Crooked Stave Nightmare On Brett - Bourbon Barrel - Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.69/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle from the Cellar Reserve. Thanks to Bill for the assist. Served in Crooked Stave stemware.

Pours dark brown with a quickly-diminishing tan head that quickly fades to a thin collar and few swirls for a cap. The nose is more spirit heavy than the other two variants of the base. Bourbon presence is fairly heavy with some oak and light chocolate in the background. Vanilla as well. As it warms, there is a light dark fruit character along with a bit of roast.

The flavor is pretty barrel heavy as well, though it is more oak coming to the frot with some tannin. Bourbon is in the background along with slight roast, and just a bit of underlying acidity.

Medium body and fairly dry. Carbonation is a bit low, but appropriate for the style. Tannin through the finish.

My least favorite of the series, but still a nice beer stemming from a solid concept.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 00:01:06 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

3.94/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared at GRG1313's tasting.

Pours a murky dark brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour and tart with malt, fruit, and bourbon aromas. Taste is much the same with fruit and bourbon flavors on the finish. There is a high amount of acidity 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 some nice aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 03:27:49 | More by UCLABrewN84

kojevergas

California

3.38/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

375ml brown glass bottle with hood and wire cap over a cork served into a Gouden Carolus stem-goblet in me gaff in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live. Expectations are actually low; this sounds terrible. A brett baltic porter aged in bourbon? ABV is 9.666% according to my bottle.

Served straight from the refrigerator and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

When I was unscrewing the wire, it snapped off. This is the shittiest cage and cork design I've ever come across. I'm going to have to fetch wire clippers to get the damn thing off.

Then I had to use pliers to get the cork out, but it broke in half. This is a comically bad design. Presentation could not be worse. I used a wine opener to try to get the cork out, and that worked.

A: Pours a quarter finger rich tan colour had of nice cream and thickness, but poor (<40 second) retention. Lacing is pretty decent. Body colour is a nontransparent opaque solid black. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Sourness, coffee, strong oak tones, dark malts, alcohol/booze, and biscuit malt. A messy aroma, but an appealing and intriguing one. Fairly strong.

T: Coffee and messy bretts, with heavy underlying caramel and hints of chocolate and badly fermented cherry - like a poor bourbon. I get some pleasant lightly sour sourness and some bretts on the finish. Badly balanced. Certainly an interesting experimental brew. Little alcohol comes through in the taste. Lacks enough yeast character. As messy as it is, it's not bad - and I certainly expected far worse balance based on the description. Somewhat unique. I applaud the experimentation.

Mf: Good thickness and carbonation. Nicely smooth and clean. Good dryness/wetness balance.

Dr: Drinkable and intriguing. I like it. I'd revisit this one. A unique, interesting beer from Crooked Stave.

B-

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 05:33:19 | More by kojevergas

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Reposting this under my name as well, we did this together last night.

This is a live review collaboration between TheBrewo and StonedTrippin. We crack the cage and cork and pour a brew of the deepest cranberry-brown coloring. It holds a one finger head of molasses colored bubbles, showing decent retention. This leaves dripping stripes of lacing down the glass. No haze or sediment is noted, and carbonation appears light. The nose gives insanely soured Brett that is as fresh as it is juicy, subtle acetone, light booziness, warmed bourbon, and deeply roasted chocolate malts, making it somewhat simple but with increasing complexity through each individual component. Molasses, tin, mossy oakiness, and red apple sugars come out with warmth. Our first impression is that the flavoring is deeply roasted, but gives insane tartness on the swallow, and proper bourbon heat to balance. As we sip, the flavoring opens with balsamic vinegar, smoked toffee, nectarine sugars, and massive bacterial fermentation. The middle peaks with unique bitterness of burnt malts and dextrin sugars, vinegar, fusel booze, oak, and black vinegar inkiness. We finish with coppery yeast, juicy malts, astringently drying oakiness, bourbon booziness, green twig hoppiness, and faintly bittered citric orange flesh. The aftertaste breathes of rich toffee, beefy meatiness, bone dry woodiness, tinny metals, cooked caramel and reddish malts, and Brett to the maximum. The body is medium, and the carbonation is prickly. There is soft slurp, cream, and froth, with nice slurp and glug on the back. There is a cooled coating, but an insane woody, astringent dryness all down the tongue and hard palate. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks amazingly.

Overall, what we liked best about this beer was the flavoring, and the incredible blossoming progression from the time you open it to the time it’s gone. From the nose you can tell off the bat that this gives an interesting bacterial palate, done with purpose, and passion. The depth and bitterness of malts actually throw you a bit, giving an unconventional base for such a soured top. It seems by drinking this beer tonight we’re capturing a snapshot of what this beer has to offer. If you were to drink this beer every day for a year, each one would be different, and we’re simply experiencing a sensational slice of the chemistry as it changes through time.

I should also add that it was an absolute pleasure to review this beer with thebrewo, they have unique palates, and it was a real trip to dissect this fine ale together. cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 21:49:48 | More by StonedTrippin

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle opened on 5.27.13

A - Pours a very dark brown with a fizzy dark tan head that is gone fast.

S - Sour cherry, broubon, wood.

T - Subtle tart cherry, bourbon, wood. Nice!

D - Low carbonation with a heavier body.

O - Brett is working on the bourbon with some nice tart cherry, almost sour tones starting to show.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 04:53:45 | More by HuskyinPDX

merc7186

New York

4.06/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thanks to Sandman3479 for sharing this bottle.

A: Dark Opqaue Hue, Passes No Light, Brown Head Ring, Mild Lacing

S: Baltic Porter smelling mildly Sour???

T: Dark Mildly Roasted Malts, Mild Coffee, Mildly Sour, Mild Bourbon

M: Average Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Sour

Overall, it was a nice combo of a blatic porter and a sour but the bourbon barrel is a little lost, except for a mild back end taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 03:38:21 | More by merc7186

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.63/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

375 mL bottle, thanks Thorpe!

Pours a dark cola brown with a thin tan head that fades to a thin collar. Strong bourbon and vanilla presence on nose with light grape and dark fruit. Flavor is barrel heavy, with oak and bourbon notes dominating and light roast malt. Medium thin, with light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 23:58:32 | More by yourefragile

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.48/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

"Baltic (ish) porter aged in bourbon barrels"
Poured from tap into cs snifter tulip at the brewery. Pours a deep rich black brown with thin tanish head. Superb wild brett aromas, malty coffee and bourbon...wow. taste is great coffee and bourbon, roasted malts, sweet dried fruit and of course wild brett. Just fantastic. Its so smooth and just so much flavor and complexity. One of the most unique porters ive ever had. These guys are really doing some amazing things with beer.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2012 23:59:11 | More by DrinkSlurm

TheBrewo

Michigan

4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This is a live review collaboration between TheBrewo and StonedTrippin. We crack the cage and cork and pour a brew of the deepest cranberry-brown coloring. It holds a one finger head of molasses colored bubbles, showing decent retention. This leaves dripping stripes of lacing down the glass. No haze or sediment is noted, and carbonation appears light. The nose gives insanely soured Brett that is as fresh as it is juicy, subtle acetone, light booziness, warmed bourbon, and deeply roasted chocolate malts, making it somewhat simple but with increasing complexity through each individual component. Molasses, tin, mossy oakiness, and red apple sugars come out with warmth. Our first impression is that the flavoring is deeply roasted, but gives insane tartness on the swallow, and proper bourbon heat to balance. As we sip, the flavoring opens with balsamic vinegar, smoked toffee, nectarine sugars, and massive bacterial fermentation. The middle peaks with unique bitterness of burnt malts and dextrin sugars, vinegar, fusel booze, oak, and black vinegar inkiness. We finish with coppery yeast, juicy malts, astringently drying oakiness, bourbon booziness, green twig hoppiness, and faintly bittered citric orange flesh. The aftertaste breathes of rich toffee, beefy meatiness, bone dry woodiness, tinny metals, cooked caramel and reddish malts, and Brett to the maximum. The body is medium, and the carbonation is prickly. There is soft slurp, cream, and froth, with nice slurp and glug on the back. There is a cooled coating, but an insane woody, astringent dryness all down the tongue and hard palate. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks amazingly.

Overall, what we liked best about this beer was the flavoring, and the incredible blossoming progression from the time you open it to the time it’s gone. From the nose you can tell off the bat that this gives an interesting bacterial palate, done with purpose, and passion. The depth and bitterness of malts actually throw you a bit, giving an unconventional base for such a soured top. It seems by drinking this beer tonight we’re capturing a snapshot of what this beer has to offer. If you were to drink this beer every day for a year, each one would be different, and we’re simply experiencing a sensational slice of the chemistry as it changes through time.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 06:43:54 | More by TheBrewo

chugalug06

Colorado

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

Looks absolutely delightful. Nice cream brown head. Brew is thin deep black with nice caramel colors.

Strong lemony twinge. Sour. Hours-y. Barn-y. Chocolate, caramel, and raspberry all come to mind.

Whoa. Dry, nice medium carbonation, slight tartness. Apple, chocolate, roasty caramel, beady, farm flavors, nice bitterness to help keep it from being overly sweet.

Awesome brew! Highly recommended (if you can find it)... It's exactly what I expected for a sour Porter. Nice job CS

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 21:23:33 | More by chugalug06

denver10

Colorado

3.34/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Pours brown with a slight khaki head. Aroma offers some brett, bourbon and its barrel, and some roasted coffee. Flavor followed suit; starts off with some sour/tart brett, the bourbon and its barrel comes mid stream, and it closes with a nice roasted coffee. Medium body, slight activity, unimpressive but probably just a product of the style (or perhaps the tap, as I thought the bar was watering all their taps down). Overall, a very nice beer, the first wild/sour stout or porter I have tried that I found worked.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2012 22:33:41 | More by denver10