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

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev +0.5%

01-18-2013 15:36:09 | More by drabmuh

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.11/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle opened on 4.14.13

A - Pours a very dark brown with a fizzy-active dark tan head that slowly fades to the edges.

S - Tart fruit, barrel and red wine.

T - Red-wine, cognac, oaky tartness. Some sweet ripe fruits.

D - Lower carbonationo and a heavier body. A bit on the sweet side with a tart finish.

O - You can totally taste the cognac, still a bit sweet, but this one should age gracefully.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 04:11:53 | More by HuskyinPDX

WillCarrera

Illinois

3.89/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

375 ml bottle, black wax, poured into a snifter.

A- Pours super dark brown with a thin khaki head that recedes to a collar.

S- Really interesting aroma, it's a blend of cognac, oak, vanilla, chocolate, and some more tart, fruity brett notes. I wouldn't expect this to work but, at least in the aroma, it does.

T- This works considerably less in the flavor. Tartness is way more dominant here, lots of sour fruit and a bit of funk, which is sort of weird next to the chocolate and roast flavors, as well as the vanilla and cognac barrel flavors.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth feel, mild booze warmth.

O- There's a lot about this beer that I like, the barrel character is very tasty, but it's just sort of a strange beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 05:52:13 | More by WillCarrera

ahalloin

Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.5%

04-13-2013 00:33:50 | More by ahalloin

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

3.69/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle thanks to DaveHack as an extra! Big thanks man!

Very nice look, dark stormy look with some swirling tan head on top, ring of tan around the sides, has nice lacing with a swirl that falls down quickly.

Smell is very complex and strikes a great balance of the spirit, oak, fruit Brett, malty base beer, they all form this confection dessert like aroma that is very enticing and quite nice.

And the taste does not live up to the bill. It has a metal type taste and the Brett seems to conflict with the base beer, which seems to cancel out the nice notes they both could bring to the table, and the cognac is not all that obvious either. Disappointing after the smell. There are nice roast notes and Brett too, but it could be better.

The feel is ok but acrid seeming with the taste profile. Medium in feel and some sour notes linger nicely.

Overall pretty good, but could be better with some tweaks I'd say.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 23:29:08 | More by Dreadnaught33

Callmecoon

California

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

04-12-2013 18:16:37 | More by Callmecoon

UCLABrewN84

California

4.16/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Callmecoon for sharing this one at Retsinis' tasting.

Barrel # 59.

Pours a clear dark orange-brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is slightly sour and tart with dark roasted malt and dark fruit aromas. Taste is much the same with a fruity flavor 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 very good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 05:00:50 | More by UCLABrewN84

amnesia85

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +0.5%

03-27-2013 01:05:45 | More by amnesia85

phingdong

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

03-21-2013 16:15:05 | More by phingdong

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

03-15-2013 18:07:08 | More by Gosox8787

millerbuffoon

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

03-08-2013 03:30:07 | More by millerbuffoon

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

02-11-2013 03:07:46 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

CheapBeerBuzz

California

4/5  rDev +0.5%

02-11-2013 02:35:34 | More by CheapBeerBuzz

largadeer

California

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

02-11-2013 01:12:49 | More by largadeer

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

01-25-2013 03:05:06 | More by Mebuzzard

DaveHack

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

01-25-2013 01:45:20 | More by DaveHack

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.21/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

375 mL bottle. Thanks Thorpe.

Pours a dark cola brown with a light tan head. Vanilla and sherry on the nose, with some oak, cherry, smoke and chocolate. Medium light body, soft carbonation, dry oak finish. Flavor is a little less complex than nose, but has a nice balance of oak, chocolate malt and grape. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 23:06:28 | More by yourefragile

Dodgesbullets

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

01-20-2013 00:10:18 | More by Dodgesbullets

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle courtesy of the Cellar Reserve. Served in Crooked Stave stemware.

Pours a very dark brown with a slight light brown head that quickly falls to a tan collar. A bit of lacing as it makes its way down.

Nose has a really nice bit of vanilla with some light buttery oak. Some chocolate and very light roast, along with a bit of dark fruits in the background. The flavor adds a touch of acid and nice chocolate.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low-medium carbonation. Quite smooth and really creamy. The barrel is present in the background with just a bit of alcohol warmth. Nice cognac character throughout.

Overall, this is a really nice beer. Super smooth and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 03:50:42 | More by Thorpe429

hiphopj5

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.5%

01-14-2013 22:43:16 | More by hiphopj5

MarkyMOD

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.5%

12-22-2012 04:52:03 | More by MarkyMOD

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Crooked Stave served in one of their snifters. Black color, huge head that took quite a while to die down. Aroma is interesting, sort of sticky malts, slightest hint of booze, not bad at all. Flavor was like a strong porter but had a grape flavor, sweetness that must have been the cognac barrels. This was high alcohol but you really couldn't taste it at all. Nice stuff but I would not revisit

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2012 03:21:55 | More by ArrogantB