Crooked Stave St. Bretta (Winter)
Dark artisan ale brewed with citrus and fermented in oak foeders. 100% brettanomyces. Citrus wildbier.
3.7
159 reviews
Denver, United States
Community reviews
Back of the bottle dated: 2014; batch 6.
This was poured into a tulip.
The appearance was a dark brown to almost black color with a one finger white to off white foamy head that immediately dissipated. There wasn’t any lacing.
The smell started off with a bitter to tart to sour citrus. Peel to pulp-like goodness slides in nicely. Slight roasty coffee tries to show its face, but really stays subtle.
The taste rails the bitter/tart/sour citrus and really wants to bring in the roastiness of the coffee, but, ya know, it stays really subtle. There is a mostly sour citrus rind-like aftertaste running into a subtle sticky sour finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with a nice sipping quality about it. Carbonation is quite low key on this one, playing up the sour citrus to be the hammer on the palate, is it? Eh, somewhat.
Overall, good for what it is, I’d most likely have again, if anything it aged nicely until now.
Bottled@PBF X. Deep black/amber colour with small off-white head. Aroma is wooden, some floral and citrusy notes with mild sourness to it. Flavour is very similar, but has a rather strong hoppy take to it. Nice tartness level.
Pours mahogany into a tulip. Tan head with little retention recedes to hug rim. Cocoa and pit fruit aromas. Soft with sour cherry, lemon and earthy funk turning to mild pit fruit before the dry, lasting cocoa finish.
Bottle, as pictured. Dark pour, tan head. Surprising flavor, actually very deep with a little bit of roast malt flavor up front, I got some chocolate in it. Fades quickly into a tart brett funk. One of the smoother brett beers I’ve had. Lovely.
375ml bottle @PBF X. 2014 batch 5. Thanks Jan for bringing this one! Tart, vinegary with green apples in aroma. Slight milky sourness, mild vinegary notes, citrusy, lemony tartness. Mouthdrying. Refreshing, really tasty.
Bottled at Petalax Beer Festival. Dark brown, small head. Lemony cherry aroma. Acetic with medium-full body and rounded mouthfeel. Vinegar, wood and blood. Puckering sour lemon juice, some hay and caramel. Vinegary finish.
Pours brown with a thin white head, fading quickly into nothing. Dark fruits and toasted aromas with hints of citrus. Thin body, sharp acidity, nutty flavors with a citrus finish. A bit unbalanced, still enjoyable dark sour.
4/15/15. 375mL bottle thanks to rdixon77, I believe. Dark amber red pour with a nice khaki head, good lacing. Nice aroma, tart, oak, vanilla, cherry, light nuttiness and toasted caramel. Good flavor, nice tartness, dark cherry, hints at balsamic, oak, vanilla, caramel. Yum.
Bottle 375ml.
Pours brown with low off-white head. Some lacing. Aroma is of spices, fruits. Taste is of fruits, citrus. Palate: Light body. Light carbonation. Overall: Nice sourness. Just a tad straight-forward.
375ml bottle from Hill Farmstead, listed as 6.8%. Dark mahogany with a light tan head that completely fades. Light tannin, mix of lemon and lime rind, malty, acidic, some brett, sour plum and cherry, mild carbonation and moderate body, sour and dry on the finish.
Bottle (375 ml). From Alexandre, thanks! Split with the Québec crew.
Appearance: Dark amber with a small ring of off-white foam and little to no lacing.
Aroma: Citrus, chocolatey notes, brettanomyces, moderate spiciness and red fruits.
Taste: Medium acidic presence, citrus, chocolatey notes, moderate spiciness, oak and roasted malts.
Palate: Medium body. Moderate carbonation. Citrusy finish.
Overall: Not the most cohesive mix and another strike for the the dark sour category (some examples are pretty good, but they are definitely a minority), but it’s not all bad. It’s rather tasty and quite drinkable for what it is. Still, Crooked Stave can do better.
Pours a dark brown with a small white head that leaves nice lacing. Nose is of roasted, toasted grains. Taste is of roasted malt and not too tasty overall. Some light grapes, maybe? Moderately acidic. Body is medium and carbonation medium. Overall this was drinkable and kind of refreshing but this didn’t feel special at all.
pours hazy light brown, burnt orange, with a nice very light beige cap, some retention and lacing. minty citrus, gently roasted grains, red fruitiness - tart cranberries, pepper, dry molasses, few powdery chocolatey notes, light-medium acidity, spices. light carbonation, light body, tart spicy-citrusy medium long finish. interesting and tasty citrus barrel-aged variant.
Bottle shared. Clear deep copper pour with white head. Aroma is fruity, light chocolate notes, light winey aromas, fruit peels. Taste is tannic, quite winey, dark chocolate, sour cherry, acetic acid, quite sour. Palate is med light bodied, dry with light mineral carbonation. Good.
Thanks going to Willrun forbeer on this share. Batch 6 dated 2014 on the back label. Very dark Amber/ dirty borwn color. Aroma is a mixture of citrus, earthy malt and funked yeast. Center has a tannic note. Flavor shows the citrus upfront with the oak and tartness in the finish. Pretty good and nice for me to try.
375mL bottle picked up at Hunger Mountain. Batch 6, 2014. Pours dark brown with a few off white bubbles. Aroma is honey, a very pleasant Brett funk. Flavor is dry, lemon, carambola, a touch of pepper, oak. Nice.
Poured from bottle batch 6 2014 thanks Willrunforbeer cola color with a quickly fading head. Aromas of citrus funk oak and spice. Taste is tart slightly sour with notes of funk and yeast and grapes.
12 ounce bottle I bought in at the brewery. Deep dark brown with some beige foam. Brett and berries in the aroma. A wild funky bretty flavor. Some cherry and other berries are tasted. A bit of vinegar and tart effects. It is quite acidic. Brett dominates and all else is very much secondary. Call it bretty Sweet Tarts in a bottle.
Clear cola brown with a quickly fading head. Strong lime and lemon nose with spicy and fruity brett undercurrents. Wild, but not exageratedly barnyardy. Citrus is a dominant player in that one. Fortunately, it’s a flavor I love, but it’s dominant enough that in a blind tasting, I would never have guessed the beer was dark. Seeing its color and smelling hard, I can imagine soft nutty tones, what a fool do I make. Dry and vinous, developing a slight tropical juice profile along with grapey vinousness. the woodsy profile remains soft, with limited tannin presence. Fairly high acidity, mostly frmo the citrus. Little to no vinegar. Funny how this was the winter seasonal of the series, it’s citric/acidic profile hides the alcohol which could have warmed one up and instead refreshes to the max. I guess one can be thirsty in winter months too. Good, but at this price level and for a tilting rather than balanced flavor profile I would not want to revisit very regularly, it’s a great box to check, but not a new favorite.
Nose is vinegar, cherry. Flavor is same plus buttery new oak, strong acidity, berry skins.
Bottle. Dark brown pour with tan head. Citrus, wine, oak and sour funky aromas. Sour cherry, citrus, Brett, light wine/ oak sour tones.
Another nice Crooked Stave. Mahogany cola colored. Orange peel, oak, cherry, spices in the aroma. Taste was a nicely balanced citrus, Brett, tart, vinegar, with a dry finish. A tad thin for what I would of liked but still good stuff.
Even for the most adventurous palates, wile ales can be challenging. Sometimes, the distinctive sourness associated with these beers can be damn near punishing. Enter the winter variant of St. Bretta. Shit’s like candy. The dark color and impressive aromas of Brett and oak might convince you that this is an insanely funky ale. Well, it is, but the flavors are just plain sweet. Basically, if Sweet Tarts, Smarties, and Grape Kool-Aid had a bareback threesome, this ale would be the resulting bastard offspring. For some, the lack of sourness might be a caveat. As for me, my only real issue with St. Bretta (Winter) is that it’s too damn easy to drink.
Bottle.
A- Sweet tarts, grapes, funky, sour, spices.
A- Dark color, dark liquid, beige head.
T- Funky, sour, sweet tarts, grapes, citrus.
P- Medium body, average texture, medium carbonation, sweet fruity finish.
O- Bought this on accident thinking it was a Belgian White. Didn’t realize the St. Bretta Summer and Spring were the Wits and the Autumn and Winter were sours. This was alright. The finish was huge on grape notes. Almost like kool aid or sweet tart candies. Balanced and not too funky or sour.
Pours a cloudy murky brown color with off-white head. Funk, tartness, citrus, and oak on the nose; follows onto the palate. Some dark fruits emerge on the finsish, but ultimately ends tart and dry.
Bottle purchased at Gomer’s on State Line in Kansas City, Missouri. 2014 batch 6. The pour is a murky brown orange with not much of a light tan head. The aroma is a Brett infused Flanders. The taste is dark cherry fruit, vinegar, darker malts and funky Brett in the finish. Brett character is stronger as the beer warms. The Brett is funky and oily. The palate is medium bodied, soft carbonation and the oily finish. Interesting beer, not sure if its my sort of thing, but fun and tasty.
Batch #6, with satsuma mandarins. Very lightly clouded reddish-mahogany, light tan head. Citrus acidity really shines through, good bit of barnyard funkiness. Quite a bit of tangy sourness, odd for a 100% brett fermentation but probably attributable to the mandarins. Medium body, heavy amount of acidity, lighter carbonation, some chewiness. Coats the mouth a bit. Really nice.
Tap at Crooked.Stave - dark amber - aroma is lightly lactic, light.nutty maltiness, light cranberry - flavor is one-dimensional acidity and.sourness - tastes and malic and perhaps some light.acetic acid - some floral and herbal.character late, along with some cranberry - finish has that tongue-curling bitter oak I get in so many CS beers - not for me.
Tap @ Crooked Stave, Denver RiNo.
Pours a dark brown/black, with a brown head.
Roasted, funky aroma, coffee, yeast, chocolate, orange peel.
Dry, medium body and bitterness, balanced CO2.
Roasted, funky, sour taste, chocolate, coffee, orange peel, ash.
Complex, very well balanced. (2014-04-05)
Different from the other St. Brettas I’ve tried, and not in a way I like. A really citrus heavy, acidic dark sour. I’m not madly in love with American dark sours, and this one is better than most but still not great.