smooth like cold pressed coffee and add to the sense of grilled fruits to the esters involved.

Medium-dry on the palate, the bounce of early carbonation actually evades the beer relatively quickly and causes the acidity, dryness, and char to act on its own- and surprisingly it does! Light sweetness and just enough of a cushion of powder, airiness, and ash levitates the beer across the tongue, allowing vague textures of acid and tannin to finish. It's quite an amazing little beer that does so many direction at once, but with out loosing focus.

With very few sour stouts to reflect upon- Funk Metal gives me what's best about oude bruins, but elebated the "bruin" part to moderate roast and keeping the "oude" part maturely sour and earthen throughout. This is simply a masterpiece of a beer!

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 08:44:54 | More by BEERchitect

oline73

Maryland

4.18/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a Jester King goblet.

Pours a very dark brown color with a layer of creamy off white head. Lots of sour notes in the smell, but there is a strong chocolate component as well. Just a touch of vinegar. The taste is quite sour but not at all abrasive. Lots of sour vinegar notes but not particularly funky. The finish is tart with a mild smoke notes. Everything works well together in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 01:10:22 | More by oline73

Pinknuggets

Vermont

4.18/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle to worthy sniffer

A: it pours very dark walnut brown in color. It pours with lots of carbonation that has a big head that is khaki in color but goes away quickly leaving a lacing. It looks like a standard stout

S: it definitely seems like it has quite a bit of sour yeast in the smell. It also has some sweet smell that could be dark fruit but I cannot really identify it.

T: this is crazy like this beer is really interesting to me upfront it is tart and house good sour flavor upfront but then that fades into a stout finish is like all of a sudden it is smooth and creamy with a roasted flavor. It's a very interesting combo but it really works.

M: it starts off as tart but not puckering while also being oily. Then when the stout flavor starts to come in it is thick a creamy in feel but not heavy it's actually pretty light for a stout. Lots of things in one beer but it works.

O:this one of the most interesting beer I have ever tried it is a sour upfront with a stout finish the transition is clean and works well I am really surprised but it is a mash of my two favorite styles. My first jk beer and i will be back. Not my favorite beer ever but this is 100% worth a try just for the experience.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 03:16:21 | More by Pinknuggets

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.21/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks willandperry!

Appearance. Pours a dark brown, almost black with two fingers of thick tan head that has great retention.

Smell. Tart berries and cocoa powder, funky old barrel wood, a bit of coffee, and a very slight smokiness.

Taste. Tart, sour berries and cocoa, some barrel wood and dark roasty malts with lingering dry cocoa and a little coffee in the finish.

Mouthfeel. Medium body, low amount of soft and smooth carbonation.

Overall. Very nice stuff. For some reason, a sour stout never sounds appealing but this is a fine beer. Great flavours that work well together.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 00:28:26 | More by Rutager

BigBarley

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Reviewed live

Pours an intimidating, motor-oil black with a very thin, hard-to-coax head of dark, mocha colored foam. Looks exceptionally thick and alive

I can feel the funk from first sniff. Cherry-like tart smell, mixed with a sweet, sour funky note. Smells very similar to a Flanders Oud Bruin, not much here reminiscent of stout.

Wow! Extreme sour flavors assault the palate immediately. The only thing subtle about this are the stout characteristics, which hide way in the back, behind a wall of sour wild yeasty madness. This is an experience... sour, tart, spicy, corrosive. There is a LOT going on and I'm only 2 sips in. Sour and funky are literally the only things I can say to describe this beer. It's delicious if you're a huge fan of funky sour attack beers. And I've recently been drinking equal measures of imperial stouts and any and all spontaneous-fermentation/sours I can find, so this was opened at the right point in my life.

medium body, medium carbonation. Not anywhere near as thick as it looks, but that might be something to do with the crazy active carbonation. This one is not full of bubbles, but the bubbles that exist are tingly and alive. This beer impacts your mouth and your taste buds.

Overall, I'd say this beer is for the adventurous and the enthusiastic. Intimidating, unique, and memorable.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 11:58:04 | More by BigBarley

depechemode1983

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

SA - Pours opaque with noticeable yeast sediment. The head light brown with medium retention. Lacing is uneven but sticky and plentiful.

S - The nose opens up roasted and sour. There seems the be just a bit of sweet and creaminess but not much. Its mostly sour fruits.

T - Sourness takes front stage with roasted malts on the side. In the back ground you get oak smokiness and undertones of alcohol. The sourness is mostly encompassed by granny smith apples and white grapes. Overall the taste is pungent but desirable and very interesting.

M - Soft, a little creamy but with little carbonation. Could use a little more fizz.

O - Very interesting. I could see myself buying this again. If you love sour beers this one will not disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 22:16:52 | More by depechemode1983

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Another thanks to Apostlebrewing, shared with rudzud and others.

Light fizzy dark head, some legs, pitch black.

Nose super dark malts, powdered chocolate, nice sour almost lambic like sour wild, great liquid bourbon aroma, toasty dusty oak,

Taste great dark stout, sour flavours again light wild lambic like, wild slight funky sour, powdered cocoa, light vanilla toasty barrel. Finish is dry but sticky sweet, nice sour lacto like creamy sour, little flemmy and slightly acidic, hint of dark sour malt.

Mouth is med to fuller bod, decent carb, sticky flemmy feel.

Overall great beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 12:54:21 | More by jlindros

wagenvolks

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

"Can't get enough...of that funky stuff!"

If anyone knows me, they know I'm a man who likes my funk, in both music and beer. So when one of my favorite local breweries, Jester King, hit their already-awesome Black Metal with some bugs and barrels, you know this mama-jama gotsta sip some slow, ya dig? Awww yeahhhh.

Funk Metal opens with a slow gush and fills the Jester King snifter with a dark, cola brown body and a mocha head to match. Excellent retention to the foam. The nose is excellent, brimming with big aromas of sour dark fruit (plum, cherry, grape), light vinegar, and a barrel-rich woodiness. Sharp and intricate, with a light roast from the dark malts lingering in the background.

The flavor is first and foremost a barrel-aged wild ale, and almost a belgian dark ale second. A nice biting acidity greets the tongue but is more funky than sour. Barrels, dark fruit, roast, and vinegar ride the back of the palate with ease. Such a great blend. Body is light and effervescent. Some lingering barrel wood and dryness on the back of the palate is all that keeps the mouthfeel from higher marks--something I didn't notice on tap at the Funk & Sour Fest. Looks like Jester King has found their mojo in a big way after some lackluster releases!

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 00:07:44 | More by wagenvolks

mynie

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Why stop at oak and lactobacillus? Why not force an endangered animal to bathe in it, or add enough nutmeg to cause a large man to vomit while seeing god? The Scottish would go all the way. Brewdog would add literal gasoline and package the beer in the skull of a California Condor. They wouldn’t puss out with simple style-bending and racially uncomfortable artwork.

Sometimes you crash over the edge, my friends, and sometimes the edge comes crashing over you. In this case it’s most definitely the former. And the latter.
This tastes like a fucking bass line, like something that makes you dance in spite of yourself. Everyone around you is busy crying because grandma’s tumor just burst and you—you sick monster—you’re shaking your ass as if getting paid to do so. The brett and bacteria are at first almost too tart but then comes the rounded cocoa nodes of a fine sweet stout, rounding up everything almost goddamn perfectly.

(Full review at: http://mynie.com/?p=66)

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 17:33:07 | More by mynie

davey101

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into a tulip glass. Opens with a slow gush over. Thanks gtermi!

A - Pours a nice black body with two fingers of khaki foam. Initially the foam sits around for a while but as I drink it down it loses its touch as the foam fizzles away into some thin edging. Decent lacing and some random bouts of absurd retention. The beer has some sediment that is visible around the edges while in the light. The bottle also had a ton of tan sludge along the walls, this is definitely bottle conditioned!

S - Chocolate and coffee falling into some light lactic acid and cherries. Tamer notes of vanilla, oak, tobacco and ash. Smell is great but quite deceiving of the sour bomb that awaits.

T - Sour to the extreme. Faint notes of dark chocolate and coffee get absolutely engulfed by sour cherries and lactic acid. Bright and tart, this is closer to a Flanders Bruin than a stout. The finish is of smokey roasted malts. Smooth oak lingers after the sour burn fades away. This reminds me of some infected stouts that I have had in the past, only this is well rounded and perfected. Medium bodied and creamy mouth feel, does have that "infected" feel to it.

O - This was certainly different. Loads of sour cherries and lactic acid dumped on top of an innocent stout. The barrel aging is subtle but the bacteria really steals the show here. I feel a charred heartburn coming on but it was damn worth it.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 03:49:12 | More by davey101

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to koufax21 for bringing this to March Madness 2013!

Pours out a thinner black, brown and ruby red color, not dissimilar to Tart of Darkness, but dare I say even more impressive looking than one of my favorite beers (I should warn you, there will probably be at least one more ToD reference in this review)?

Good lactic sourness it seemed in the aroma. Like, all sour.

Taste, pungent sourness, gritty malt sticks to the teeth with the brett possibly that is part of this, I would think so. Goes with the dark fruit vibe, but instead of tiresome things like figs, prunes, raisins etc. . . you get black cherry, blackberry, sweet plum. grape. After all of that, you can discern some roasted malt aspect, but its in the background, as it should be a little bit with this mash up.

Mouthfeel remains sour throughout, you can start to think they flash burned the barrel, the smallest smoke contingent gets in there. If I had a bunch of these, this would be a good sour to take camping I'm thinking.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 04:07:05 | More by Beerandraiderfan