Cerveza Sin Frontera
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

Cerveza Sin FronteraCerveza Sin Frontera
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From:
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
5.64%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.1 | pDev: 7.32%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
139
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 02, 2018
Added:
Apr 19, 2015
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  31
Three-part collaboration with Jester King Brewery and Brasserie Trois Dames, this beer was fermented with Crooked Stave's house culture of wild yeast and bacteria, all three breweries used an identical base recipe and aged the beer in the same style of Spanish Sherry Barrels.
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Ratings by SourAddict:
Photo of SourAddict
Rated by SourAddict from Wisconsin

4.31/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Sep 14, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.51 by leprechaunandfatman from Ohio

Sep 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.79 by TheHopsman from Nebraska

May 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.12 by Kurmaraja from California

Dec 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by IrishColonial from Texas

Sep 13, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Aug 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4.23 by dbrauneis from North Carolina

Jul 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.5 by Sweffin from Wisconsin

Mar 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by BeerBeast from Florida

Feb 08, 2017
 
Rated: 3.64 by elvisdoc from Florida

Feb 08, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by Euroglot from Belgium

Jan 08, 2017
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.94/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled December 2014; drank 9/11/15 @ Yuss Haus Mach II.

Poured from the bottle into a glass.

Rusty strawberry appearance.

Minimal tan head; almost no lace.

Tart strawberry nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Sweet strawberry flavors up front; mildly tart finish. A simple fruit beer; easy to drink & above average, but no complexity.
Dec 30, 2016
 
Rated: 4.41 by sirhc3034 from Texas

Oct 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.06 by CharlesK from Pennsylvania

Sep 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.67 by mothman from Minnesota

Sep 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.11 by cuvtcuv from Florida

Aug 19, 2016
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.43/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
As a big fan of both Crooked Stave and Jester King (in terms of sours), I had to pick this one up as soon as I saw it.

PACKAGING Brown glass bottle (bottled December 2014) with a waxed over pry-off crown cap. 375ml format.

5.69% ABV. Mixed culture fermented beer aged in sherry casks. Crooked Stave version of a collaboration with Trois Dames and Jester King. I'm reviewing it as a wild ale given it's a mixed culture fermented beer, but no specific style is indicated on the label.

HEAD: Off-white, foamy, and frothy, with a gorgeous soft consistency. Lasts a good 5 minutes, starting at about 3-4cm width and receding thereafter, leaving no lacing as it does.

BODY: Clear vibrant copper. Clean-looking, lacking any visible yeast particulate or lees.

It's a nice looking brew.

AROMA: Smacky lactic acid and lactobacillus bacteria dominates the aroma, taking control of the neutral malt base. Heavy on notes of dried lime and funky bacterial aromatics. Equally sour and funky, though the sourness seems to be maybe a meagre 4/10 in terms of intensity.

Sherry? Kind of. I do get some wine-soaked woody notes.

Aromatic intensity is moderate.

No overt hoppy notes or obvious booze here. Suggests a balanced albeit simple wild ale with some nice interplay between bacteria and wild yeast(s).

TASTE & TEXTURE: Nails an ideal level of acidity, not stripping the palate but providing a low enough pH to accentuate the lactic slightly smacky sourness (which comes in at a subjective 4/10 to my tastes). Counteracted nicely by some creamy tones of sherry-soaked oak and vanilla, the subtle bacterial flavours lend this beer plenty of complexity with intangible spontaneous fermentation byproducts dancing on the palate. Malt backbone is neutral, bending easily to the whims of the bacteria and wild yeast. Some may notice some clean funkiness, but it's not barnyardy or brettanomyces bruxellensis crazy. Subsidiary subtle notes of crabapple and faint lime.

Light to medium-bodied, refreshing, smooth, wet, approachable. Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, or scratchy.

It's balanced but somewhat simplistic for a wild ale, with obvious room for still more intricacy both in terms of barrel and base. I doubt I would have recognized the barrel as sherry, which is a missed opportunity if they're after a wine-redolent brew straight out of the Cantillon book of spontaneously fermented ales.

OVERALL: In short, it's a satisfying wild ale with some really nice things going on, but it lacks the oft-dazzling quality of Crooked Stave's finest sours as well as any really impressive flavours or elements. Balanced and drinkable, Cerveza Sin Frontera is a beer I'll enjoy finishing and it's nice to encounter a collaboration that doesn't suffer from the too many cooks in the kitchen phenomenon, but I'm not devastated it's a one-off (curious though I am to try the Jester King version I have stowed away). Many drinkers will crave more pronounced sourness and accompanying bacteria.

Not a beer that would benefit much from aging based on this tasting.

B- (3.43) / WORTHY
Aug 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.89 by robgage from Pennsylvania

Jul 05, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by PassMeAZima from Kentucky

Jun 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.03 by BeerOps from Illinois

Jun 12, 2016
Cerveza Sin Frontera from Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 139 ratings