Crooked Stave St. Bretta (Spring)
St. Bretta is our 100% Brettanomyces Whitebier that was just released this week! Not only is St. Bretta an evolution of Wild Wild Brett Orange, but also it will be ever-changing depending on the fresh citrus available that season. For our spring release we decided to brew St. Bretta with fresh Minneola Tangelo. Each seasonal release of St. Bretta will have a diverse range of citrus fruit added to keep the beer fresh and exciting (the summer release was brewed with blood oranges)!
3.8
163 reviews
Denver, United States
Community reviews
December 31st, 2013 - New Year’s Eve commands special attention, eyes glued to the television set in anticipation of the ball, and a long night of drink before that. For the transition to 2013 to 2014 I untucked some the rarer beers in my collection, and started the night with Crooked Stave’s St. Bretta Whitebier. The color is a grainy, soupy light brown leather, completely opaque with all the bits and bobs from the secondary fermentation, and topped with only a small, white head. The aroma is strange at first, but gradually falls into place. Lime and black pepper greet the nose, followed by paprika. There’s also a fresh Mexican food quality, most closely resembling an avocado, or lettuce or cilantro. As a San Diego resident this all appeals deeply to me, even if I’m confusing beer for food. The flavor is the other mismatched sock, crazy and eccentric, leading with that funky fresh brettanomyces tang, leaving enough room for a wit wheat taste. The aftertaste is far more complex (and long) than the other flavor components, ending with long echo of oak, and a sourness more akin to a Flemish Sour Ale, both mild and sweet, and garnished with a little fresh lemon juice. This is the first of three Crooked Stave beers for the evening, and it tastes like a whipcrack introduction, priming the tongue and salivary glands for more sour to come.
Cool little bottle thanks to Eric. Pours out a hazy straw topped with a fluffy head. Nose is Brett oak barrel some lemon and orange zest. Taste is more of the heavy Brett oak barrel and a nice citrus end.
Bottle at Ølbutikken - thanks to Morten... Clear yellow/golden - white head. Nice fresh citrus. Acidic wheaty. Nice bretty. Light peppery. Clean, crispy and refreshing. Light hoppy. Lovely.
Poured into a perfect pint.
3.25 A: Murky yellow brown color. Two fingers of foamy white head. Retention is below average, but a short ring of lacing is left.
3.75 S: Earthy type brett funkiness. It’s not the dankest of stank, but it’s still quite nice. Rotten woodiness with forest funk. Primarily lemony citrus though orange does show up. Lightly spicy and I’m not sure if I’m picking up coriander or not.
3.5 T: The taste is very woody, which is probably a combination of the fermentation vessel and the brett. Forest funkiness with wildflower herbalness. A light lemony pucker, but I’m not picking up much in terms of orange. Fairly dry with neutral wheat.
3.5 M: Lighter medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Very lightly creamy.
3.25 D: It’s okay for what it is, but it’s hard to beat the standard formula for a witbier. Still, worth a try.
★ 854 characters
DavoleBomb, Jul 19, 2013
Cloudy. Smells sour. Quite tart. Not my kind of thing. Citrus. Thanks strykzone.
Their distinctive 12 ounce bottle I got at the brewery last summer and poured into one of their glasses. Dated 2014 Batch 1. Lots of haze in here. Orange golden with a nice one + finger white head. The first thing I smell is the brett and also lemons and soft malts. The brett is also tasted first and is prominent. Tart citrus fruit. Lemons and oakiness and at times this resembles a funky lemon shandy. Nicely done.
Bottle from a Waterbury Craft Beer Cellar. Thanks Ben. Aroma: awesome Aroma of barnyard from the brett mixed with lemon, orange, maybe some red fruits. App: clear golden with small to minimal white head. Taste and palate: medium body, fizzy carbonation, dry well balanced sour finish that fades away progressively. Overall: wow that is treat for the palate. That went down pretty fast. I wish I had more than one. One thing I would to improve it is a better appearance like a better head and add some lacing.
375ml bottle shared by Brad. Nice citrus tinged sour aroma. The tangelo really comes through. Perfect body, carbonation. Bitingly sour. Lemon, lime, tangelo. Pronounced vinegar sour tones. Pretty enjoyable beverage.
Apperance similar to lemon juice mostly cloudy. No head retention holds however lacing surrounds the glass. This thing has great typical Brett character the aromatics or musty with very strong citrus lemon aromatics. The tart aromatics are not as strong while drinking def not a wit interesting interpretation.
Bottle from Brewfest. Must be from last spring (2014 Batch 5), I’m guessing. Orangy hazy no head. Funky horseballs and tart tropical fruit aroma. Mild fruity sweetness quite tart and farmhouse hay and woody bitterness. Basically flat, not much of a witbeer left. Like a gueuze that didn’t age particularly well. Will have to revisit if I can get it fresh.
Crisp, completely clear amber and copper coloured body with a thinnish, single centimetre tall large-bubbled tan head that fades very fast. Aroma of sour grapes, alcohol, oak, brett, lemons and a bit more pungent yeast notes - nice and mouthwatering, for sure. Light-bodied; Sharp pungent flavour of sour grapes and cherries with a strong kick of citrus and dry oak right afterwards. The sour flavour hits right behind the ears and shows a touch of malt and body on the finish with a little unfinished candy sugar noticeable as well. Overall, a very nicely done beer, however classified wrong on here - this is easily a sour/wild ale instead of a belgian white, but regardless, a solid beer with a nice profile and even better complexity that persists throughout the sample. I sampled this 37,5 cL split bottle purchased from Small Batch Liqours in Denver, Colorado on 08-June-2014 for US$5,99 sampled in celebration of running a marathon today in Maryland on 29-November-2014.
Batch 1: 2014 // Purchased 08-June-2014 // Sampled: 29-November-2014
Bottle at RBSDG at the Dad Pad. Pours a hazed amber with a thin white head. Spicy citrus, soft malt. Funk and a bit of acid. Medium bodied, spicy citrus, tart and bright. Acid and citrus, lingering acid. Acid lingers on the finish. Beautiful.
375ml bottle. Hazy amber with a thin frothy white head. Flavors are dough, tropical fruits, lemon, green apples, oak and citrus peel with earthy and funky notes. Moderate tartness and lactic acidity. Light body, soft carbonation, slick texture.
Pours golden with a light haze and a small white head. The aroma has lots of brett fun, spice, bugginess, lemon, orange and almost a pithiness to it. It has a light / medium crisp body that’s pretty mellow on the carbonation. The flavor starts has lots of bright citrus, funky yeastiness, minor spice, lots of bugs, hints of barrel aging and a big brightness to it. The finish has a dry maltiness, even more tart citrus, buggy spice and is very peppery. The tartness almost has a bit of a gueuze quality. Excellent.
Bottle, big thanks to Jared! Don’t necessarily agree with the classification, but nevermind...awesome beer. Hazy light rust orange, thin white head. Peach, earthy pineapple, sour apple, nice hoppy bitterness, hay, and very lively. Lighter to medium body with zippy carbonation. Very good.
Enjoyed at FWIBF 2014,,, Hazy orange in color... Aroma of citrus, barnyard, grains, funk... Lightly tart, lots of lemon zest, grains, earth... Really nice and refreshing
Bottle. Pours gold with a white head. Floral and dusty funky base, moderate acidity, light lemony and spicy notes, and a nice dry finish. Good stuff.
375ml bottle thanks to adnielsen! Pours cloudy pale orange with small head. Nose is rustic grainy citrus fruit funk, dusty wood, toast, oranges. Taste is crisp fruity mixed citrus, toast, funky orange, clementine, dusty wood, barn. Finish is tart acidic citrus, wood funk, light yeast fruit.
Pour from a bottle is a nice cloudy golden amber with a small white head. Aroma is a little sour but has a few hints of fruit. Taste is nice and sour with a little citrus zing that leaves a dry after taste.
12-ish oz bottle (12.7?). Extremely funky smell, very heavy on the brett. Taste is similarly funky, but mouthfeel is nice and light. Heavy on the citrus, I think. Really nice.
Thanks wchesser! Pours a clear golden orange with thin white head. Smell is somewhat of a strange doughiness with orange citrus splashes and a bit of floral notes. Taste is comes of as light, crisp, touch vinegar, orange, bretty. Palate is a bit thin, but overall this is a lightly tart refreshing beer with not a terrible amount of complexity. One negative would be that this was perhaps a bit better in its prime. Still love trying whatever Crooked Stave can crank out.
Hazy yellow-orange with good, foamy, white head, chunky lacing / Nose of citrus & tropical fruit, brett, cream / Light body, spritzy, watery, good balance and bitterness on finish / Thin flavors of apple, lemon, tangelo, straw, light horse blanket / Fine, but doesn’t live up to the excellent nose.
12 oz. bottle from Wilbur’s. Appearance: finger white head, cloudy straw yellow, light lacing, film of head resides. Aroma: citrus, earthy yeast, grapes, brett, wine, oak, berry on exhale. Palate: light body, light carbonation, tart, dry finish. Taste: light sweet fruit into fruity tartness and even sour. Overall, awesome beer, citrus almost suggests hoppiness but not really any to speak of. Super drinkable and refreshing, unique and delicious.
Bottle from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo.
Pours cloudy golden with a ring of head.
Smells of vinegar, lemon, orange and wheat.
Lots of citrus flavour in the middle and in the finish. Wheaty character. Quite sour.
2014-07-12
Bottle thanks to Chow. Pours a cloudy yellow orange with small off white head that diminishes to nothing. The aroma is strong funk, oak, and citrus. Thin mouthfeel with nice tart citrus, light funk, sour finish. Very impressive.
Bottle last night, pours translucent amber, I was able to keep the yeast in the bottle on this one, thin white head. Lots of citrus in nose, some light must. Taste has a nice sour from beginning to end, lemon, orange zest. Light body, light acid. Made for a good sipping beer last night.
On bottle at Sandar Mikrobryggeri. Golden slightly hazy, some foam. Aromas of Brett , pineapple , some grapefruit & citrus. Medium body & complexity. Solid bitterness, good sourness. Very enjoyable
Great sour citrus Aron’s of lemon tangerine. Musky though, got that horses blanket. Thorough. Appears murky slightly dark gold. Opaque white spotty head. Taste is balanced lemon. Drying on the palate. Maybe slight acidic tangerine. Very tasty.
7/4/13 1st beer drank at the BBQ. Given to me in a trade from Brooklyn guy for some TH Growlers. cloudy copper with little head. Aroma is tart, citrus and funk. Taste follows same profile as the smell
P: Golden haze with bubbles but head forms. S: Dominated by wheat and tangelos I cant really smell anything else. T: Puckery citrus, watermelon, wheat, tangelos and light lacto. M: Thin and a little puckery. O: Really interesting beer, not your regular sour or wit.