Batonnage Sur Lees
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

wild ale on wine lees with bergamot tea and orange, delicious, unique, and clever. pale and pretty clear for what it is, delicate and light looking, fizzy from the tap but not holding much head. it smells super tart, nice and bretty too, classic crooked stave on the fermentation, but the bergamot character is quite strong too, herbal and tangy and highly fragrant, smells fresh and awesome, a little sexy even. the flavor is killer, as strong as the tea and the fruit is, this is still crooked stave beer and its about the ferment, a lot of funk, some nice tartness, lemony bacterial pucker is great with the orange, also highly floral, never sweet but not too acidic either, grounded by the tea and a simple malt base that seems like white wheat and pils, some minerals poking through, a white wine oak profile, soft vanilla is great with the tea, and the finish is super dry for how complex this drinks the whole way. effervescent, mature but fresh, and very light in body, super easy drinking and springy. there have been a number of beers under the batonnage name, not even sure the bases or blends have been consistent, but this latest one is delicious, the wine less adds a lot to the complexity of the ferment and the technical skill on display here is absurd. loved this.