Stochasticity Project: Your Father Smelt Of Elderberries
Stone Brewing

Stochasticity Project:  Your Father Smelt Of ElderberriesStochasticity Project:  Your Father Smelt Of Elderberries
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From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
ABV:
10.3%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.57 | pDev: 14.29%
Reviews:
102
Ratings:
420
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 27, 2022
Added:
Jul 24, 2015
Wants:
  15
Gots:
  127
Medieval-style ale brewed with elderberries
First Release: September 2015

Imagine if you will emerging from the furthest depths of the dark, misty forest of time holding a chalice (perhaps one of catholically divine caliber) filled with an ale style dating back to medieval England. We find ourselves carried by the gait of hooves (which oddly sound like someone is clacking together two empty coconut halves) and happen upon a castle siege. Insults are being hurled from the walls above from…Frenchmen? Time to run away (after one last whack at the mighty stone castle walls with a broadsword) to discuss strategy just beyond the reach of catapulted bovines. Beer brewed with elderberries is freely shared. What strategies come from this? Trojan rabbit! A brilliant ruse they’re sure to…catapult. Word to the wise, Sir Bedivere: Don’t strategize whilst drinking elderberry beer or the constables may show up at the end of your flick.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 2.17 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Jan 27, 2022
 
Rated: 3.53 by baklo from North Carolina

Nov 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4.56 by Specules from California

Nov 22, 2019
Photo of jngrizzaffi
Reviewed by jngrizzaffi from Texas

3.44/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
Bottled Sept 2015. Pours a very cloudy reddish orange color with a thin foamy head. Head retention is mild. Lacing is decent. Tart berry aroma with dark fruits and brown sugar. Boozy taste. Very sweet with berry and dark fruits. Maybe some slight tartness. There is some peppery bitterness at the end. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. A definite alcohol burn persists.
Dec 09, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by KMcGrath from Massachusetts

Nov 27, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by Stoutlad from Indiana

Apr 21, 2018
 
Rated: 3.56 by TheCrowsEye from California

Mar 17, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 03, 2018
Photo of karengarys
Reviewed by karengarys from Indiana

2.46/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
Bottled 9/30/2015, it's 10/25/2017 - Oh GOODIE! it had time to age on the store's dime!

NOPE!

or maybe it did. Unfortunately, I'm not loving this one, yet I am glad that Stone does weird experiments. This one is weird.

Pours dark and murkey like I would expect from something archaic, but, well, maybe not quite THIS archaic! It's kinda got crumbly stuff floating around in there. tap. swirl. eww.

Smells like berry stuff, not really like beer. But, is this even a beer?

The taste annihilated my tongue. Yes, hops, but also hairspray ickey cheap booze flavor that cut through like my tongue was being caned. And some hop, I think this reminds you it is supposed to be beer. Sour stuff comes through, must be an elderberry flavor I guess. Fortunately I don't taste any fish/smelt! I also don't taste a shandy-like drink. It isn't. but it isn't that awkward is-it-a-beer-or-pop - this is certainly neither. But it is not a shandy, which would be worse.

...am I picking up pepper????

Mouthfeel is syrupy and, from what I can tell with what is left of my tongue, maybe a rich fizziness exists.

Finish is akin to a tiny running chainsaw slipping down your throat. It sort of goes away in acrid agony.

Overall, this was an interesting experiment. I'm glad I tried it in a hazing sort of way. I'm glad Stone made this, and let us try it, and never did it again.

Maybe it did spoil. I didn't think something with this much alcohol COULD spoil.

I have a 2nd bottle - I think I"m going to save it for a friend tasting party just to show others what happens when you let the gnomes loose in the brewery when nobody is watching.
Oct 26, 2017
 
Rated: 4.02 by sjrider from California

Jul 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.28 by ElEversoris from Ohio

May 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.93 by JuiceMan818 from California

May 27, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Georgiabeer from Georgia

Mar 03, 2017
 
Rated: 3.25 by Kevinpitts from Illinois

Feb 06, 2017
 
Rated: 2.5 by oline73 from Maryland

Jan 28, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by Marvicsin from California

Dec 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.88 by Agboy from Iowa

Dec 14, 2016
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Rated by HopsAreDaMan from Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Overall, a good American Strong Ale. I hope to buy another one to see how well it cellars.
Dec 08, 2016
Photo of braker649er
Reviewed by braker649er from Washington

2.96/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
I *almost* give Stone a pass on this because it was clearly indicated that this was an experiment, and I drank it with that in mind. However, it was just not good, in my opinion.

L - murky and slightly ruby-brown, no head
S - malty and odd--smelled a bit like a holiday homebrew with too much malt and berries were the best aspect
T - boozy and spicy with malt and berry but a very unpleasant bitter close--I had trouble drinking this
F - not distinctive, hard to discount but also hard to ignore the flavor
O - unpleasant, my least favorite Stone beer ever, though again I recognize this was an experiment. Someone still should've called this project and fail and kept it off the shelves, in my opinion. Good bottle, though!
Sep 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by BrewSTL from Missouri

Sep 22, 2016
Stochasticity Project: Your Father Smelt Of Elderberries from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 420 ratings