L'Brett D'Or
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

L'Brett D'OrL'Brett D'Or
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From:
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
5%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.3 | pDev: 7.21%
Reviews:
66
Ratings:
417
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 27, 2022
Added:
Dec 23, 2012
Wants:
  216
Gots:
  74
Surreal spontaneous sour ale aged in oak barrels

Spontaneously fermented in oak barrels, L'Brett d'Or's fermentation is kicked off with the help of the natural wild yeasts and bacteria residing around our coolship and native to our brewery. Since our spontaneous beers can only be brewed during the winter months, individual releases involve blending unique barrels to bring out the best of each brewing season. Characterized by funky citrus aromas, a crisp acidic bite, and a complex finish, L'Brett d'Or will continue to age with the best of them, gaining in complexity over the years.
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Ratings by Spattastic:
Photo of Spattastic
Rated by Spattastic from Colorado

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%

Jan 04, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of edthehead
Rated by edthehead from Maryland

4.31/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Tastefully sour, mineral water, nice barrel character.
Feb 27, 2022
Photo of StJamesGate
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York

4.21/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Dark gold with lacey white legs; apricot, cheese, chalk + wood nose; crisp grain, orchard fruit, hints of toast + vanilla, cider vinegar, washed rind cheese, hay, spice, herbal end; crisp, smooth, dry.

4 4.25 4.25 4 4.25

Not very Brett for a beer with that in the name - apple and bright stone fruit esters lead the way.
Instead of funk, you get a balanced, easy, mellow drinker - as much golden as sour.
Swiss Army Knife beer: food, entry level sour, drink without lingering too much - this fits everywhere.
Jan 18, 2022
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.39/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Getting back to basics when making sour ale, the brewers-slash-blenders at Crooked Stave uses time as their ally. Brewed traditionally during cooler seasons and allowed to spontaneously kick off fermentation in oak barrels before innoculating the ale with their own designer strains, this beer has been built for the test of time. Bottled in '13, let's see where this thing has gone.

L'Brett d'Or pours a pale straw with the fleshy gold tint of tawny golds. With a part-fizz, part-froth, the exuberence of carbonation fades quick for a rustic champagne appearances. Its pop of effervescence reveals a scent strongly cider, weathered citrus, vinous and with a gentle waft of peppery vinegars and cellar-like funk. Softly wheaten and rolling along with a fine grain sweetness, its early palate is sprinkled with a dash of powdered sugar, rye, sourdough and generally raw grain.

And as the flavors unfold, the natural acidity shares the taste of leathery lemon, green apple, lime, orange peels, white grape, gooseberry and still a juiciness of melon. As the funk and fauna intertwining on the middle palate, the fruits seem weathered as if left on the vine to ripen past its prime. Yet its the acetic finish and a firm, brisk peppery bite that carries the finish with the faint mustiness of saddle leather and weathered woods.

Bright, medium light, and dry, the beer satisfies the palate with crisp refreshment, a high rate of drinkability and a great thirst quenching ability. Although its sourness looses its lean lactic character, its vinegary tendencies aren't all-in-all an unwelcome nuance of complexity that's both appreciated and coveted.
Dec 28, 2021
 
Rated: 5 by TallGuyCM from California

Jun 18, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by Elicoleman from Colorado

Feb 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4.86 by white_pony21 from Colorado

Dec 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4.28 by Luckydog91 from Texas

Oct 03, 2019
 
Rated: 4.16 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Jul 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

May 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4.01 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Feb 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by jvgoor3786 from Arkansas

Jan 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by PprBurke from Virginia

Nov 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.2 by Sparky44 from Illinois

Nov 19, 2018
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.88/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Who brought this to March Madness? You can pretty much narrow it down to either el rogish, sheldon or leftpaw. It wasn't me.

Yellow to dark gold hazy pour with 1/2" white head. Recognizable amount of brett barnyard and lemon like sourness in the aroma. Dry oak and hay.

Taste kicks down more of the hay and lemon sourness. On the sour scale, it is probably a 7. On the acidity scale it it probably a 5.5; the citrus notes are there but it isn't entirely grapefruit and lemon, there is a minor sweeter citrus component to it giving it a slightly bigger degree of complexity. Having a tough time pegging this style wise though, it has some saison and lambic like components, so I guess it fits into the AWA catchall categorization.

I dig the beer, but I'm guessing it is around $1 per ounce, so I don't know that I would snatch it up if I ever came across it on a shelf unless it was less than $10 prolly.
Sep 06, 2018
Photo of Bitterbill
Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

4.46/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
750ml caged and corked bottle. I see no dating.

It pours a lightly hazy dark yellow with a superb head of foam. Lacing is impressive as is the head retention.

The smell is of citrus lemon, funk, white grapes and is quite acetic.

Lemon tartness gets things going. White grapes and vinegar bring a resounding sourness that I enjoy. Something resembling hay also joins in. Funk is somewhat restrained.

Light body with lively carbonation. It finishes particularly dry.

Delicious AWA!
Sep 06, 2018
Photo of Bluecrow
Reviewed by Bluecrow from New York

4.35/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L'Brett d'Or from Crooked Stave is a blended golden sour ale, oak aged.
The bottle pour is clear and bright yellow with minimal visible effervescence.
The aroma is of lemon funk. The flavor is special. Tart green apple and grape dominate. Wild yeast and Brett produce a grippy sourness. The oak and dryness of the finish help to make this quite an easy quaff.
Aug 19, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by JBowenGeorgia from Georgia

Jun 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.24 by NolaHopHead from Louisiana

Apr 21, 2018
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

2.13/5  rDev -50.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Hazy burnt yellow with a thin, detached ring.

Toffee, cardboard and sesame are delivered via a crisp, thin body as a weird earthy honey emerges shortly after, finishing dry.
Apr 02, 2018
L'Brett D'Or from Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 417 ratings