Pisser Mauvais
Cambridge Brewing Company

The bartenders at CBC knew I was adventurous so they recommended this to me when I sat down.
It was very dark and a bit murky. The lighting is low at CBC so it was not easy to judge.
It smelled vinegary, leathery, funky like a barnyard.
It was delightfully sour with a complex sour fruits flavor like black currants and red currants mixed, complicated, ever-evolving.
The mouthfeel was surprisingly full and satisfying given the extreme acidity. It went well with all the standard pub fare at CBC. I came back every night to drink it while they had it--there was only one batch made.
I would drink one with dinner at the bar and another (maybe with dessert--with which it worked well) while I wrote or corrected papers for an hour afterward. (I teach at a local university.) The brewers said that it was made in old barrels or something that they had found in the basement when they first moved into the old warehouse/factory in which CBC is located. They cleaned them up and used them. I think they tried to recreate it but it was a one-off.
Alas! It's been more than 12 years and I have never forgotten you, Pisser Mauvais. Tu me manques toujours.

Tap @ CBC/Reviewed from notes:

Dark brown with maybe just a tiny, tiny, hint of red or magenta. Aromas of funky vinegar, a bit of leather and tobacco, barnyard funk, maybe a bit of dead green hops, and also a nice undercurrent of bread-like malt qualities. Taste is sour, but complex, with a lot going on. Cherries perhaps, as well as leather and tobacco. Finish is somewhat milky and acetic. Mouthfeel is prickly yet creamy. Drinkability is good but not perfect.
Solid, solid, Flemish red from CBC

Appearance: Pours an opaque brown-black with a two-finger, brown head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.

Smell: Lambic-like tart aroma, medicinal phenols and a mild earthiness.

Taste: Tart with a light cherry like sweetness, though the tartness is still eveident. There's a medicinal character with a light, woody roastiness that contributes character, but not bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Low but prickly carbonation.

Drinkability: A delicious sour ale.

Poured a dark black with very little head into a large flute. Smell is very sour up front. Pick up a little soy sauce as well. The taste is very interesting and goes through stages. Up front in the sourness that is expected. It mellows out to the oaky flavor that is what aged in and then finally a large amount of malt come through. The mouthfeel is very smooth. Drinkability is lower because it is a very distinct flavor. I was struggling a little bit by the end. Loved the first 75% and definitely enjoyed it but it could have been poured into a slightly smaller glass. A good beer to try though.

“Wicked Pissah”

Served in a flute/tulip type glass. Poured a black body with very little head.

Nose was strong and in your face. Wood and oak barrels yet with a strong sourness that comes only comes with age.

Taste is medium bodied and VERY smooth. There’s a sourness but it never really reminded me of a lambic. Dark clean german malts that gave it a very dunkel or black beer character. The wood aging really dominates the taste though. The wood gives it this strong sourness that gives an interesting blend with the simple black malts.

What an interesting beer, sort of German black or Dunkel meets oak aged experimental with mild hints of aged belgian dubbel. You can really tell this was aged in the same barrels as the Benevolence. Honestly, if you’re an old school CBC fan this tastes simply like a strong German Black mixed with Benevolence. Still.. Kick ass. It’s nice to try a beer that defies style.

Presented in a slender fluted glass the beer was a very dark ruby color, appearing almost black when held away from the light. One finger of off-white head on the beer retained well and left some mild lacing. No other signs of carbonation, a very "still" beer.

The nose is very sour upfront. Heavy aromas of vinegar and soured black cherrys. Perhaps best put: flat black cherry soad with vinegar added. Hard to pick up much else and the vinegar is quite potent and sharp.

The taste has an innitial sourness that is intense, although not as much as the smell would intimate. Dark fruitty flavors of cherry and black currant come through and a pervasive sourness coats the palate with a slightly funky after taste. Not quite as dry as I thought it might be

Medium body, and medium carbonation. Mildly dry in the finish.

This was an interesting beer for sure. The smell alone might deter some people from trying this. The beer rivals Rodenbach Grand Cru insofar as vinegar aroma and taste although this beer cleary has other flavors detectable on the palate. It paired quite well with the fish and chips (as vinegar is often served with this meal) the beer took its place quite well. In this case the beer was quite good, but I can't see wanting more than one glass at any given time.