5/8/2013 Crooked Stave

For the next stop on the beer tour, Shirey and I decided to try a spot that I've been excited to visit ever since we started - Crooked Stave.

From my limited access to the Denver Beer scene Crooked Stave definitely seemed to be garnering a lot of respect for the brews they're creating.  Started waaay back in 2010, this artisan brewery grew from a master's dissertation about Brettanomyces yeast.  Bretta-waaa?  

Apparently the Brettanomyces yeast (heretofore referred to as Brett) is a strain found on the surfaces to certain types of fruit and has been used for years in wine-making to alter the palette of various wines.  However, Brett isn't often used in beer brewing as many consider it to create "off" flavors.  But, certain types of beer - namely some traditional Belgian ales -  benefit from these flavors. Lambic, gueuze, wild-yeast saison and farmhouse ales all owe their flavor profiles to Brett.

So what does this mean for Shirey and I?  That Crooked Stave is brewing some of my favorite types of beers based around some serious science.  I was uber pumped to finally give this brewery a try.

Crooked Stave is small - located just NW of downtown Denver in a small office park.

That small sign is about all you get to help you find the place.

The inside is pretty small, one of the smallest tap-rooms we've been to.  

There were a few people there to sample Crooked Stave's offerings.

Shirey was excited.

I was just ready for some beer.

The flight!  During our visit they had 5 beers on tap (from left to right):

 Vielle Saison

 Apple Whiskey Vielle Saison

 Surette

St. Bretta

 Hop Savant

Winners

Hop Savant - Shirey's favorite.  It was tart and sweet at the same time, and had a tiny hint of what we finally determined to be pineapple.

St. Bretta - My favorite.  Light and refreshing, a little bit tart.  Also had an earthy smell.

Losers

None!  

Overall

Similarly to DeSteeg, Crooked Stave had a small offering, but what they had was delicious.  Both versions of the Vielle Saison were excellent - especially the regular Vielle.  The apple whiskey version was interesting; a little stronger flavor with some extra flavors - most notably caramel.  Smooth, but not quite as good as the main version.  

Crooked Stave is small but cool spot to go drink some very interesting and less common types of beer.  It's doesn't have the space or the vibe of a Denver Beer Co. or Renegade, but I don't think that's their goal.

All in all we give Crooked Stave an introspective stare into the sky.