Tart of Darkness
(has 2 batches)

75cl bottle, thanks Sean for hauling this from PA to Belgium. Brune foncée, opaque, col léger beige laissant un filament huileux transparent/doré au verre. Arôme présente un beau bouquet malté grillé, le tout présente bouquet de cola, entre fruité noir et aigreur sur un profile boisé/épicé. Palais donne de suite le ton, aigreur et brett partout qui en mettent plein la bouche. Cette aigreur s’accompagne qui reste omniprésente durant tout la dégustation s’accompagne de notes maltées grillées, caramel et chocolat le tout suivi de note de barrique. L’aigreur se retrouve dans ce profile fruité noir et de ce mûrissement en barrique de chêne. Le résultat est un profile de bouche très effervescence/aigre qui risque de mettre un palais non-initié à rude épreuve. Une approche intéressante qui allie une aigreur très prenante avec ce profile plus malté/stout tout en restant très léger.

Bottle 750ml.Light unclear dark brown colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, berry. tart, wood. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate acidic with a long duration, tart, berry, wood - oak. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20120616]

Acquired in a trade. Enjoyed at 60F in a snifter. Thanks Eric. This is the non-provisions label.

A - Pours a tan amber brown out of the bottle. In the glass, it’s pitch black. No head was formed at all. No lacing on the swish.

S - Very funky on the nose. Tart cherries, oak and raspberries. Hint of vinegar.

T - Very interesting. Sort of a roasty taste at the finish. Very much a flanders style flavor profile but perhaps too much acidity and vinegar for my liking. It does lack balance but the stout characteristics are a nice change from what I usually get in tart wild beers.

M - Solid carbonation on the mouth swish. Light body.

O - The best way to describe this is unique. It’s one of the most unique beers I’ve ever had but the vinegar makes it hard to give it higher than a 4.

Pours dark brown color with tan head. Aromas of vinegar and sour cherries with hints of roasted. Sour vinegar and tart cherries dominate the flavors with a very slight taste of roasted malt and chocolate. Kind of a weird mix of flavors but it works well. Medium body with moderate carbonation.

Bottle thanks to the Boise crew. Pours a dark brown color with a medium tan head. A rich sour nose with roast and char. The flavor is quite nice: a big stout with roast, chocolates and a dominant tart cherry and barrel. Nice. A bit like a smaller Root Cellar.

Sour cherry and oak nose. Clear mahogany, thick tan head. Sour cherry flavor, but unusually oaky. Finishes with a faint whisper of soot. The wood really comes through nicely in this one, and with no extraneous spirits, just oak. I like that. The unbarreled liquid is fairly simple though, not a lot of nuance. I was really hoping for something with a greater roasted malt presence.

Bottle @ home, picked up @ Wilbur’s Foco. Pours a deep brown/black appearance with a bubbly, brown head. Tart, cherry/berry, fairly oaky, rich tannin aroma. Juicy cran-raspberry, vanilla, leather, oak, very tart berry, mildly roasty chocolate flavor with a slightly vinous, tangy berry finish. Comes off really as sour grape/berry juice to me. Not one of my favorites but not bad either.