Ghost World
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

The pour is stout black with a 3 mm beige head that left sparse lacing.
The taste is good, enjoyable, but not wow.
Half Imperial Stout dominates the total. There were snippets of barrel, or bourbon, but it isn’t always there.
The feel is very viscous, considerably more than I expected, not unpleasant, just unexpected.

 

Matte black with a flat but fuzzy tan blanket.

Oh this is blindsidingly good. Mildly viscous chocolate pairs with a wonderfully expressive oak presence that imparts coconut, vanilla and lightly charred coffee elements while providing a little heat and cleaning it up in the expertly bone dry finish.

Stone cold stunner, even at DLD!

 

Crooked Stave did this with Ghost World by using 50% base stout and 50% of two BA stouts. The result is a bit less booze but the complexities of the whiskey whiff in from now and then. Chocolate is the main theme and dominates each sip.

Poured at fridge temp, but allowed to warm over a little bit. Pours motor oil black with pretty much zero head. The nose is excellent. Tons of chocolate, bourbon, big roasted malts, some black licorice, some molasses, and a touch of charred wood. A bit of tobacco starts to come through.

The taste is fantastic. This is totally dominated by roasted malts and charred wood. This is quite different than most big bourbon barrel-aged stouts these days as the base stout clearly remains dominant on this brew. Black licorice, molasses, coffee grounds, vanilla, toasted coconut, chocolate, and some dark fruit - mostly cherries, raisins, and prunes. There is a red wine taste that comes out over time. In fact, it almost becomes dominant over time. Really interesting how the taste can evolve over 10-15 minutes.

Mouthfeel is thick and creamy. Overall, a really nice BA stout.

 

Mystery Beer, courtesy beergoot, from NBS BIF #16. 12oz bottle wrapped in aluminum foil) poured into 14oz teku. Poured a solid black color with just the thinnest dark brown head that had low retention and no lacing. Pretty obviously a Stout.

Lots of booze at the front of the nose, with some underlying sweetness. The base stout is buried under the booziness. Some alcohol apparent.

On the tongue, pretty much the same; a basic stout overwhelmed by booze. Lots of alcohol heat.

The body seemed a bit thin, so maybe this is a Porter, but I’m still leaning stout. It was smooth, had a bit of sticky-sweetness, and a sweet finish that dried out after a few moments.

Drinkability was good, for the style, but I wouldn’t see wanting 2 in a row.

Overall, a solid, if fairly typical barrel stout, I think.

 

Pours deep black. Aroma dominated by chocolate & roastiness. Taste is more complex - intense chocolate, hints of vanilla and coffee flavors with an overarching bourbon component. Really well balanced. Mouthfeel is full & silky. Incredible stout.

Poured a black body with minimal tan head that quickly died. Aroma came across as charred, somewhat, with roasted dark chocolate and something I generally refer to as "dark fruits", which defined my standby is black cherry and figs (there is definitely something cherry-esque coming across), and some bourbon/booze and wood come through as well. Surprisingly light-bodied and smooth, with a chocolate sweetness and woody smoothness as the dominant flavors, in fact it's so smooth it's almost like a milk stout (not sure if this is vanilla or what but comes across almost as lactic), and then there are notes of char/roasted malts along with that dark fruit ("black cherry") taste and booze that add heft and balance (beer is well-balanced as it isn't just a hodge podge of flavors).

Revisited May 16th, 2024

Deep, dark brown body, opaque in the glass; thick, frothy head, tan colored and lightly sticky inside the glass; some fingers and splotches of foam stick to the glass. Dense and rich aroma of dark malt, cocoa powder, dark chocolate; caramel nougat; a faint whiff of booze. The taste mirrors the smell; primarily big chocolate notes with a light boozy undercurrent. Heavy, chewy body; dense silkiness; residual sugars coat the palate; low-key alcohol warmth counterpoints the heavy sweetness.

By and large, this beer has aged nicely. I got a slightly better nose appeal while the taste remains very, very good but perhaps a bit more mellow than the fresher version of the beer. Regardless, the beer exudes great depth and complexity of character, rich and still decadent in a very pleasing, satisfying manner.

ABV: 11.3%; pouring temperature: 56 °F; bottling info: n/a
Source: local purchase (Downtown Fine Wine and Spirits)

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Original October 13th, 2022 ratings and scores:

4.25 4.0 4.5 4.5 4.25; BA weighted overall score: 4.32; rDev: +5.4%

Dark coal body, opaque; thin yet lasting head, light brown in color; thin, sticky sheets of foam hang inside the glass. Deep cocoa and roasted grain aroma greets the nostrils. Deep, rich milk chocolate flavor infused with a modest bourbon note; a slight coffee / espresso-like note; vanilla wafer. Heavy, silky body; slick and oily; outstanding residual sugar texture; very modest alcohol warmth.

The last time some superfine Crooked Stave imperial stouts came out (as far as I've been able to grab hold of) - Maple Bourbon Stout and The Hills Have Envy - well, I knew I had better grab several of these beers. This is my first tasting of it, and brethren and sistren, I'm here to tell you: hurry to your local if you see this offering...it is damn fine and worthy of its aforementioned predecessors.

Pouring temperature: 44 °F: bottling info: n/a

stout has just gotten so big, so sweet and sticky, so leggy and viscous, and this is living proof that its not all adjuncts doing that, at least not all gimmicky ones. what seems like a whole turn ago, beers from the likes of deschutes, fremont, and even goose island were maxing out what we thought was possible with body in these, but in recent years its been players like side project, anchorage, and now crooked stave who have thickened them up to the point of almost not even really being fully liquid, which is fun i guess, but regardless of what it tastes like, makes it a pretty small doses thing. its motor oil, straight up, high shine, close to perfect black, with a very short brown head, not sure bubbles can even rise up through a beer this thick, like the weight of it would pop them, seems that way anyway, or near it. awesome aroma and flavor through, angels envy and heaven hill barrels, notes of cognac, licorice, good espresso beans before brewing, and rich sweet vanilla concentrate, its decadent and desserty even without being laden with adjuncts, which i respect. hige bourbon nose, some port and sherry even in the flavor, some spiciness in the middle of all the malt, huge roast, bitter as it is sweet, and it does coat the palate the way it coats the sides of the glass, intense to say the least, it might benefit from fermenting out a little drier, if you could find a willing yeast strain, because the alcohol here is not out of place, and its not what slows me down, its the sugar and the body! lovely depth though, and overall the quality cannot be disputed, its on par with any of the best from the aforementioned producers, and without as many frills, just what seems like an absurd grain bill and some real long ageing in expensive barrels. vanilla, pipe tobacco, brandy, caramel, coffee, dark fudge, and just a little smoke. cool how this much bitterness still comes through too. only a small doses thing for me, but exceptionally well done. i prefer the wild beers, but come on, this is fire.