Village Tart
Brau Brothers Brewing Co. LLC

Village TartVillage Tart
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From:
Brau Brothers Brewing Co. LLC
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.04 | pDev: 9.9%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
14
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 29, 2017
Added:
May 06, 2016
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by bros:

  None found.

Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.09/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: The beer is relatively clear amber yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high white head that quickly settled down, leaving a layer of bubbles covering the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of sourness and oak are present in the nose.
T: The taste is very sour and has sour flavors of lemons and oak with notes of leather and some hints of whiskey.
M: It feels medium-bodied and tart on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is rather sour and will pucker up your lips. I liked the complexity of flavors in the taste.

Serving type: bottle
Oct 29, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of mwilbur
Reviewed by mwilbur from Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 750 mL bottle into tulip.
A: Pours a clear amber with 1 inch fizzy/bubbly white head that fairly quickly settles to a thin skim.
S: Mild caramel malt, cherry, and oaky vanilla.
T: Mild sour note, cherry, oaky vanilla, whiskey, tart lemon, and caramel malt.
M: Light-medium body. Mildly astringent. Sour/tart with a hint of sweet malt. Whiskey note lingers on the palate.
D: The barrel characteristics weren't doing it for me...kinda odd with milder sour notes and fairly strong oak and whiskey notes. Seemed off balance to me, however I'm sure the construction was purposeful.
Oct 23, 2017
 
Rated: 3.97 by RBorsato from Virginia

Oct 07, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Sep 22, 2017
Photo of Dope
Reviewed by Dope from Massachusetts

4.02/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Can't find a date, got it from the Rare Beer Club recently though.

A: Pours a clear amber with a very tall fizzy tan head. Head dissipates like soda and is gone in seconds. No lacing or anything either.

S: Sweet and sour notes, mostly citrus but some berries in there.

T: More of the same. Sweet and sour citrus but now an undercurrent of acidic flavors. Tobacco and smoke too.

M: Medium/heavy bodied. Crisp and tart.

O: A very nice sour with a mixture of sweet and tart notes, fruit and tobacco, everything you want.
Sep 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by smithj4 from New York

Sep 02, 2017
Photo of Mindcrime1000
Reviewed by Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota

4.29/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 750 mL capped and then wax-sealed bottle (very nice) into a tulip.

Pours a deep golden color much like a tripel or Belgian Strong Pale. The head dissipates quickly, and the lacing is touch modest. However, the haze is excellent and classic.

Aromas are very complex. Tart apple, citrus (grapefruit rather than lemon), vanilla, and oaky barrels meld with funk and whiskey (rye, not bourbon) notes. One of the best-smelling beers I've ever had. Maybe the only "five" ever.

The flavor is complex and unique, albeit a bit all over the place. Sour funk leads the show, but the barrels and whiskey notes have their fingerprints everywhere, followed by grapefruit, pepper, and smoke. The whiskey and acidic sour notes make for a great combination, though they are a shade heavy-handed. It feels like there might be just a shade too much going on here, or maybe too much of everything. Still, a unique flavor profile to be sure, and the "sour" in the "tart" name never stops delivering.

The mouthfeel is pretty awesome for a barrel-heavy brew. These can seem thin, but not this one. It has a nice medium body.

Overall, I was surprised by what is a relatively local offering for me. (Brau Brothers is less than two hours away). This is a "wild" ale to be sure, and quite interesting to drink, particularly as it warms. Try one.
Sep 02, 2017
 
Rated: 3.92 by sparx1100 from Minnesota

Jul 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Jul 03, 2017
Photo of Ristaccia
Rated by Ristaccia from Nebraska

3.07/5  rDev -24%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Horrific.
Mar 05, 2017
Photo of morimech
Reviewed by morimech from Minnesota

4.27/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear pale, amber/brown with a finger of head that quickly dissipates. It gets murky as I work my way down the bottle. Lively carbonation in appearance. Smells a wonderful tart with notes of cherry pie, vanilla, wood, and leather. No sign of alcohol in aroma or flavor. But the flavor is unable to live up to the expectations that the aroma delivers. Almost entirely wild yeast driven but those flavors really hit the mark. Moderate pucker factor with notes of cherries, lemons, tobacco, leather, and wood. Not much vanilla and the Brett funk is low. Not really apparent on what was held in the oak barrels before this beer but it seems it might have been wine. Medium body with lively carbonation makes the beer feel lighter than the ABV. A little prickly on the tongue but does not hurt the tart nature of the beer.
Jul 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.79 by Scott17Taylor from Iowa

Jun 02, 2016
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
L: Pours hazy peach brown under a mildly persistent off-white 1” foam cap. A continual stream of small bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass.
S: Barnyard and wet horse blanket aromas laced with lemon and vanilla rise from the glass.
T: A light breadyness with some pome fruit, grapes and a light background sweetness soften a medium high lemony tartness.
F: Medium high carbonation and medium light body. The carbonation is very fine and soft.
O: A fine summer companion to a chunk of Cato Corner Hooligan, some aged Gouda and a fresh baguette.
May 31, 2016
Photo of StuporJew
Reviewed by StuporJew from Texas

4.81/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Gifted to me from my pal Rob, and poured into my trusty DFH Tulip.


Village Tart pours a clear dark golden, with a thin, quickly receding head. The bubbles in the head are uneven, giving voice to the Brett used in this beer. No lacing on the glass, as typical for a sour.


The nose is just about what you'd expect from the description, but in an excellent way.
Vanilla-like oak tones, with not a hint of the ABV. Cherry pie aromas jump straight out front, showing first and foremost, that the Brett used in this beer was definitely Brett Lambicus. (Check out the description on Wyeast's website, or use some Lambicus yourself. A liquid culture smells a LOT like this beer.) Hints of lemon rind and leathery funk waft out too, as the beer reaches room temperature.


The palate follows the nose quite well. Cherry pie out the wazoo, with more light citrus, old leather, and a good bit of that horsey brett-funk one can only expect from a beer like this. The barrel character is far more subdued on the palate than the nose, but adds no sharpness or heavy booziness. The ABV, again, isn't even the least bit apparent, and crazily well hidden. Hot damn, I could crush the hell out of this, were it readily available in Texas.


The Carbonation is surprisingly smooth, and soft, only serving to convey the melange of flavors across your tongue.It's a hair away from bone dry, but doesn't dry out the mouth at all. It's tart, but not really sour, in which case the name fully delivers on it's promise. If you're looking for a pucker-up-moment, this beer isn't what you're after.


All the above said, this is an excellent beer. Being from a brewery I'd never heard of, my expectations were low out of the gate. Now? HOLY HELL. I pulled some cold fried chicken out of the fridge to snack on, and took a sip, and was blown away. This beer would be perfect with all manners of fried foods, as well as spicy dishes. Think Pad Thai or Jerk Chicken. The level of balance achieved here is amazing, surpassing not only my undecided expectation, but what I'd typically expect of the "style". (IMHO, the "BA Wild Ale" category is a crapshoot, most days, at best.) If this is what a limited release from this brewery is like, I'd love to try some year-round offerings. Call me crazy, but I'd give my left nut for a case of this. I don't really need it anymore.... HA!!! Anyone wanna trade for some Texas goodies??? Hit me up. I hope y'all enjoy this beer as much as I have. CHEERS!!!!


<Matt The Beer-Guy>
May 06, 2016
Village Tart from Brau Brothers Brewing Co. LLC
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 14 ratings