Mutational Meltdown
Speciation Artisan Ales

375 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 11/2019. Pours clear very dark ruby red/brown color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing, clinging bubbles, and some streaming carbonation on the glass. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tart/sour cranberry, cherry, raspberry, red grape/wine, orange zest, lemon, lime, raisin, fig, date, apricot, green apple, nutty medium roast coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla, rye whiskey, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of hay, straw, grass, leather, smoke, peppercorn, musty/lacto funk, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cocoa nib, coffee, orange zest, vanilla, rye whiskey, and dark/bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big tart/sour cranberry, cherry, raspberry, red grape/wine, orange zest, lemon, lime, raisin, fig, date, apricot, green apple, nutty medium roast coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla, rye whiskey, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of hay, straw, grass, leather, smoke, peppercorn, musty/lacto funk, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate lactic tart/sourness, tang; light Brett/oak/tannin spiciness and roast/zest bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/sour cranberry, cherry, raspberry, red grape/wine, orange zest, lemon, lime, raisin, fig, date, apricot, green apple, nutty medium roast coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla, rye whiskey, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and brown bread/crust, hay, straw, grass, leather, smoke, peppercorn, musty/lacto funk, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cocoa nib, coffee, orange zest, vanilla, rye whiskey, and dark/bready malt flavors; with an amazing malt/tart/tang/sourness balance, and no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering acid/tang/tannins. Minimal warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is an amazing flavored dark sour! All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cocoa nib, coffee, orange zest, vanilla, rye whiskey, and dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish; not overly lactic/tannic. Perfectly balanced Brett/Bacteria complexity, cocoa nib, coffee, vanilla, orange zest, and rye whiskey barrel complexity; with a nice sized dark/bready malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering acidic/tangy dryness. A highly amazing offering, and world class style example. One of the best dark sours I've ever had. Not overwhelming on any aspect.