Port Empress
Crooked Run Fermentation

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Crooked Run Fermentation
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
12%
Score:
+8 ratings needed
Avg:
3.71 | pDev: 21.29%
Ratings:
2 | reviews: 1
Status:
Inactive
Rated:
Dec 28, 2018
Added:
Dec 05, 2018
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Port Empress is a high gravity version of Empress lightly aged in bourbon barrels with Zinfandel grapes. Tart, strong, and very fruity. A wintertime sour.
Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 4.5 by redfox405 from Virginia

Dec 28, 2018
Photo of ThisWangsChung
Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland

2.92/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
The dominant quality from the aroma is wine grapes, perhaps unsurprisingly given the color of the wine...oops, I mean beer. What was I saying? Oh yeah, there's an underlying sourness to everything, which is a weird combination with the former aspect. There are also twinges of buttery oak and vanilla showing up, and any hints of this being an IPA have been lost due to the time in barrels. This is definitely a unique brew - maybe not clever per se, but unique. It tastes exactly as expected: like a wine with some strange beer elements. Wine grapes dominate the open and middle, and it ends with hints of leather, buttery oak, and vanilla. A gentle tartness lingers throughout. While it's not that enjoyable due to the clash between the wine and beer elements, it's VERY light on its feet for 12% (similarly to a good wine). Carbonation is slightly sharp, which actually fits the medium-light body and angular texture. Generally, I'm not impressed. Still, it's very drinkable and easy for something this big. Eh, wine lovers will probably dig this more than me.

2.92/5: A strange wine/beer hybrid that isn't fully baked
Dec 27, 2018