Buxton, Tsar Bomba III

This bottle was a finely judged birthday gift from my brother (currently living in Australia) - he'd had it before (at up the brewery itself) and had good things to say about it. It's a rather expensive bottle as I understand it, largely due, I suppose, to the complex aging process (see here). Unfortunately, my last stout with Brettanomyces didn't work out too well - and so I admit I was nervous about this one.

I was due to leave it down for a year or two (potentially to share with my bro on his return from Oz) but I was stuck for a night cap one night and then noticed that it said "drink fresh" on the bottle. Now, my knowledge of beers brewed with wild yeast strains is limited at best, but I understood that some of those sours can age in their bottles longer than stouts? This was bottled August 2013, so it was the best part of 2 years in the bottle already - hardly "fresh".

Plasters and germolene nose, bit of that pink dentist's mouthwash (nothing at all like a normal impy nose). Some of that in the up front taste, some woodchips. The brett (I think) was there mid-palate: sweaty. Then stout characteristics towards the end: touch of mint, liquorice, chocolate, soggy bark. Bitter choc finish. This drink made me realise that I am still a long way from fully appreciating soured beers but overall, I enjoyed drinking it. I wonder how this would compare to Burning Sky's Monolith (as I understand it: a dark sour rather than a soured dark.)

Thanks Kon for this!