Nightmare On Brett W/ Blueberries
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

2016 Vintage. Pours a very dark brown with a ring a light at the edge, no lasting head formation or lacing after this long time in the bottle. Nose is all you would expect from a sour stout - deep malt and soy notes, but big sours notes (green apple, sour cherry). Vanilla and oak from the barrel, along with a distinct whiskey note as well. Blueberries aren't obvious to me, but I could be convinced after reading the label. Taste is a little subdued as compared to the nose, though this may be from the age on the bottle. Nice malic sourness off the bat, rounded off by smoother, fruiter notes on the finish. Blueberry is hard to find, but there is still some fruit qualities that have persisted. Barrel is subdued, but it does provide some earthy warmth and woodsiness. There's some oxidation at the end, but this is a factor of age (at least I'm assuming). Mouthfeel is light, without too much weight on the palate; light carbonation. Overall, this held up surprisingly well over time, and I think it would only be better with less time on it.

 

January 2016 bottle

Pours dark maroon red black with a dissipating tan brown foam head. Smells like dark roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, some soy sauce, cola, fresh blueberries, whiskey, oak barrel, caramel, dark toffee, molasses, with some floral earthy hops. Tastes really sour and acidic, with fresh sour blueberries, white balsamic vinegar, oak barrel, whiskey, caramel, dark toffee, molasses, dark chocolate, coffee, mild soy sauce, cola, dark roasted malts, with some floral earthy hops. Feels medium bodied, slick with moderate carbonation. Overall a nice dark sour ale aged in whiskey barrels with blueberries.

Reviewed from notes. 375 mL bottle purchased locally in February 2017. Date of consumption not noted, but I don't believe it was too long after purchase based on location within the notes. Poured into a J. Wakefield OG teku glass.

A: Very dark brown – almost purple – with a thin light tan head. Nearly opaque, fairly low amount of visible carbonation. Head fades quickly.

S: Lemony citric acid, milder acetic twang, and modest bourbon. Some roasted malts with a light chocolate aroma, some lactic tartness and milder Brettanomyces funk. A light berry fruitiness with oak dryness and tannins, which lends an almost vinous aspect. This has a very complex and interesting aroma. It's appealing in its own way, though it doesn’t seem focused…but I still like it.

T: Mixed lactic and malic tartness. Still a touch of acetic acid mixing with the roasted malt body. Lighter notes of chocolate and tobacco and a mild-but-clear roast bitter character. Bourbon, oak, and Brett funk – basement and old books. Sour lemons and citric acid. Some vanilla from the oak mixes with the tart underripe blueberries. More lactic sour and another punch of funk near the swallow, then lingering berry fruitiness - but stays fairly dry in the end.

M: Medium-bodied, carbonation sensation maybe a touch on the low side. The alcohol is obvious but far from hot for anything barrel-aged.

O: Really an interesting combination of flavors here. The roasted malts, Brett funk, bourbon, and sour didn’t necessarily seem like a good idea to me, but they pulled it off. Very complex but the brewers somehow managed to corral all the characters and get them to play nice with each other, keeping the flavors in balance. Really quite tasty. I would do this again for sure.

Sweet and tart blueberry with a hint of whiskey/bourbon nose on this one! Taste follows with a mildly acidic, blueberry tartness on the finish...grabs the back of the tongue a bit! This has nice depth and feel to it and hides the ABV really well. This is really good!

Bottling date of Jan ‘16, consumed 09/24/19

As I poured it I wasn’t sure if I had a stout or a sour it’s so dark. It’s thin as a regular sour should be (compared to a stout) so it works. I can smell the sour and a bit of the bret, but not the blueberries or whiskey barrel. Tasting it though, the blueberries do linger on the end and give it some nice complexity. It is pretty tart, so be prepared. I don’t taste the barrel or alcohol either. I’m enjoying this immensely, but wonder if it would have been better fresh with more blueberries and barrel character. I’d buy again and would try the other variants.

 

 

 

 

 

So a brett ale with blueberries is interesting, but then aged in a whiskey barrel really adds another dimension of intrigue. Very dark brown body with a light brown collar. Aromas of barnyard funk, brett, blueberry in a dark sense, balsamic vinegar, molasses, oak and prune. More pieces than a cohesive whole. The taste brings unity of these same flavors, add some soil and hints of vanilla now too. The darkest complexion of a brett beer I have ever had, chewy, warm, thick, and boozy. Great balance and smooth

 

I know it's written on this page it's ''retired'', but I just got chance to drink it on tap in Beertemple in Amsterdam.

It looks opaque black with small tan head. No sparkling bubbles.
Aroma is blueberry, barnyard, roasted malt and slight wood.
Taste is amazing! What a complexity! Like a mix of half fruity lambic and half sweet stout. Very delicious fruity and acidic sourness with some wood and roasted bread.
Medium bodied. Soft carbonation. Warm and softly puckering finish.
Very easy to drink despite sourness and high abv. One of the most delicious beers, I really love it.

 

 

 

Mahogany very dark brown with no foam head. A lot of whiskey note and not nearly as much blueberry as I expected. Very acidic. Tart.

Look: Pitch black with 2 inch khaki head.
Smell: Tart, Brett, blueberries, and blackberries.
Taste: Very tart, Brett funk, bready, blueberries, and black berries.
Mouthfeel: Full.
Overall: A great sour from Crooked Stave. Not a beginners sour, that's for sure.

 

 

 

Sour patch kid tart. Lick a driveway on a 101 degree summer day dry. Take a basket of dehydrated whiskey bathed blueberries and suck'em good flavor. Strong boozy-blueberry-brett nose. Suck-a-duck this is good.

Bottle dated 01/2016, aged in Leopoldo Bros whiskey barrels:
Pours a mahogany brown, ok head that fizzles fairly quickly leaving a thin ring.

Nose is interesting in that there is a light wild ale sour note, but there's also a roasted note. That roasted note, however, is transformed and has an oaky to lightly vanilla aspect to it. Behind this is a lightly sweet waft of blueberry, one that I might not have discerned were I not looking for it.

The nice balance of the nose is lost in the taste, unfortunately for me. The almost stinging tartness makes my tongue buckle briefly. No roast, but a hint of the barrel aging buzzes overtop of the sourness. Even looking for blueberry here, I can only come to the realization anything I get I'm trying to find.

If the taste mirrored the nose a little more, this could be a wonderful beer, I think. Maybe the extra time didn't help, but there just isn't enough nuance in the flavor.

 

 

Sample at Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen 2017, yellow session. Aroma is funky with barnyard notes, wood barrel and dark fruits. Taste is tart, acetic, fruity, dry. Finish has a slightly roasty bitterness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look: Poured with two fingers pinkish khaki head, color is DARK DARK DARK maroon, no lacing, small amount of medium speed down-up carbonation

Smell: Dark cocoa/bitter chocolate, seeded dark fruit, barnyard funk, vanilla, red wine vinegar

Taste: MUCH less sour than the previous NOB I had. Big punch of lemon juice, baker's chocolate. green apple, vanilla, barrel, balsamic vinegar, sweetened blueberry pie filling

Feel: Thin bodied, delicate mouthfeel, semi-dry finish like a bold red wine

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 1/2 inch pinkish tan head over a very dark purple body. Nose of blueberry, slight strawberry, and brett funk. Taste of sour blueberry with a bit of tart apple. Nice feel and overall a definite must try for all sour beer fans.

 

12oz bottle dated January 2016 poured into a Teku glass
A: Pitch black with a lingering one-finger tan head
S: Very complex with blueberries, brett and dark malt
T: Matches the nose, quite sour with a bit of brett funk
M: Medium-bodied, sour
O: Pricey but delicious. Very complex, the alcohol is completely hidden; stay away if you don't like sour/funk but if you do this beer is great