Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales

Microbrewery in Denver, Colorado, United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Out of business

Established in 2014

Out of business

Contact
1290 S Broadway A51, Denver, CO, 80210, United States
Description
Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales is the passion project of James Howat, owner, brewer, and blender; of what was formerly Former Future Brewing Company. The brewery began production in January 2014 and won two bronze medals and one silver medal for their coolship ales (Category: Experimental, Subcategory: Wild Ales) at The Great American Beer Festival in 2014, 2015, and 2017. In 2016, Black Project expanded production with a small addition to the property which allowed for the expansion of their barrel program. This allowed the brewery to evolve from Former Future Brewing Company to only serving Black Project beers.

Every Black Project beer is fermented with microbes captured from the local environment via a coolship or foraged from nature. We believe this creates a beer that is unrivaled in complexity. Our beers are intended to have a sense of place, or terroir. No matter how hard one tried to, our beer cannot be replicated outside of our brewery. In fact, our microbe cultures are purposefully allowed to evolve from batch to batch, creating variations and interesting twists from different releases of the same beer.

We are meticulous about designing recipes and processes that will allow nature to take over and create beers unrivaled in their beauty and complexity. Through experimentation and research, we are continuously developing new and different techniques for use with wild and spontaneous fermentation.

We are not and do not have any intention of being a Lambic brewery. We use science and experimentation to find which processes and ingredients we want and often use that in parallel to traditional Lambic producers, however, we maintain no strict adherence to tradition for tradition's sake. While we do craft several of our beers with strict adherence to traditional Belgian processes, these beers are not and should not be called "Lambic" and "Gueuze," as we are outside of the Pajottenland region of Belgium. Instead they themselves are a form of experimentation with local terroir. Spontaneous fermentation is merely a starting point and core of many of our beers, from there our research and development extends much beyond the scope of the great Belgian brewers and blenders.

We hope you enjoy our beers

James Howat
Founder | Brewer | Blender

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7.3
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

B1 (I presume, by the text on the side) bottled 09-09-2016. Personally bought at the brewery on a Maine visit, brought back and cellared eversince. Finally opened it late June 2025. Opens with quite some force behind it. not at all a gusher though. Pours a lot of white, medium low stable white head. clear, slightly darker blonde beneath. Scent of AMLAM fills the room - a lot of wood, harsh tartness, yellow fruityness. up close some vanilla and a lot of Brett - orval style brett almost, very barnyard. Taste is harsh on the acidity, quite a bit of acetic as well. Bit of a burning acidity in the troath. Lactic. milder on the yellow fruits, but even more expressive on the brett than the aroma. High carbonation. Decent Amlam, but even in that 'category' not a great offering.

Tried on 23 Jun 2025 at 18:18


8

Sour fruity with notes of peach and grapefruit, very tart, medium body, yeasty touch, lingering fruity tart close.

Tried from Bottle on 26 Mar 2025 at 11:37


7.6
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 6.5

Can shared at Csakajó. Pours a reddish orange pour with white head. Nose is moderately tart and funky with hints of blackberry. Taste is moderate jammy fruits, but it's kinda subdued to the mixed fermentation: there's some funk, lactic and acetic acids. Closes with a tart, slightly fruity and funky finish, it has light body and soft to average carbonation. Decent.

Tried from Can on 17 Mar 2025 at 12:20


7.4
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Hori blind tasting at Hopa. Opaque golden pour with a thin white head. Nose is intense citric notes, grapefruit, lime zest and tanagerine with a hint of passionfruit. Tart, lactic. Taste is also zesty and citric, there's also a hint of green hops and passion fruit. Moderately tart. Closes with a tart ,citric finish, has a light to medium body and soft to average cabonation.

Tried on 17 Mar 2025 at 12:18


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Sample at Haandfest 2019. Unclear orange body with a small white head. Aroma has acidic raspberries. Flavor is tart and acidic fruity with raspberries, cherries, citric fruit and slightly mineral. Medium body and acidic aftertaste with the same fruit as main flavor. Refreshing but a bit one-dimensional.

Tried on 13 Mar 2025 at 05:35


7.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Sample at Haandfest 2019. Unclear slightly reddish, golden orange body body with a small white head. Aroma is fresh fruity, complex with red berries, fruit, acid and pale malt. Flavor is also quite complex with a lots of mixed flavors from various fruit and berries, cherry, raspberry, peach, pineapple at least. Makes a lovely combination of sweet and sour fruit with refreshing acidity, balanced body and tart finish. Nice one.

Tried on 13 Mar 2025 at 05:35


7.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Sample @ Haandfest 2019. Unclear deep, reddish body with a small, long lasting white head. Aroma is medium strong fruity and vinous with red berries, acid fruit, grapes, wood and some vinegar. Flavor is acidic fruity, tart, red berries, grapes, wood and funky. Nice and very refreshing on the fruity side.

Tried on 13 Mar 2025 at 05:27


7.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Can from De Bierkoning, Amsterdam. Puckering sourness with lots of citrus, lemon, tangerine. Light funk, bit acidic in its sourness. Refreshing, fruity, citrus, lacks some complexity but this is good.

Tried from Can on 24 Jan 2025 at 22:28


5.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

04.11.2024, 0,75l bottle @ home:
Nice fizzy-creamy mediumlasting head, hazy orangy color. Aroma is dry sour-ish fruity, oak, fruit stones, bark, unripe stone fruits, mild vinegar, paper, grass, leafs, hints of sulfur. Taste is dry sour-ish fruity, berry skin, citrus acid, fruit stones, unripe stone fruits, mild vinegar, bark, grass, oak, paper. Medium bitterness, slightly harsh sour-ish fruity mouthfeel. Fair enough, a bit too much in the stomach acid direction...

Tried from Bottle on 04 Nov 2024 at 21:11


8

Tried from Bottle on 08 Jun 2024 at 19:18