Petite Sour Reserva - Cassis (Black Currant)
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

As petite as the beer may seem, let's make no mistake about it. The "Petite" series of Crooked Stave has gone bold. Its extended age, its emboldened fruit and its sophisticated vinous twang all suggest much more than simply "petite".

Hazy mauve and cast with a scant bubble colony, the pour is a dull rose hue and a nearly still demeanor. Releasing a bright tang of red berry, citrus and orchard fruit aroma, the taste follows with a light pastry sweetness of cobbler, light biscuit and faint candy.

As the flavors open up, its sweetness subsides. Tangy flavors of cassis, cranberry, red raspberry and cherry all seem to make a mark on the middle palate. A frothy and wheaten fruitiness turns swiftly to orange, lemon and lime before a finish of vinous tartness, white pepper and fruit skins frame a balanced taste.

Medium light and flat on the finish, the beer lays like a calm rose once again. filing the tastebuds with cherry, berry and apple translates to a short finish of those cobbler, pastry and brisk pine nuances.

 

A: Transparent, kind of a cross between a dark rose wine and an amber ale
S: Fruity, black currant, black berry, hint of earthy funk, grape juice,
T: Tons of black currant, light tartness, dry, bubblegum, some funk, cereal grain, green apple
M: Light feel with typical carbonation for the style
O: Both the aroma and taste came much more alive as it warmed. The second half of the bottle is more sour

 

 

 

 

 

 

this is different than the petite sour cassis in that i believe the base beer has endured a longer wood ageing process, although i could be wrong about what makes this "reserva" edition unique. the fruit proportion seems about the same, and it is quite obviously currant, which i think is neat and uncommon, especially in good sour beer like this, i love the natural tang of the fruit with the sourness from the yeasts, its bright and acidic but very clean. i am enormously keen on the brightness of this, low alcohol and not sweet at all, still with a little cereal flavor to it, and a nice white wine tannic character in the finish. pink in color but not super dense on the color, and softly hazy without a lot of head from the tap, but the somewhat lazy looking appearance is a poor indicator for how vibrant the fruit is in the beer. nice mellowing wood profile here too, not as oaky as i thought it would be, but in a nice range to not overtake the fruit or the funky yeasts. quality stuff, one of my favorite fruited editions of this, and another winner from crooked stave, who is back to being at the top of their game after a run of samey sort of fruit beers, this one is distinctive and delicious! on tap at the brewery now.