La Folie | New Belgium Brewing
Brewed by:
New Belgium Brewing
Colorado, United States
newbelgium.com
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.00%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Flemish Sour Brown Ale fermented in stainless then transferred to barrels for 1-4 years of aging then blended to taste.
Added by BeerAdvocate on 09-22-2002
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 3,989 | Reviews: 1,070
4.37/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
2012 vintage 1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle acquired tonight at Wally's Wine in Westwood, California, and served into a Guinness goblet in me gaff in Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are extremely high; I've heard a lot of hype over this having been raised in Denver.
Served refrigerator cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.
A: Pours a 1.5 finger head of nice cream, good thickness, and good retention (though the ABV is merely 6%). Colour is a vibrant chestnut amber-brown. I quite like the colour, especially when held up to light. Semitransparent. Translucent.
Sm: Lovely sourness, bacteria, and wild yeast. Marvelous oak - amongst the best oak aromas I've ever encountered. Subtle yet rich and inviting. Brilliant.
T: Lovely rich sourness with a sweet climax. Bacteria and wild yeast are controlled yet rampant, really filling out the body nicely. Blended beautifully. Sour apple. Quite tart. Burgundy. Oak is more tonal, but helps to round out the balance. The sour wild yeast laden finish is damned amazing. I get cherry esters from it. It truly is a bit puckerworthy, but in an excellent bold masterfully executed way. Brilliantly layered and absurdly well balanced. Delicious. Very tasty. As complex as it is subtle. I'm blown away. The sweet fruity climax is jolly rancher-esque but in a good way (ignore that if it sounds ridiculous). Clean malts form the foundation.
Mf: Smooth and wet, suiting the flavours perfectly. The thickness and carbonation are both ideal, and complement the focus of the beer incredibly well. This is masterful brewing.
Dr: Who knew New Belgium could pull off a beer so good? Extremely drinkable for the style. I love it. One of the best sours I've had in the last month - and I've had some pretty nice Lost Abbey beers recently. I'd definitely get this again, ideally in a bottle to age. I doubt I'll be trading bottles of this one away; they're worth keeping for me. Lives up to the hype. I'm extremely impressed. Really a wonderful beer.
Drank very nicely out of me narrow-mouthed goblet. I'll take that over a snifter anytime.
Don't pair this, just enjoy it.
Best slightly warmer than 'fresh from the fridge' cold.
A good candidate for aging. I'll be aging some meself.
A
2,351 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
2012 vintage 1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle acquired tonight at Wally's Wine in Westwood, California, and served into a Guinness goblet in me gaff in Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are extremely high; I've heard a lot of hype over this having been raised in Denver.
Served refrigerator cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.
A: Pours a 1.5 finger head of nice cream, good thickness, and good retention (though the ABV is merely 6%). Colour is a vibrant chestnut amber-brown. I quite like the colour, especially when held up to light. Semitransparent. Translucent.
Sm: Lovely sourness, bacteria, and wild yeast. Marvelous oak - amongst the best oak aromas I've ever encountered. Subtle yet rich and inviting. Brilliant.
T: Lovely rich sourness with a sweet climax. Bacteria and wild yeast are controlled yet rampant, really filling out the body nicely. Blended beautifully. Sour apple. Quite tart. Burgundy. Oak is more tonal, but helps to round out the balance. The sour wild yeast laden finish is damned amazing. I get cherry esters from it. It truly is a bit puckerworthy, but in an excellent bold masterfully executed way. Brilliantly layered and absurdly well balanced. Delicious. Very tasty. As complex as it is subtle. I'm blown away. The sweet fruity climax is jolly rancher-esque but in a good way (ignore that if it sounds ridiculous). Clean malts form the foundation.
Mf: Smooth and wet, suiting the flavours perfectly. The thickness and carbonation are both ideal, and complement the focus of the beer incredibly well. This is masterful brewing.
Dr: Who knew New Belgium could pull off a beer so good? Extremely drinkable for the style. I love it. One of the best sours I've had in the last month - and I've had some pretty nice Lost Abbey beers recently. I'd definitely get this again, ideally in a bottle to age. I doubt I'll be trading bottles of this one away; they're worth keeping for me. Lives up to the hype. I'm extremely impressed. Really a wonderful beer.
Drank very nicely out of me narrow-mouthed goblet. I'll take that over a snifter anytime.
Don't pair this, just enjoy it.
Best slightly warmer than 'fresh from the fridge' cold.
A good candidate for aging. I'll be aging some meself.
A
2,351 characters
4.65/5 rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Keep in mind that this rating is for the La Folie as compared to other beers of its style. This is one of the very best sours I have ever had.
I pours very dark, but a little thinner than I would have thought. It does have some red tones to it and perhaps a ting of yellow. It is very lightly carbonated and produces little head.
The taste is very subtle on the front end and almost breathtaking on the back. It is almost like taking a shot of a VERY highend Balsamic Vinegar.
I thought the mouthfeel of this was a little thin, but still smooth as velvet.
Overall this is a very nice brew for ending a fine meal. Pair it as an aperitif with a nice steak or roast lamb. This is in no way a daily (or weekly) drinker, but for what it is, it stands up well to its European kin.
778 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Keep in mind that this rating is for the La Folie as compared to other beers of its style. This is one of the very best sours I have ever had.
I pours very dark, but a little thinner than I would have thought. It does have some red tones to it and perhaps a ting of yellow. It is very lightly carbonated and produces little head.
The taste is very subtle on the front end and almost breathtaking on the back. It is almost like taking a shot of a VERY highend Balsamic Vinegar.
I thought the mouthfeel of this was a little thin, but still smooth as velvet.
Overall this is a very nice brew for ending a fine meal. Pair it as an aperitif with a nice steak or roast lamb. This is in no way a daily (or weekly) drinker, but for what it is, it stands up well to its European kin.
778 characters
4.11/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
A - Reddish, brown color with a thin head and great lacing.
S - Sour notes, some dark fruit, something apple-ish perhaps. Some malty notes as well.
T - This is one sour beer. Dark fruit and spice flavors. I pick up some apple and maybe a little cherry. A bit tart in the finish.
M - Pretty smooth and drinkable despite the sour finish. Nice low levels of carbonation.
O - La Folie is a very enjoyable brown sour ale. It's a great beer when you want something different. Sour fans should definitely try this one out.
523 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
A - Reddish, brown color with a thin head and great lacing.
S - Sour notes, some dark fruit, something apple-ish perhaps. Some malty notes as well.
T - This is one sour beer. Dark fruit and spice flavors. I pick up some apple and maybe a little cherry. A bit tart in the finish.
M - Pretty smooth and drinkable despite the sour finish. Nice low levels of carbonation.
O - La Folie is a very enjoyable brown sour ale. It's a great beer when you want something different. Sour fans should definitely try this one out.
523 characters
La Folie from New Belgium Brewing
Beer rating:
4.25 out of
5 with
3,989 ratings
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