Crooked Stave, St. Bretta Autumn

I feel like American Wild Ales (AWAs apparently) are a bit of a can of worms - there are alot more of them (it seems) than there are of the Belgian equivalents and given that the majority of the rating sites are populated by Americans, the hype levels for Casey's, Side Project's and Hill Farmstead's beers are pretty feverish, sometimes bordering on the hysterical. (That DDB guy is probably to blame too.)

Crooked Stave are in the anti-kettle souring camp and by staying close to the lambic brewing ethos, their bottles are valued at more than controlled sour brews (i.e. £10 for a 355ml bottle).

How do they hold up to their Belgian inspirations? I hope I have the pleasure to find out with more AWAs. I'd imagine most US sour/wild brewers would be the first to admit that their offerings mightn't quite reach the same depths as some of the older Belgian breweries, but who's to say how that might change in a generation or two? The consolidation/maturation of US house yeasts perhaps remains a work in progress.

This AWA from Crooked Stave was, I think, my first experience with native American yeasts. A good beer. Blossomed when it reached room temperature, funky cheese/citrus nose. Sharp tang to mild sour citrus taste, minimal barnyard/funk. Dry finish. No overt presence of hops or oak in this for me unfortunately, but I enjoyed it and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to try it again. (Although I'd have to be pretty flush to warrant spending the above mentioned price when I could get 750ml of a Cantillon gueuze for the same or less.)

Burning Sky, Saison à la Provision

I've had most of the season-named saisons from Burning Sky as well as their pales and IPAs. Whilst awaiting their Cuvée (Saison à la Provision blended with imported Girardin lambic I believe?), this, their 'standard' (un-seasonal) saison is the only beer I've had from them that ostensibly encapsulates the blurb on their website about ageing, foudres and blending on their site. I missed the Flanders Red (not my style tbh) and unfortunately there were some carbonation issues with the vatted porter. I'm kind of anticiapting (and I'd really be excited about) a UK lambic or g(u)euze from them. I hope it's due soon....?

This saison is certainly great although I drank my second one with a bit of a cold. Some hop and sweat (feet) on the nose. Sweet to taste, yeasty. Possibly some mild brett. Sourness not in evidence (I drank this after a gueuze). Bitter finish with slight alcohol. I will go back to this beer, but it is expensive. 750ml would be nice. (I missed the Anniversaire edition of this. Bah.) I have a soft spot for this brewery, even if, on balance, their output hasn't been as consistent as some others. The wallonian/sennian rhetoric and imagery on the site makes alot of sense when transposed to the South Downs and I'm eagerly awaiting (what I hope will be - I hope I haven't got this wrong!) the first, finished results of their ageing of some locally spontaneously fermented beers.

Partizan, Christmas Stout

My one and only Christmas beer this one from Partizan, a barrel aged strong stout with brettanomyces. My wittily succinct untappd description was "mulled wine and marmite", to which I can't add too much more I'm afraid: burgundy pour, ribena nose (with a marmite edge), taste was spicy mulled wine with a pretty sour edge to it. Minor contribution from the stout only (minimal burnt malts and tar). I kind of knew what I was getting into with this one but nonetheless couldn't really enjoy it for what it was. To make matters worse, I'd caught a particularly nasty bug at some point during the day (visit to The Unicorn for a kid's production probably did it) and I saw the contents of the bottle once more at about 5am, so my memories of this drink are almost certainly tainted somewhat. Think I'll drink my bretts in their more traditional beer-homes in the future.