Member Berries Riesling
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

 

Small growler filled at Armsby Abbey a few days ago, thanks to rudzud for picking it up.

Pours a small fizzy head with lower retention but pockets of big soapy lacing stuck and lots of lacing, crystal clear light pilsner golden pale color with a little amber hue

Nose brings some big funk up front, Brett and maybe bacteria funk like maybe a little Pedio, then lots of sweet riesling grapes, fruity white wine and fair sweetness, almost candy level, with a little blond malt, a bit of generic berry fruit, light acidity

Taste brings some sweet white wine up front, big sweet riesling grape wine and fruity white wine, almost chardonnay with a hint of buttery oak maybe unless my brain is playing tricks on me, then funk, quite tart with some souring bacteria acidity, some Brett funk but more on the side of bright citrus, light gristy blond malt, a little doughy, finishes quite dry and mild flemmy with big acidity thanks to the bacteria and Brett, more generic fruity berry like flavor and big tart riesling lingering

Mouth is med to a bit lighter bod, high foamy carb, bright acidity and a little flemmy

Overall this was a fun beer, really enjoyed the funk levels and high riesling wine, nice funky beer in general that I'm glad rudzud convinced me to try it

Picked up a 16oz growler of this from the Armsby Abbey today ($16) before they close for a few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as due to loss of business they cannot justify keeping the doors open. 2016 vintage that they've apparently had squirreled away since.

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a pale crystal clear golden hue with no real head to speak of. There was a very thin wispy one but it faded almost immediately.

S - Aromas of really, really big Riesling grapes. There is a little bit of Brett funk going on in addition to faint barrels. Swirls bring out some decent cereal grains, like the other person described them as 'Cheerios dust'. That's pretty good, definitely stealing that descriptor. I'm really surprised the grapes held up this well.

T - Taste is really really fun. Enormous Riesling grape flavour up front. The acidity isn't too intense, little bit of lemon and tannins. Big brett flavour though with still that underlying grain element. The finish is super vinous and there is some lingering tartness. Age has clearly mellowed this beer out quite a bit, as it wants to get funky and tart and show off tannins but it never quite gets there.

M - Mouthfeel is very, very lightly carbonated, basically just enough to not be considered still.

O - Overall this was a unique beer for sure. Grape wise you don't see too much utilization of white grapes in beers so that's nice. The head and mouthfeel were rather lackluster, but I'm not sure how much of that is the beer itself versus age versus how it was filled in a screw top growler. Typically I would be lower mouthfeel wise but at this point, 4 years removed from when it was kegged, this really is more like a wine than a beer. With that in mind I'm more inclined to approach it as such and while I don't think I would purchase this again to have as a beer (not that I could ever purchase this again) a glass of this along side the appropriate dish could be quite the pairing. I do wish I had had the chance to try this fresh, or even two years old, just to see the evolution of this beer.

Serving Type: growler

this beer has so much potential, the first white grape beer in this member berries series that i have seen. its almost clear, very pale, looks the color of the wine this grape yields actually, with a lazy airy white head on top, pretty from the tap. it smells amazing, lambic funk hits me before the grapes in what is seemingly one of the more interesting and mature crooked stave beers in quite some time. it has a mouthwatering tang, but also an insane brett and oak profile, really developed and interesting, more wild than stock, and i love that. it does have a little of that cheerio dust weirdness i sometimes get from their beers when they are newly released, i should probably know what a cicerone identifies that as by now, but i dont, its a flaw to me though, always coming in the finish after the swallow, dusty and like white flour. its minimal though, just more here than in the syrah or cab franc editions i had along side of it. nice tang to the flavor, lemony and tannic, lots of oak mellowing it though, good bacterial acidity but only middle of the road on the sourness scale. its a flavorful drink, with quite a lot of the grape coming though, giving it a very vinous property, more wine than fruit to me, complex as can be with this awesome fermentation profile, and integrated well. i bet this will age amazingly well, but for 75 bucks or whatever the magnums cost, i will not likely find out. this series has been killer, i hope for more white grape version...