Nightmare On Brett
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

The jet black tap pour hosts a wisp of tan foam and an acid aroma of sour cherry and leather.
The flavor is quite tart with tobacco and oak behind sour fig, cherry and plum.
The tartness persists in the finish.
I like this one.

 

Black pour with a medium off‑white head. The aroma is funky yet inviting, mixing oak, cocoa, and dark fruits. The flavor leans tart, layered with fruity brightness and subtle roasted undertones. Not bad at all — interesting, a little wild, and pretty enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

This is quite an interesting brew. I see why previous reviewers highlight the vinegar flavor. But it’s fermentation! Very complex. Whiskey barrel flavors prominent but not overpowering.

 

I was looking forward to trying this sour for a while. Big disappointment. It’s overly sour and the foeders they used don’t taste very good.

Overhyped.

Looks cool. Deep, dark reddish black with a nice tan head. Certainly started life as a nice roasty stout. Novel in appearance, because looks are quite deceiving.

On the nose, the slightest undertones of oak, tobacco and molasses hidden by heavy acetic cherry.

Taste follows aroma in the worst ways. Vinegar followed by a painful acidity that leaves a disgusted look on my face as I force a swallow. There’s hope deep down in there. Hope of a pleasant balance between the roasted malt bill, stone fruit tartness and the nuances of oak. Unfortunately, this hope is lost to the careless domination of acidity ushered in on an acetic pedestal. Lost are the redeeming qualities of barrel, roasted malt and brettanomyces to an overwhelming combination of sour vinegar. What a shame, this tastes terrible.

Mouthfeel is oddly slimy and thin. It almost feels like soy sauce. It could be that my mouth resorts to a form of repulsion upon sipping, but there’s definitely something off.

Wow. What a nightmare! I remember a time when this beer was regarded as the epitome of Crooked Stave’s masterful fermentation and creativity. I don’t know what has changed most…the beer, the standard of American sours, or my palate. Either way, this is hard for me to stomach. There’s nothing nuanced about it unless you enjoy the taste of acid reflux. I’m happy to see this style of outrageously unbalanced acidity become a fad of yesterday and will happily experiment with reducing the rest of this bottle to some sort of balsamic glaze.

I accidentally bought two bottles of this and now I’m glad. It’s an interesting beer. There’s a definite fight between the funk and the barrel. Strong wood presence that melds well with the tart dark cherry. Crisp dry finish, like a wine, with an assertive alcohol burn. I like it!

Pour looks stout or porter black; opaque; thin yet persistent light brown head. Initial hit of cocoa that yields to a sublime mixture of black cherry and oak with the smell. Huge sour flavor; tart cherries and lime; an indescribable high alcohol character, tasty; well subdued roasted malts lurk deep in the background. Heavy body; strong tartness; slippery yet acidic.

Nightmare my ass! This incredible beer pours like a stout and kicks ass with a bold sour and dark malt beast. The high ABV is incredible. It may be whiskey barrel aged, and I'm sure a lot of what I pick up alcohol-wise reflects that yet I can't differentiate where the inherent high ABV begins and the whiskey barrel aging kicks in. A sour beer? Yes, indeed. A unique one? Emphatically so.

Pouring temperature: 46.8 ℉; bottling info: n/a

 

2013 Batch 2

A: Poured into a tulip glass to a deep mahogany with a finger of dense and slightly rocky light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of cherries, leather, caramel, oak, and light funk with a slight sour backnote throughout
T: Taste is sour cherries up front followed by oak, leather, hints of funk, more cherries and sourness. On the swallow there's more funk, oak, cherries, and lingering sourness with a hint of furniture polish.
M: This beer has a body which is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is slightly effervescent while the beer has a drying finish due to the acidity.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer. It has good flavors, balance and a nice amount of complexity which make it really fun and interesting to drink.

strong great tasing brett. drink slow to enjoy brinfg a friend along

The 2nd highest rated Brett Beer on BA! Only behind the raspberry variant of it, we have the base beer aged in Whiskey barrels. The vintage is unknown, but I got the bottle from Monk’s while I was visiting Philly a few weeks ago. Let’s see what it’s all about

Pours nearly pitch black with just a few wispy tan bubbles that fades to a thin ring and leaves no lacing

This is very funky in the nose as expected, but the dark malt really shines through. I’m picking up on aromas of red wine vinegar, brown sugar, earthy whiskey, black cherry, toasted oak, tobacco, and light leather

Oh man, this really holds in taste more than I thought it would. Still super acetic, but the balance is there and it’s wonderful. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting red wine, old leather, cocoa powder, toasted oak, black cherry, acetic acid, light lemon juice, and toast. The swallow brings notes of smoky oak, cocoa powder, red wine vinegar, sour apple, earthy whiskey, sweet toffee, and black cherry

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a sharp and acidic beer. Finishes dry but with a nice sweetness that keeps it complex

This is one hell of an awesome beer. Complex and funky while still remaining insanely drinkable. It’s a real treat that evolves throughout the bottle