Huguenot
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

funky, grainy, earthy, spicy almost like a mild cinnamon baked apple, spicy rye, creamy oats, sweet rice middlings, chewy body, tart, lightly sour, some fruity esters, lemon acidity, farmhouse phenols, some barnyard funk, vinous cider notes, smooth medium plus bodied, creamy and thick

 

 

Reviewed from (very) long-standing notes. Purchased on 1/31/17. Consumed in late (October?) 2017. Poured from the 375mL bottle into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass.

A: Nice gold, almost crystal clear with lots of visible carbonation. Forms a one-finger white head that fades pretty quickly to a ring of foam, but that ring lasts for quite awhile. This is pretty for sure.

S: Smell interesting. Lactic tart, cracker malts with a fair amount of wheat grist (though not grainy) - I wonder if this might be the oats anyway. Citric lemony tart and citrus fruit. Saison yeast with mild black pepper, and some tart fleshy fruits like pears. Mild vinous or oak tannins, but I'm not sure this is actually barrel aged. Smells nice enough, if a bit muddled and without a clear dominant direction that I can perceive.

T: Lemony citric acid and lactic tart. A fairly big dry Brettanomyces funk with some pineapple as well. Cracker malts with, again I would have called wheat, but I’ll believe it is the oats. Saison yeast with a modest black pepper. Some citrus and tropical fruit hop bitterness. More lactic tart and Brett funk at the swallow and through the hang.

M: A light body, with good carbonation sensation. The alcohol flavors are well-integrated.

O: Pretty enjoyable, but a bit strange. Tart but not overly sour, Brett but not crazy funky. Notes of wood but I don’t think it was actually barreled. Lemony citric is probably the dominant flavor. Enjoyable, but nothing I’d go back for time and again.

A: Poured into a tulip glass to a light yellow that's a little hazy. Topped by a finger and a half of dense white head which retains well and leaves decent lacing
S: Smells of light sourness, a hint of lemon, and some cracker like malts. Slight spice as well.
T: Taste is lemony sourness up front followed by some cracker like malts, nice spice note and lemongrass. Swallow is slightly spicy with lingering citrusy sourness and some lingering lemon rind.
M: This beer is on the lighter side of medium in body with a smooth feel on the palate. Carbonation is effervescent and slightly prickly while the beer has a slightly drying finish.
O: Overall this one is packing a lot of flavor for being sub 5% ABV. Nice complexity and well integrated as well. It represents the style well and is well worth trying if they bring it back.

Light golden hued with a fingernail of eggshell around the rim and covering most of the top. The aroma is comprised of Brettanomyces, earthy rye and rice. I'm tasting green apple and pear. The mouth is smooth and yet there is moderate carbonation present. Very refreshing.

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is crystal clear light yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high bright white head that gradually died down but left a large patch of bubbles on the surface, a collar around the edge of the glass, and lots of lacing down the sides.
S: Moderate aromas of sourness and Brett funk are present in the nose along with some hints of lemons.
T: The taste follows the smell and is mostly sour with some funk from the Brett. There are notes of lemons and hints of spices.
M: It feels a bit more than light-bodied and somewhat crisp and tart on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This saison is quite light in body for something that is quite flavorful—I'm assuming that the use of rice helped in lightening things up.

Serving type: bottle

375ml bottle. Pours a hazy orange yellow, foam that you can control depending on how vigorous you pour it. Meh. That would work for any beer out there. This one’s got longevity. I get some cloves and coriander in the smell. Banana is therebut mild. As is hints of Brett and a tartness. The taste is not really what the smell suggested. Tartness. Funk. Oat spiciness, the other notes of a Saison seem to take a backseat. Light bodied with ample carbonation. The oats seem to intensify with every sip and I can even taste the rice. No Beechwood aging here I’m guessing. A very tasty offering from Crooked Stave.

 

 

 

 

this collaboration brew is better than its ratings. a sour and grain heavy beer, almost tastes like a sour grisette to me, with a liquid bready cereal grain complexion, dry but rustic, and even starchy as they go, pretty earthy and neat in its foundation, especially for being such a low alcohol beer, i really like the way this is built. the part i love a little less is how acidic it is, not super sour, certainly not by crooked stave standards, but the beer doesnt need it, a funky drying brett complexion would be all it needs to be brilliant, but this bacterial sourness comes in, strong in the finish, and breaks down what the grain seems to work so hard to establish, there is an unresolved conflict here, as much as i like it. still a nice bit of body here and an interesting malt flavor, so its a little something different from these guys, sometimes i wish more of their beers incorporated some of these less conventional grains. some light citrus to the finish, excellent carbonation and quite dry. refreshing for summer, very good. wish i knew more about the recipe, the malts are rad.

On draft. Poured out a cloudy, golden orange color with a small, off-white head of foam. It smelled of bread crust, caramel and fruitiness. Sweet caramel and dried fruit taste with a spicy finish.

Pours a hazy gold color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of strong bacterial funk, slight floral hop, resin, earthiness, yeast, and pale malt. Fits the style of a Saison / Farmhouse Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of bacterial funk, slight floral hops, hint of pine, slight caramel malt, earthiness, yeast, and a hint of alcohol. Overall, good appearance, aroma, blend, and complexity, but weak finish of body.