Get bent

The wild yeast wizards of Denver are today's subject, with a couple of cans from Crooked Stave.

Can one is the pastel-styled Sour Rosé, a light 4.5%-er, oak-aged and brewed with raspberries and blueberries. No single one of those dominates the flavour. Yes there are berries -- a definite fruity sweetness -- but I'm not sure I would have picked the varieties used. Raspberry is normally very obvious yet here it melds with the mellower blueberry creating something more floral, like lavender or rose petals. There's a properly tart buzz balanced with an almost creamy smoothness, while the oak makes little explicit contribution. I've no doubt it plays a role, however, rounding the whole thing out and bringing an element of spice to the acidity. This may be presented as some kind of girly frivolity but it's every inch a well-thought-out and expertly formulated mixed fermentation beer.

Which sets up St Bretta nicely. This one is subtitled a citrus saison, sub-sub-titled "artisan ale brewed with citrus, lemongrass and coriander". Phew. It's a slightly hazy gold and smells like a typically fruity and spicy saison. Balance is again the watchword when it comes to tasting. A tight lemony bitterness is first, then gummy peachy Brett notes. Sourness isn't advertised but there's a definite bite there on the end. Despite the convoluted recipe and higher strength (5.2%) this isn't as complex as the other one. It's still very enjoyable though, if not madly Bretty.

Lovely flavours aside, I'm particularly pleased that these two (and the Wild Sage one) come in cost-effective cans rather than lambic-style half-champagne bottle at twice the price. Accessible, high-grade, mixed fermentation beers is a genre I'm very much here for.