Motif
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

MotifMotif
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From:
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
8.92%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.04 | pDev: 8.42%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
108
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 16, 2020
Added:
Oct 26, 2014
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  13
Belgian Style Dark Sour ale aged in Sherry barrels.
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Ratings by HopsintheSack:
Photo of HopsintheSack
Rated by HopsintheSack from California

3.94/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Mar 18, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of rex_4539
Reviewed by rex_4539 from Greece

3.4/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
L: Dark brown color, no head or lacing to speak of, light carbonation.

S: Dark fruits, plums, sour.

T: Dark fruits, sour. Weird mixture.

F: Medium bodied, lots of flavor.

O: Interesting experience but not my cup of...ale.
Nov 16, 2020
Photo of hopsputin
Reviewed by hopsputin from New Jersey

4.11/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
a: dark cherry color with a some brown and black notes. 1/4 finger fizzy tan head

s: dark tart cherries, vinegar, caramel, apple cider. big bready notes, lemons, leather, and pepper spice

t: red wine vinegar, tart cherries, and brown sugar. sweet grass, caramel, and something almost like sourdough. prunes, and raisins with some cloves. finish is tart vinegar and cherries

m: medium mouthfeel with high carbonation

o: quite nice. almost tastes like a Flanders Red. Cherries and vinegar are the two driving forces in here, with a malty and dark fruit backbone
Jun 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by acurtis from New Jersey

Jun 03, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Kurmaraja from California

Feb 07, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Gkruszewski from New York

Jul 20, 2018
Photo of Beejay
Reviewed by Beejay from Virginia

3.9/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Dark brown in color with a small amount of tan head.

S: Dark fruits, a touch of dried cherry and oak, with sour notes and a hint of candy.

T: Dark cherry, almond, with a nice tartness and a bit of a caramel kick. Something clinging in finish, and almost a touch abrasive.

M: Medium light in body with very high carbonation.

O: Overall darn tasty, but the finish is a touch syrupy or cloying. A bit odd.
Jun 30, 2018
Photo of Franziskaner
Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri

3.68/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dark brown and murky with a fingernail of beige around the rim that also covers a quarter of the top. The aroma offers dark Belgian candy sugar and fruity Belgian yeast. The taste is overwhelmingly sweet between the dark Belgian candy sugar, Belgian malt, and the fruity Belgian yeast. The mouth is very dry, crisp, and carbonated.
Jun 15, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Apr 09, 2018
Photo of pubscout
Reviewed by pubscout from North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
This mixed fermentation Belgian style dark ale reminded me of Rodenbach and any number of Flemish sours. Tart cherries and tangy dark fruit in the nose and on the palate, with no significant hop presencetgst I could detect. It’s an 8.92% sipping beer for sure, acidic and somewhat vinous, probably the result of being aged in Sherry barrels. It’s definitely true to style, but sours—even Belgian Dark sours—are not my favorites. Clearly well made though, and if you’re a sour lover (like Brett, Alix and Natalie) you’ll probably love this effort from Crooked Stave.
Jan 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.02 by Warren2621 from Indiana

Dec 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.77 by DBosco from Massachusetts

Nov 23, 2017
Photo of Phil-Fresh
Reviewed by Phil-Fresh from California

4.09/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Fairly vinous upfront with lots of barrel character, followed by a moderately light sourness.

A: Deep brown color, opaque, with a head that quickly forms a thin ring around the glass, with light accompanying lacing.

T: Moderate dark malts upfront, followed by lots of vinous notes with a clean moderate sourness through the finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderately-light carbonation.

O: Solid; the beer's sherry aroma and flavors with accompanying dark malts, gives the beer an almost Flemmish Red quality.
Nov 10, 2017
Photo of Bitterbill
Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Pours really dark reddish brown, lots of off white foam, admirable lacing. Smells tart like sour cherries, maybe plums, acetic acid, yeast, hints of Brett but very mild hints. Sour cherries for sure, a bit acetic, yeasty,somewhat oaky, can't really taste any funk. Body approaches full and the carbonation is up there. A pleasing sipper.
Sep 21, 2017
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.05/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
A: When viewed from afar, the beer is very dark brown in color; the beer is hazy reddish brown in color. It poured with a quarter finger high beige head that settled down very quickly, leaving a collar consisting of medium-sized bubbles around the edge of the glass and a thin film covering the rest of the surface.
S: Light aromas of sour dark fruits are present in the nose—cherries seem to stand out in particular—along with faint hints of woody oak.
T: The taste is a little sour and acidic with fruity flavors of cherries, grapes and plums and faint hints of malty sweetness and oaky vanilla.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and both a little tart and smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink as it isn't overly sour or sour and masks any traces of alcohol from the taste.

Serving type: bottle
Aug 21, 2017
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.37/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
BOTTLE: Pry-off crown cap. Artsy label design. Brown glass. 375ml format. October 2015 vintage.

Regrettably brief impressions below. Served cold into a goblet and allowed to come to room temperature during the review.

"Mixed Fermentation Belgian style dark ale." "9.0%" ABV.

APPEARANCE: Pale khaki colour head; has some creaminess to it that's nice.

Body is a dark ruby; has obvious red hues. Translucent yet nontransparent. No yeast/lees are visible within.

Sultry and enticing, with a nice ~4-5 minute head retention. Appears well-carbonated and looks right for the style, if a bit bright compared to something like Chimay Blue.

AROMA: Far more tart and even sour than a traditional Belgian expression of a Belgian dark ale style beer, hinting at pomegranate seed, acetic acid, tart cherry, and cranberry seed in addition to the more conventional Belgian yeast-derived date, fig, and raisin. Sourness seems mild in comparison to actual sour ales, but Crooked Stave wasn't spewing marketing jargon when they labelled this "mixed fermentation;" brettanomyces is evident - possibly even lambicus?

The tartness is present right up front, but there is some malt backbone evident towards the back end: brown sugar, Belgian dark malts, caramel(ized malt), brown bread, possibly candi sugar.

Aromatic intensity is moderate, bringing style-appropriate intensity aromatically but overcommitting to its less traditional notes. The vividness of the pomegranate seed is arresting, and the wild yeast(s) offer interesting promises of flavour, but the rudiments aren't there.

No off-notes come through (unless you nitpickily include brettanomyces as an off-note). No obvious booziness, metallic notes, etc.

TASTE: Tart and acidic, showcasing pronounced brettanomyces (probably lambicus) and probably bacterial flavours. Cranberry and pomegranate seed ride the tartness wave, playing well with the mild (~3-4/10) sourness as well as with the unfortunately subdued dark fruit flavours from the yeast...I'm getting fig and date but not prune or plum. Tends more towards grape than towards raisin, which is a mis-step in a Belgian dark ale (at least to my tastes).

I'm missing the overt candi sugar and brown sugar I thought I noticed in the aroma, and the malt backbone is a bit timid given the style, with the dark malts cowering beneath the dominant tartness...yeast and bacteria are the stars of the show here, but more malt emphasis is really needed to lend this the bready body it needs to compete with the greats.

To style, there are no overt hop flavours.

I dig the American wild ale leanings they've brought to this hybridized ale, but I'm not confident this captures the best of both hybridized styles as fully as it could. Depth of flavour is good, but the pomegranate seed almost eclipses everything else here and I'd like to see it toned down in the mix. Flavour duration and intensity are true to style. Complexity is adequate but unimpressive (particularly when compared to the best Belgian dark ales).

TEXTURE: A bit gooey, playing further into the pomegranate seed vibe. Smooth, wet, acidic, somewhat soft, medium to full-bodied, filling, and of apt thickness and heft on the palate. Not heavy or overbearing, but it could mimic Chimay Blue with a more fragile delicate presence on the palate.

Not syrupy, oily, hot, gushed, boozy, astringent, rough, scratchy, or plasticky.

OVERALL: Surprisingly drinkable for its high ABV and interesting work in terms of experimentation with style hybridity. Its pomegranate seed focus helps set it apart from the pack even if that particular note is a bit loud, and I can't help but love that element of it. Some drinkers may find it bends a biteen medicinal in terms of its borderline syrupy fruit and tartness, but I think it works - at least in small quantities. I don't know that I'll really savor the last 4oz of my 12oz bottle, and I'd like to see this offered in smaller format bottles, but it's a solid brew in ill-defined stylistic territory and I'd recommend it to any drinker who enjoys both sour ales and Belgian dark ales, even if it isn't as effective at combining the two as it seems to want to be (and tends a bit sweet for either intended style). In any case, it's inspired work from a brewery that's earned its high reputation and it's well worth picking up.

Pair with fig newtons, Belgian chocolate, and/or pumpernickel pretzels.

B- (3.37) / WORTHY
Aug 19, 2017
Photo of TX-Badger
Reviewed by TX-Badger from Texas

4.46/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours an opaque dark brown color with dark ivory colored head. Dark fruits, caramel, some citrus, yeast, and a little oak on the nose; follows onto the palate. Full bodied. Finishes with dark fruits, oak, and some bitter sweetness.
Jul 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4.47 by Jcarriglio from Florida

Jun 16, 2017
 
Rated: 4.02 by BlakeAM from Illinois

Jun 12, 2017
Photo of Jadjunk
Reviewed by Jadjunk from Georgia

3.62/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
No label information. Motif is brewed in the style of a Belgian Style Dark Wild Ale with mixed fermentation. Available in 375ml. bottles and on rotating draft.

Poured from a 375ml. bottle to a tulip glass.

(Appearance) Pours a medium tan creamy foam head over a moderately hazy dark brown body with mahogany undertones. Retention is very good and lacing is light and spotty. 4.25

(Smell) Bready caramel body with tangy dark fruits- fig predominantly, gentle molasses, nutty, mineral qualities, delicate roast and chocolate undertones. Potency is moderate. 3.5

(Taste) The flavor has considerably more sour qualities over the aroma. Strong acidity and dry tartness forward meeting a soft malt base of dry bread malts, gentle roast and toasted caramel. Finishes very dry- I was hoping for more residual sweetness to better counter the acidic sour qualities, which are very strong in here but arguably unchallenged. 3.75

(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, lightly residual, acidic, chalky dry. Carbonation is mild, generating a mild frothiness and a mildly crisp finish. Body is medium for the style, medium+ overall. Balance is slightly tangy and acidic over sweet. Alcohol presence is mild and there are no off characters. 3.25

(Overall) A favorably enjoyable blended sour ale with a lot of sharp, enjoyable souring qualities, but a bit dry on the back end, resulting in less of a balance than I feel is necessary to keep things enjoyable. As it stands, enjoyable flavor but a distracting lack of balance. 3.5

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project's
Motif: Mixed Fermentation Belgian Style Dark Ale
3.62/5.00
Mar 08, 2017
Motif from Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 108 ratings