Tall Tale
Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse

Tall TaleTall Tale
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From:
Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
 
Kentucky, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.41 | pDev: 21.41%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
97
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 22, 2019
Added:
Aug 31, 2014
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  18
Ale finished with brettanomyces and cacao nibs aged in bourbon and red wine barrels. AtG remix of Stillwaters FolkLore
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by GuitarIPA:
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Rated by GuitarIPA from Connecticut

3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Dec 17, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by Griffith from Connecticut

Mar 22, 2019
 
Rated: 1.18 by mholdefer from Alabama

Jan 31, 2019
 
Rated: 3.53 by BeerWithMike from Nebraska

Jan 21, 2018
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Reviewed by jvgoor3786 from Arkansas

3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
No date I can locate

A total gusher out of the bottle. Deep amber color and overflowing head.

I'm getting tons of Brett and barrel on the nose, but no coffee or chocolate.

The taste follows with tons of Brett, a little barrel, and a little coffee.

The mouthfeel is terrible - it's still foaming up in my mouth.

Interesting concept, but not all that well executed. It's not a horrible beer, but I'm not getting all the flavors, the Brett overpowers a bit, and I lost a bunch on opening.
Nov 11, 2017
 
Rated: 3.97 by Mikexw from New York

Jan 13, 2017
Photo of Chuckdiesel24
Reviewed by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

2.86/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25
Complete gusher out of the 750ml bottle. It's a dark sour, which is a cool idea - and it actually didn't taste horrible, but got to take some marks off for only having about two-thirds of the bottle available to drink.
Dec 19, 2016
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.21/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottled fall 2014; drank 10/23/14 @ the Palace.

Poured from the bottle into a glass.

Murky orange rust hue.

HUGE bubbly eggnog colored head (careful pouring!); frothy lace.

Mild peach tartness, rich coffee bean & smoke in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Tart peach & strong coffee notes in equal measure; unique. Not amazing but certainly interesting.
Oct 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.7 by Dizzy242 from Massachusetts

Aug 20, 2016
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Reviewed by zac16125 from South Carolina

2.79/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
750mL bottle into a snifter
no bottling dates


A: Its a straight gusher immediately upon opening, what a mess. The pour is murky, brownish amber, its really rather an ugly beer. 2 fingers width of light tan head build and dissipate fairly slowly. Leaves a small amount of lacing. 2.75

S: Aroma is similar to an oud bruin, except boozier and a bit more caramel malt. Its very tart and has some oaky notes, a bit vinous. Subtle cocoa, decent amount of dark fruits and caramel/toffee. I’m not sure what type of barrels it was aged in, as the bottle doesn’t specify. I’d guess red wine, although there are some faint charred oak notes. Theres a ton going on on the nose, but it somehow works out. I really dig the aroma. 4.25

T: Taste doesn’t live up. Its bitterness up front, and some cocoa. There’s sourness there too, but everything is overwhelmed by the carbonation bomb that's taking place here. You can’t really enjoy the other flavors because its mostly bitterness and CO2 fizz. 2.25

M/D: Medium body, exceptionally over carbonated to the point that its difficult to drink, not sure what the ABV is but if its high you can’t tell, with the exception of the aroma. Drinkability is limited. 2

O: Starting off poorly with the gushing opener, aroma turned it around and brought hope, but alas this one was kind of a mess. Everyone once in a while AtG puts out something special but for the most part I’ve found them to be consistently disappointing. May be awhile before I revisit them, especially at the price point. 2.5
Jun 22, 2016
 
Rated: 4.18 by dcmchew from Romania

Mar 27, 2016
Photo of Marius
Reviewed by Marius from Netherlands

4.25/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle shared at tasting. Gusher. Hazy orange pour, very tall tan head. Smells of brett, coffee and sour grapes. The taste follows the same notes, with some additional lactose.
Mar 26, 2016
Photo of Ciocanelu
Reviewed by Ciocanelu from Romania

3.75/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Murky dark orange color with beige head. Aroma has tart vinous notes and some coffee in the background. Taste starts with yeast notes, caramel, dark sugar and some coffee and cacao on the finish. Medium, dry body with very high effervescence. Overall it works out surprisingly well.
Mar 20, 2016
Photo of bluejacket74
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle, no dating on it from what I could find. Served in an ATG chalice, the beer pours a cloudy orange/amber color with a couple inch off-white head that stuck around for a long time. There's also a good amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like tart fruit, white wine, pear, lemon peel, cocoa, coffee and brett. The taste is similar to the aroma, with tart fruit, white grapes, lemon peel, coffee, cocoa, woody, apple, herbal and nutty flavors. Very unique smelling and tasting brew, it's sweet, tart, spicy and musty all at the same time. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's very well carbonated, maybe a bit too much carbonation for me. With that being said, it was still easy enough to drink. Overall I liked this brew, I wouldn't mind seeing this one made again because I'd like to try a fresher version. Definitely worth a try!
Jan 22, 2016
Photo of jzlyo
Reviewed by jzlyo from Iowa

3.8/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Aroma is brett/funk, sugar and tart/fruit notes. The flavor is fruit, brett/funk, sugar, malts, spices, slight earthiness and a tart/mildly sweet finish.
Jan 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.44 by harsley from Massachusetts

Dec 30, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by ACKonig from Pennsylvania

Dec 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.81 by Segnem5 from Michigan

Nov 14, 2015
Photo of JuicesFlowing
Reviewed by JuicesFlowing from Kansas

3.62/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a Duvel tulip.

Look: Amber, sunburnt orange and rust. The head is a sea sued cap of cream colored foam.

Aroma: Wine barrels, spicy wood such as cedar, sharp fruitiness like grape, tart cherry. Very subtle cocao nibs, if any.

Taste: Very fruity and sharp, wine-like, tart, wood barrel notes abound. Musty and spicy in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Sharp, dry, massively carbonated.

Overall: Where's the coffee and cocao nibs? The wood barrel aging was nice, but otherwise this beer is too sharp, tart, and boozy with little or no coffee.
Oct 18, 2015
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Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.16/5  rDev +22%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in fall 2014. Huge pop on uncapping; tons of carbonation, glad it did not gush until I started pouring. Foam nearly filled the whole bottle during tasting the first glass. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy deep orange/copper color with a 3 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a large amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, cocoa, coffee, toasted bread, vanilla, oak, lemon, pineapple, plum, pear, apple, peppercorn, hay, straw, herbal, light musty funk, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great complexity and balance of dark/bready malt, cocoa/coffee, fruity/spicy yeast, and oak barrel notes; with good strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, cocoa, coffee, toasted bread, vanilla, oak, lemon, pineapple, plum, pear, apple, peppercorn, hay, straw, herbal, light musty funk, and yeast/oak earthiness. Fair amount of earthy yeast spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, toasted bread, oak, light fruits, peppercorn, hay, straw, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, cocoa/coffee, fruity/spicy yeast, and oak barrel flavors; with a great malt/spiciness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. High carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth and crisp/effervescent finish; with a nice silky/creamy mouthfeel under the carbonation. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent barrel aged wild brown ale style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, cocoa/coffee, fruity/spicy yeast, and oak barrel flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Sep 12, 2015
Tall Tale from Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 97 ratings