On tap at Sedona. Pours black, thin. Aroma of raisin and sweat. Flavor is sour grapes, vinegar, burnt cookies, lemon peel, lemon juice. Very very interesting. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

A dark brown stout with a thin mocha head. In aroma, sweet chocolate malt with light Brett, light lactic notes, light vanilla extract and licorice, pleasing. In mouth, a tart intense lemon juice with light chocolate notes, light Brett, very intense. On tap at Placentia location.

(bottle) clear, bright, dark brown colour with no head; aroma starts with woody red wine; then cherries, dried fruit; sour flavour with a long, strong sour finish

Bruery’s sour stout, 2014 vintage, from before the Terreux label. Coarse, irregular, pale greyish beige, loose head quickly reduced to a wafer-thin rim around the edge of the glass and in the end vanishing altogether; very dark mahogany brown colour with ochre hue and lively fizz, blackish in general appearance, but still largely translucent, more so than an average stout of whatever substyle. Pungent, attractive aroma of red wine vinegar, blackberry, wet wood (even ’old furniture’), wet leather, nut shells gathered from a damp forest floor, overripe sour cherry, toasted bread, subtle vanilla-like oak tannins, some vague caramel, elderberry, crabapple poached in dry red wine, vague balsamico, moldy lemon peel, hint of varnish-like solvents and something very subtly ashy - in all, much more sour (even hinting at Flemish red in certain ways) than stout. Sour onset, puckering even, teeming with sour fruits: unripe blue plum, blackberry, sour cherry, even lemon juice - a crisp lemony acidity which dries the corners of the mouth immediately. Sweetness is limited to an absolute minimum and so is dried mushroom-like umami. Carbonation is spritzy at first but unsurprisingly calms down as the consumption of the bottle progresses. A more ’sedate’ lactic tartness shows up as well, but it is the sharper lemony acidity which keeps burning its way throught the palate, over a slightly oily, caramelly malt body providing a hint of faint background sweetishness; all the way at the back, a very vague chocolate touch reminds you of the fact that this was once a stout. The finish also adds lovely drying wood character, including retronasal oak tannins, pairing well with the aromas of sour berries, unripe stonefruit and wry grape peel. The fruit tartness and lemon sourness completely dry the throat after swallowing, leaving behind a burn best compared to balsamic vinegar; hops are nowhere to be seen and play only a virtual, purely structural role, as is the case in most sour beers (and certainly the traditional ones). Well, this is quite interesting... The sourness is all around and distracts a bit from underlying qualities, but if you are into sour beers, this surely is a must try. Like last year’s Zwanze by Cantillon, however, I get the feeling that the attempt to create a sour stout lands somewhere in the middle between both, effectively resulting in something much closer to a Flemish red / ’oud bruin’ (a very dry and sour one in this case, admittedly). I was hoping for a bit more stout character, a thicker ’black’ maltiness or even an ashy, roasted effect like in e.g. To Ol’s Sur Maelk or even 3 Fonteinen’s Zwet.be, but once I got over this expectation, I certainly enjoyed this beer. Bone dry, very sour indeed, but at the same time a complex beer thanks to the wood ageing. Classic, but not very suitable for those who are not so much in love with sour beer styles as I am, I’m afraid...

1 pint 9.4 fl oz bottle. The Bruery 2013 Edition. Pours a black-brown colour with a reddish tinge and tan foam head that diminishes. Aroma of sour plum, woody oak, vanilla, soya sauce, funk. Taste is tart dark fruity plum, berries, cherry, sour and sweet, funky, balsamic vinegar notes, with woody oak & vanilla, spice and some drying tannins. Slick mouthfeel, medium bodied, soft carbonation, sour oaky earthy finish. Very drinkable.

2014 Version poured into a teku showing dark black center and transparent coffee rims with sparse quickly fading latte foam. The nose shows a mix of brett, vanilla, with brett taking more on the first impression and more towards the oak and vanilla upon warming up. The palate is moderately carbonated and surprisingly light bodied. The first impression shows a shrewd Italian wine-like vanilla flavor with a strong tartness. Flavors of light plums and cassis reminiscent of a full bodied wine. The tartness combines with the vanilla for a slight adzuki sweetness that stays from the mid-palate towards the finish. Very slightly astringent and tannic, just enough to keep it pleasant. A cross between a wine and a sour beer. Although probably deserving of a higher score, I found it a bit too light bodied for a stout (bordering on a porter) and lacking any smooth carbonation to make up for it.

Draft @ Bruery. Aroma of sour oak, ripe fruit and vanilla. Taste of sour vanilla, cherry, vinous oak, tart and with a long tasty finish. Very good.