Style: Sour Stout

ABV: 8.2

91/100

Aroma:	12
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	17
Mouthfeel:	4

Jester King Craft Brewery Funk Metal

What the brewers say

“Unfiltered, unpasteurized, naturally conditioned, imperial stout fermented with farmhouse yeast, aged for months in oak barrels with wild yeast and souring bacteria, then blended with other barrel-aged beer.”

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Chocolate and tartness battle for dominance, with a slight edge to tartness. Nice roasted malt notes. Some sweet and tart lactic acidity. Some cocoa and coffee. Acetic and cherry, wild Brett aromas.”

Flavor: “Semisweet and dark chocolate notes quickly overtaken by a tart acidity. Nice sweet malt character with some good roasty toast notes from the malt. Lactic lemon-like acidic flavor adds sweet and sour notes and complexity. Some funky earthy wood quality adds to the scope of the beer. Dry throughout due to bugs chewing through anything that makes a stout thick and rich.”

Overall: “Great sour stout that has a surprising amount of chocolate flavor to pair with the tartness and acidity. The malty sweetness, chocolate, and roast blend great with the funky, earthy, lactic, and lemon sourness, but this will be a polarizing beer.”

What our editors thought

Review printed in: The Dark Side (Winter 2014) (View All Issues)

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The Bruery Tart of Darkness

**Aroma:** “Acetic acid and lactic acid, with vinegar notes and a bit of funk. Not much malt character to overcome the tartness/acidity. Nice funky earthy character—a little woodsy. Some roast and toasty notes add some body to the nose. Brett and lactic, acetic, cherry, raspberry, and herbal.” **Flavor:** “Lots of tartness and acidity, both lactic and acetic, with just a bit of Brett-like funk and notes of white bread. Not much caramel or chocolate malt flavor or character. Stout roast character is washed away by the obvious mixed bug sour. Tannic wood character is beautifully balanced with the cherry fruit flavors.” **Overall:** “The sour profile overwhelms the stout base characteristics, making it hard to perceive roasted malt and chocolate notes. Tasty beer—if you like a tart, lactic, lemony beer, this is very enjoyable. Is it a stout? No. It’s a dark and sour and barrel-aged beer, and delightful.”

Jester King Brewery Black Metal

**Aroma:** “Roast malt and dark chocolate earthy background notes provide complexity. Some spicy hops presence. Nice fruity esters with hints of fig and raisin.” **Flavor:** “Rich and smooth with lots of chocolate and roast barley and a bit of welcome coffee roast. Hops bitterness is assertive but not overwhelming. Alcohol is readily apparent.” **Overall:** “Earthy complexity nicely accentuates this big stout. The base stout is well crafted with earthy notes that dart about, tantalizing you to follow. This is a farmhouse meal in a glass. Pair with something hearty and salty.”

Bruery Terreux Frucht Boysenberry

__Aroma:__ “Fruit character is both tart and sweet. Floral. Moderate lactic acidity blends with the fruit and maybe just a touch of *Pedio*. Sweet berry aroma.” __Flavor:__ “Puckering sour with strawberry, boysenberry, and blackberry in a light body. Some hops bitterness. As it warms, the berries come out. The sweet dark berry start flows into a semidry tart finish. Hint of tannins add some complexity. Nice balance.” __Overall:__ “Crisp, fruity beer with enough sour to make your lips pucker. Get ready to kiss your mate. Great color. Nice blend of sweet and tart. This is a slow sipper. The fruit adds a nice complexity and sweetness to round the beer out a bit.”

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