Crooked Stave Nightmare on Brett

Tasting Notes

Nightmare on Brett is a barrel-aged wild ale built around Brett character, meaning you'll find pronounced funky, barnyard, and leather notes on the nose alongside darker fruit — think dried cherry, plum, and fig. On the palate it's layered, with oak tannins, a restrained tartness, and the earthy, slightly musty depth that Brettanomyces yeast produces at full expression. The body is medium to full given the unusually high ABV for the style at 9.5%, and the finish is long and drying with lingering funk and fruit. There's more complexity than outright sourness here.

About the Brewery

Crooked Stave is a Denver, Colorado brewery founded by Chad Yakobson, whose master's thesis on Brettanomyces fermentation became something of a foundational document in American wild ale production. The brewery specializes almost entirely in wild and sour ales, with a particular focus on Brett-driven beers and barrel aging. They're widely regarded as one of the most technically serious producers of wild ales in the country, and their Cellar Series releases draw significant attention from sour beer enthusiasts.

Food Pairings

The funk and dried-fruit complexity here pairs well with aged hard cheeses like Manchego or Comté, where the brett earthiness mirrors the cheese's crystalline, savory depth. A charcuterie board with cured meats such as saucisson sec or bresaola works because the salt and fat soften the beer's tannins. Braised lamb or duck confit hold up to the beer's weight and complement the dark fruit notes. For something more unexpected, dark chocolate with high cacao content echoes the beer's bitter, roasted edge without fighting the funk.

Style Guide

American Wild Ale is a broad, loosely defined category that covers beers fermented or conditioned with wild yeast strains — primarily Brettanomyces — and sometimes souring bacteria like Lactobacillus or Pediococcus. The style originated as American craft brewers began experimenting with Belgian and Lambic techniques, but without the strict geographic conventions of those traditions, leaving room for significant variation in sourness, funk intensity, and base malt character. What distinguishes it from Belgian Lambic is the absence of spontaneous fermentation requirements and the intentional, controlled use of wild cultures. ABV can range widely, and barrel aging is common, adding oak, vanilla, or spirit notes depending on the vessel.