Biere De Garde
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

 

A-Pours a very dark amber color, almost opaque, with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has tangy and tarty hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a balanced tangy and tarty flavor
M-A light bodied well carbonated beer
O-A nicely balance sour beer

 

 

Collaboration with Jensen Cummings of Brewed Food, part of their "Good Bugs" fermentation series... Features Pilsner, Blue Balled, and Encore malts; Hallertau Blanc and Waimea hops; and Crooked Stave Mixed Culture yeast... Primarily fermented in oak...

No bottling date, but based on Crooked Stave's Twitter feed and when this was added to BA, I'm assuming it was a January release...

Pours ruby brown and hazy under a coupla fingers of pale tan head... Wasn't at all what I expected as it was distinctly sour - had a deep cider vinegar taste, full of tannic impressions, sharply tangy and crisp like tart apple and sour cherry with some funky undercurrents and a lightly drying finish... I've only had a few biere de gardes, but none were sour... This reminded me of a Flanders red or (sour) wild ale...

My experience was nothing like what @StonedTrippin described in his review (nutty, grain-driven, coffee, golden raisin, chestnut), but I found it refreshing and pleasant...

I'm not that familiar with the style and I don't drink many sour ales either, so you may find it way better or way worse than me depending on your tastes and expectations...

 

this is an unexpected beer from crooked stave, more traditional in build than they usually go, and unfruited! its been awhile since we have had something without fruit i feel like from these guys. a nice clearish amber brown color to it and an airy light looking head, pretty shine to it, well refined in the glass. it smells really earthy and malty and like some of the old world french ales in this style, nutty and grain driven, but its uniquely crooked stave too, with some light acidic zizzle and funk at the end, making this a little more intriguing and unique than it would otherwise be. notes of golden raisin and chestnut in the flavor,and coffee, but light and caramely, like a french press with too much water and not enough coffee and time. delicious complexity in the grain base, more rich and nuanced than i am used to in their beer, and i like it a lot. the yeast is saison-esque, but sort of wild too, and this just comes together super well. more fall than winter for me, but very drinkable because of the low acidity. a nice interpretation of this often neglected style!