Sonoma Farmhouse Brett Stout
Lagunitas Brewing Company

I'm really trying to rate this based on what Lagunitas was "trying to do." Yes this is very unorthodox. And kudos to them for stepping outside the box to do something novel. Having said this, it's not my cup of malts.
Looks good for an imperial stout.
Nose carries the funk and red wine notes assertively forward. A mild chocolate note whispers, but tart cherry, wine barrel, leather, and funk abound.
Flavor follows. Tart, Bretty, old wine barrel with a background of chocolate trying to chime in.
Mouthfeel is heavy enough, low carb, and only mildly warm.
Overall, I think this one will be intriguing to some, but not for me.

 

one of my favorite lagunitas beers ever, and definitely the one that somehow went under everyones radar. i think its because people dont expect world class funky beer from these guys, its hops and now the barrel aged stout stuff, but not brett beer, not at this level, this one really deserved a little more chatter than it got when it came out, and its drinking pretty absurd still, glad i have more in the stash. crazy that some of this stout was in barrels for four years, very mature and exceedingly woody the whole way, the depth of flavor from the extended ageing is amazing. coal black with a little shine and a frothing airy head with only a very slow fade. the nose is wild, the brett is evident right away, and unlike some other lagunitas beers that have popped up, this is funk without sourness really, acidity is minimal, no more than the red wine from the barrels that housed it to me, its not bacterial, so the brett really pops, farmy and rustic and well developed, a brux type medicinal thing, a lambicus type astringent element, not sure the culture used, but its amazing with all this oak, which presents kind of like new oak to me, vanilla and deep grain lumber, less like old barrel, and there are red raspberry, plum, and prune notes from the wine, a little dark chocolate bitterness, light smoke, and raisin too, this is infinitely complex, even when its frosty cold, it warms up predictably well. the flavor is incredible too, bretty funk and sturdy red wine, even port wine, hit right away, the wash of roasted malt, espresso notes, and bitter baking chocolate come next, good body to this, its not broken down by the wild elements. a little tangy berry, chocolate dipped dried fruit too, a blueberry note, light vanilla from all the wood, sawmill wooden character, hints of iodine and minerals from the brett, burnt wood, burnt drip coffee, light red wine vinegar, and a toasted bread foundation. it just keeps on evolving in the glass, never getting more than lightly tart, the brett profile is incredible and the wine and wood are so forward. its also impressively dry, silky smooth, and even well carbonated for what it is, gentle alcohol warmth reminds me its big too, but this is intriguing enough to be pretty quick drinking. no fade on this at all despite the age, and overall i have to rank this among my all time favorites from lagunitas. way out of left field for them, but proof that they are truly capable of anything, no matter how big and at times repetitive they have gotten. tip top!

 

 

Bottled 9/6/21; drank 6/7/22 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance.

An even pour yielded a nice tan head; a thick curtain of lace.

Tart cherry, mild chocolate & faint red wine notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Tart cherry & faint chocolate flavors.

Not too sour, but balanced. Simple but effective.

 

 

 

The two previous reviews are so spot on in their assessment: so many unique things going on here that shouldn't work together, and yet they come together in a beautifully harmonious way. It won’t fully satisfy a BA stout drinker or a bold sour/wild drinker, but the needle is threaded well. Deep and dark, sour and funky, dark chocolate and dark fruit mixed with wine tannins and tart berries. So many notes covered, none really dominating, and all playing together well. This reminds me of a cuvée a Lagunitas rep recommended I try at a beer festival: Dark Swan mixed with Imperial Stout. It worked fantastically then, and this one (albeit differently) does the same now.

 

 

Had Brett Sour at the Lagunitas TapRoom beer garden, Petaluma, on draft into 10-oz. pour (1/2-pint) mason jar.

I have not been a fan of sour stouts, but like the formula of this "silky-tart stout" aged on Brett in Sonoma red wine barrels.

The aroma is Brett funk and sour bite, but there's just a hint of sour carrying from the smooth and creamy start through some hop bite and into a big chocolate finish. Rather like a fruit-filled fancy chocolate.

 

Black in color with no penetration to light. There’s a fingernail of of brown around the rim and covering a third of the top. The aroma is of merlot, barnyard funk, horse blanket, and roasted barley. I’m tasting Merlot, roasted barley, and brettanomyces. The mouth is warm with alcohol, lightly chewy and sticky.

On tap at Half Pint Pub in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a dark and creamy looking black color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like red wine, chocolate covered cherries, roast, coffee, oak, and vanilla.

These sorts of things don't always work, but this one does well enough for me. There's a lot of barrel here - very fruity red wine, some vanillin, and a bit of oak. It all melds well with the sweet creamy milk chocolate underneath, and appears to the palate as chocolate-covered cherries with some port. I get a bit of coffee, and some roast. If it was nitpicking, I'd want more roast.

This is really creamy, with no booziness to it, and a really nice drinkability.

I'm pretty surprised with how much I liked this one. I was very surprised to find something like this on draft.

Unknown vintage

A red wine BA stout fermented with brett? Yeah, this sounds like it’s gonna be incredible so I couldn’t turn this one down

Pours completely jet black with just a small cap of light brown head and leaves minimal lacing

Damn, the brett comes through even more than expected here. Vinous and oaky notes dominate the nose, with a bit of coffee roast and tart cherry to back it up. Only mildly funky with slight leather

The taste starts off with a tart bite, very earthy grape. The roast starts to settle in as it sits in the mouth, and turns to chocolate and sour funk

While this is full bodied, the sharp carbonation causes it to drink way lighter than it is. It’s rich and smooth without being heavy. Leaves a sticky finish

This is an interesting one. Walks the line between a wild ale and a stout, and does a great job of it

22 ounce bottle into a tulip snifter. Had 5/7/20.

Pours a dark brown, opaque, with a one and a half inch foamy head with good retention and a fair amount of foamy lacing. Smells somewhat tart, with aromas of red wine, chocolate, malt, oak, coffee, some Brett, light toffee, faint licorice. Flavors of red wine, chocolate, malt, some Brett, grapes, some coffee and cocoa, oak, light licorice and toffee. A medium amount of tartness. Smooth, semi dry, somewhat creamy, a very good medium to full body, well carbonated.

Not overly tart, not much Brett, but the barrels give up lots of good wine and wood. Lots of solid aromas and flavors, this got better as I worked through the bottle. Very enjoyable.

Poured from a bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark brown pour. Nearly black with thin brown head. Nice ring of lacing.

S: Tart and roasty. Strong red wine and oak.

T.F: Tart and vinous... not overly sour. Expected stout roastyness. A bit of dark chocolate which mixed well with the strong red wine character. Oak and a bit of funk. Grape, baking cherry, and brett. Medium bodied and oily on the tongue. Hides its ABV. Lingering roast and cabernet at the finish.

O: A very well done red-wine barrel soured stout. Great flavor and super easy drinking. Reminds me of what Lagunitas used to be.

Poured into a teku. Pours a very dark brown, almost opaque with some light penetrating the edges to expose some mahogany with nearly three fingers of a cream filled coffee colored head. Eventually the head dissipated to a ring around the glass that clung to the glass with every sip. Red wine and tart vinous notes stole the show in the aroma with hints of cocoa, roast barley, oak, and the slightest funk. The taste follows the nose but is more balanced. While the red wine and tart vinous characters are still prominent the base stout has a bit more of an appearance. Tart grapes, red wine, brett funk, and oak are balanced against the roasty malts and rich chocolate that comes through from the base. It has a medium full body with a dry, sour finish.

Overall it’s a unique stout that’s definitely worth a try. It is kind of like if stout rullquin had a heavier stout to blend with the lambics and then it were aged in red wine barrels. Delicious.