Double Dry-Hop Sour
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

 

At the intersection of where sour and bitter converge, Crooked Stave takes their two favorite skill sets and combines them in a double dry-hopped Motueka and Mosaic kettle soured ale with a little taste of rusticity to go along with it.

Double Dry-Hopped Sour jumps right out with a burnt lemon hue and a racy dance of carbonation. Shortly after its spritzy froth subsides, the scent soon leads with weathered citrus, brine, aged woods, tropical fruit and a host of vinous and cidery olfactory action. As the ale splashes against the early palate, a light maltiness of wafer, taffy and tarte kisses the sweet tooth before rushing off.

As the ale washes the middle palate, the malt influence wavers and the hops bring a dry and woodsy taste that circulates around the Mosaic's lime, berry and grassy herbs and the Motueka's passionfruit and lemongrass character. Tangy, tart and briskly sour, the late palate is gently bitter with black tea and verbena in its bitter character.

Finishing dry, crisp refreshing, the beer is off clean with a dry burlap earthiness and a cidery, chardonnay snappiness. A brief aftertaste of tropical fruit zest and echoes of dry woods and mojito.

Canned February 2020.

It pours a hazy lemonade like colour with a small head of foam that shrinks quickly. Lacing is minimal.

The smell is sour, hoppy with significant amounts of tropical fruit, and definite dry hopped aromas. Lovely.

Hoppy and tart. Sourness level I would put at aboot 2 out of 5. Dry hopped goodness with ample flavours of tropical fruit..mango with perhaps guava. Some acetic character but it's mild.

Nice mouthfeel for the lowish abv.

This is pretty fantastic in my book.