Crooked Roads
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

Pours a light brown. It looks like the oak that it came out of. Some light citrus and vinous character on the nose. It's tart with delicate acidity. Well balanced like a Crooked Stave sour tends to be.

 

a continuation here of the two roads takeover of north america. their beer is everywhere now, they seem to be doing all sorts of collaborations, launching new markets, attending festivals, and doing everything they can to be as visible as possible, which is interesting because their beer for the most part is good but not epic, pretty hard push for better than average. this is an oak aged sour done with crooked stave, and its solid beer, if a little boring. it has a bit of a rusty orange color to it, a neat malty glow a little deeper than a lot of the crooked stave sours go on the grain side. i get some interesting fruitiness too, red wine berries and tang, a citrus sort of acidity, and even a melony thing, its got some sweetness that seems to be exacerbated by a vanilla note from the wood, and then a lot of sourness, more outwardly acidic and less bretty than i have gotten used to from crooked stave, more mature in some ways, but also with that flanders type vinegar profile to the fermentation that really limits how much of this i want to drink. i think overall its a nice sour for fall, a little more substantial on the grain and the wood which is nice in the cooler weather. a little more sour than it needs to be, but with some cool nuance to it. solid brew overall. i wonder where i will see two roads next...