Crooked Stave Origins Grand Cru - Leopold Whiskey Barrel Aged
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

2013 vintage 375ml bottle into a snifter appears dark brown with a couple bubbles.

Nose is vinegar tang...acedic smelling and really nothing else.

Tastes sour with a sort of apple cider note and a bit of drying oak tannins.

Light in body and modestly carbonated. Its ok, I dont need to have it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 ounce bottle wax dipped

Appearance is dark brown with hints of red, one inch of off white head, no retention, no lacing

Smell is a mixed bag of cherries and berries, brettanomyces, balsamic vinegar, vanilla, honey, and oak

Taste is tart at first and fades into a whiskey bite in the finish, no real sweetness to balance things out, does not change all that much as it warms, more vanilla mixes in with the tart but hard to identify any one fruit in the sourness, needs more complexity

Mouthfeel was a bit heavy, some booze came through, carbonation was too low, not much bite

Overall this was not Crooked Stave's finest showing, the whiskey barrel helped make this more unique but the sourness was a bit overshadowed and did not have as much fruit character as a lot of their others do

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last bottle of 2013 cellar reserve beers I was lucky enough to get my hands in thanks to the person I trustee for. I've been pretty hard on this series, most were mediocre but this one tastes better right off the bat. Appearance is dark red, almost brown, short head. Aroma is sweet, not any whiskey barrel that I detect but a nice aroma almost like a 25 year old balsamic. Flavor is sweet, sour, woody, nice. This is probably the best beer from the 2013 cellar reserve series.