I find sour beers to be quite compelling. The first one I tried about four months ago La FOlie from New Belgium, a very sour beer. Probably too much so, but interestingly, like lost of sour things it kind of gets in your mouth and you crave more. I liked it, but not something I would drink too often.
Last night, however, I had a Deschutttes Dissident which was really wonderful. A nicely sour beer, but not too much, with just a hint of sweetness to counteract the sourness. I recommend this for those who have not really had a sour beer before as one to try.
Not much experience with them but the last one I tried failed to impress me to say the least. To put it bluntly, whatever horse it came from must be ill. Get it to the vet’s office today.
Love them. They’re very refreshing and I consume them mostly in the summer. One of my favorites is the Hannsens Oude Gueuze. It’s among the sourest, funkiest beers I’ve ever tasted, so if you’re into the sour stuff, that’s close to end of the sour side of the spectrum.
Something a little bit more “balanced” to try is the Ommengang Rouge Grand Cru. Also, it might be worth your while to seek out some Berliner Weissbiers. They’re a bit more difficult to find, but it will give you another take on wild yeast (or innoculated) brewing other than the Belgian styles.
ETA: Oh, and generally Oud Bruins are good for a balance of sour and sweet, fruity flavors. They’re not quite as tart as Flemish reds. Goudenband’s Oud Bruin is a good place to start and should be reasonably easy to find.
I had Lindemans Peche Lambic the other day. I’m not sure if it’s considered a sour beer. It definitely has a little bit of sourness to it. It was very good but a little too sweet to drink a lot of.
Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Red Ale is really good too. I couldn’t find it last time I looked though. Again, not some crazy level of sour like a warhead but you can still taste it. Vinegary too. I like this one a lot. It’s fun and easy to drink.
Duchess is definitely in my top ten, and we’re lucky enough to have a place that almost always has it on tap nearby. I like it in bottle, but it goes without saying that it’s incredibly delicious fresh off the tap.
And our local brewpub just nails sours. Temptation, Supplication, Beatification, Compunction, and a few others from Russian River are just out of this world. Supplication might be my favorite of the bunch, but I think only Temptation is currently available in bottle.
We attended a sour beer event last year during SF Beer Week and got introduced to Odonata, brewing out of Sacramento. Every beer they had to offer was a knock out, but the sours were off the charts. I only got to taste them…twice now, I think, but I look forward to the day they have them available all the time. Their Beersel was awesome, but the Rosa was probably the best sour beer I’ve ever tasted to date.
Oooh, I live in Sacramento (area), gonna seek those out. If you are in Folsom go to Samuel Horne’s Tavern, best American Craft Beer selection I have seen almost anywhere.
Love most of them (in the Worst Beer Ever thread I describe my feelings on the Sam Adams cranberry lambic…)
There’s a brewpub near me that used to have a Flemish sour ale called the Spuyten Duyvel (pronounced spittin’ devil) that was my favorite beer, but they stopped making it last summer…the rumor I heard was the brewmaster that created it died so they “retired” it. They replaced it with a different type of sour ale that is good, but not as good…Tulach Leis…still a sour Flemish, but not as sour.
Edit: I looked on their website and I see the founder did die in 2009, so there’s a good chance that’s the reason…odd that none of the other beers that they’ve had for years went away…
It’s official. You are now the one doper who I am the most over-the-top insanely murderously jealous of. I’m off to spout hatred and vile in your name. Damn you, psycat90, damn you and your proximity-to-incredible-restaurants-wines-and-beers!
Definitely do seek them out, they are very worth it. Their Saison is delicious and is available in bottle at lots of places around NorCal.
I just checked Samuel Horne’s Tavern. They do have an impressive selection of beer, but only a couple popped out as something I haven’t tried, and I doubt I’ll ever be in Folsom, but who knows, if I am, I know where to go, thanks!
Well, if it makes you feel any better, I did say the place *almost *always has it on tap.
My husband and I stopped in there on Saturday to procure some much needed sustenance before holiday shopping for our favorite bartenders and they had just killed the keg. wah wah wah.
I would just say the website is not particularly up-to-date. The draughts are always changing and new and they always have plenty of seasonal, or speciality beers that aren’t listed.
My local beer shop has redeemed itself; I found Duchess today, in the big bottles (750 ml) Life is good again! Hubby and I shared one, along with a Jolly Pumpkin Fuego del Otono, and I’m happy and content.
