Blue Sunday Sour | New Holland Brewing Company

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours a dark ruby red with a one finger off white head. Light soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is raspberry, blueberry, vinegar, oak and brett.

T - Th taste is blueberry, raspberry, green apple skin, lemon, oak and some light brett.

M - Light body with medium carbonation. Crisp mouthfeel with a dry finish.

O - A solid sour from New Holland. Nice balance between the berries and oak.

★ 385 characters

4.21/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Finally dipping my toes into the sour waters, after staying mostly to stouts. This was a very good beer, with a nice amount of tartness and not over the top. If this is what I have been missing, I'm going to enjoy drinking more sours like this.

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3.45/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Amber in color with a faint wisp of off white head around part of the rim. Plenty of vibrant carbonation bubbles head up from the depths. The aroma is of flat grape soda and Brettanomyces. The taste is much more appealing than the nose lets on. I get some raspberry and blueberry flavor and tartness. There's also some oak which lends is some of the dryness in the body. The mouth is otherwise moderately carbonated..

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4.26/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Picked this up at Discount Drinks in Wyandotte for about $6, was looking to get other sours but saw the pricetag for some of the Bruery's offerings and was left quite saddened, so I got this instead. This is the 2016 vintage. Also my first Wild Ale, for what it's worth.

Look: deep, deep copper red.
Smell: vinous, oak, some brett..
Taste: My Lord is it sour. It's like raking a lemon across your tongue. lemons, blueberry, some raisin in the finish.
Mouthfeel: carbonated, thin.
Overall: This kicked my ass, man. I was expecting something along the line of a lambic in terms of sourness. Worth the price.

★ 608 characters

3.56/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

This is an ok sour to me. The acetic acid dominated the nose and palate. Could pick up some hints of wood and some traces of fruit like plum, blackberries, and blueberries. Great price point and well worth a try.

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4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bomber into a tulip glass L copper red semiclear thin creamy head
S tart cherry tart apple oak lemon
T raisen, leather, oak, cherry
M thin, well carbonated,
O delicious. Worth the 8$ if it was cheaper I'd buy about four more bottles.

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4.04/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Deep blue near purple tinged mahogany, clear, blue-tinged head. Nose is the typical sharpness of a sour; cherry, slight blackberry, undertones of oak and vanilla. The flavor is moderately sour and puckering, but softened by a dramatic increase in the warm notes of wood and a lot of that barrel-derived vanilla. Refreshingly tart, but sweet as well. Very drinkable, but after a while gives a gritty feeling to the teeth.
The oak and vanilla, giveaways of genuine barrel aging, was laid on pretty thick. I enjoyed it, but it was a little over the top especially for the style, especially because it intruded on the sourness's punch.

★ 631 characters

4.72/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Wowza, remind's me of Pentagram. Tart, funky aromas with hints of darker malts. T: A malty rich start quickly turns funky with plums, sour pitted fruit, darker malts, and lemon. Blue Sunday is dangerously drinkable stuff. Light-bodied with excellent carbonation. Wish it had more body to it, but a thumbs up for a nice sour.

★ 326 characters

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

look: dark ruby. off white moderate sized head on the pour that mostly subsides.
smell: fruity vinegary funk.
taste: Much like the nose with a woody, earthy, vinegary finish.

★ 175 characters

4.05/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

From notes on 6/21/15 Smells yummy. Tastes good. Mostly straw colored with a hue of blue. Fruity blueberry flavor. Tart. Missing a little something on the back end, but that’s ok.

★ 181 characters

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at the Pig & Fiddle. Pours hazy amber under a thin, white foam collar. Tart malt aromas. Tart on the palate with a touch of mustiness balanced by malt and alcohol.

★ 174 characters

3.47/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 2.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a purple/scarlet with minimal head. No head retention & lacing

S: Sourness & woody notes

T: Follows the nose, a little blueberry as well up front. More of the same, leafy & woody hops surface as well as this warms. Finishes tart, with a little blueberry, some dryness & little bit of leafy hops

MF: Medium body & minimal carbonation

Okay, nothing special. I get more hits than misses from these guys. I've drank a lot of good sours/wilds lately, this doesn't measure up. Not bad, but I won't buy it again either

★ 532 characters

4.01/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours clear brown with good head. Smells like acidic malt, oak, and vanilla. Taste of vanilla sour acidic nutty malt with dry oak and vanilla in the finish.

★ 156 characters

4.02/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured 22oz bottle into teku glass

A - Dark black/lavender (think eggplant) with a nice 2 finger sandy colored head. Thick collar and spotty lacing.

S - Big tart fruit, unripe green plum, sour berry, and good oak barrel scent. Light oak and caramel notes.

T - Starts off very tart with unripe green plum, sour berries, and hints of cherry. Borders on extreme tartness, but there is some light lingering sweetness, like caramel in there.

M - Nice carbonation and a light to medium mouthfeel with lingering tart on the tongue.

O - I think New Holland did a marvelous job with this sour and I really enjoyed it.

★ 618 characters

4.21/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours a mahogany color with a modest head; squiggly lacing hangs around

Smell: Oak, blueberry, black raspberry, rhubarb and cherry tones with a hint of caramel underneath

Taste: The fruit tones appear, up front, bringing both sweet and tart flavors, while hints of caramel and tea provide a base underneath; the lactic tartness lingers throughout though the oak and sweeter, fruity elements are more assertive in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation; slightly puckery

Overall: Not as tart as I was expecting, this is a nicely balanced beer that is very enjoyable; I like the range of fruit flavors as well as the candy caramel tones underneath; this would be a great beer to use to introduce a neophyte to the world of sour beers

★ 774 characters

3.89/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

For a sour beer, this one is unique which is not surprising from New Holland Brewing. It is basically a sour porter. The caramelized barley adds a subtle sweetness which compliments the sour. It something new for someone who's tasted every dark ale. If you're not that adventurous, then this might not be the brew for you.

★ 322 characters

4.04/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2015 Vintage

L - Pours a dark brown body with laces of red mahogany and it has a one finger light tan head. Not much retention to the head or lacing on the glass.

S - Sour fruit (cherries/blueberries) mixed in with a nice oak backbone. There's some acidity on the nose too.

T - Light to medium on the sour scale. Dark soured fruits of plums or blackberries that meld well with the oak barrels.

F - Medium body and medium carbonation. Smooth, creamy body.

O - Such a well balanced beer that doesn't lean overly sour or overly oaky. It's just a great pairing that come together as one.

★ 588 characters

4.16/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz. bomber into snifter.

A: Pours pretty dark, a deep brown with cherry red hints. Almost no head, save for a few small foamy bubbles.

S: The aroma is slightly acidic, sour fruit and bitterness. The oak notes are very present as well. 

T: Very interesting. The sour, acidic taste is ever present, and behind it hides a very prominent yet well balanced aged oak taste. These two flavors are about it for me, but they play together in a surprisingly nice union, something I was unsure of reading this beer's description. 

F: Smooth and creamy, medium body and just enough carbonation. Nice.

O: This beer was significant to me in one way: it proved to me that I truly do love sour beers. There is technically nothing about this brew that I would necessarily like had it not been for the funky sour nature of it. I'm honestly not the biggest fan of barrel aged beer, but this was delicious. Would possibly buy again, thoroughly enjoyed the bomber.

★ 964 characters

4.18/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 2015 Vintage 22 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Appears dark amber to almost cherry red in the light. Very little head.

Oaky aromas with some nice fruit tones. Only mildly sour, the barrel aging must have tempered the sour flavors.

Definitely more sourness in the taste. Lots of oak flavors layered in with dark fruits. Finishes with quite the tart aftertaste. Velvety mouthfeel with very light carbonation.

Overall this is a nice sour beer with some complexity. The oak from the barrels is certainly present.

★ 531 characters

3.07/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

This beer has a vinegary quality to it that I cannot get into. Pours a dark reddish brown and has a nose of malt and vinegar. Taste is also malty and vinegary with some funk in there as well. The finish is very short, which made it easier for me to drink.

★ 255 characters

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured on tap into a tulip 

A: nice creamy looking tight head, brownish clear color 

S: vinegar slight oak smells sweet

T: not as sweet as the nose implies has an ok bite to it vinegar maybe oak

O: this category does not seem to have much depth to me but it isn't bad standard color standard smell standard taste.

★ 319 characters

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

On-tap 2/22/2015 at Natty Greene’s Tavern, in North Attleboro, MA, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a medium brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains tart blueberries, light malts and brown sugar.

T: The taste starts out with a strong sour burst of blueberries. Then some complementary sweetness comes in, which seems as though it is added by the barrel-aging and provides a good balance. The after-taste is tart.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, light-to-medium carbonation, finish is dry.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, it’s a decent beer to drink for a while if you want something a little different.

★ 755 characters

4.09/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark red to brown with light head as expected from a barrel aged beer. What head is present is soapy and quickly disipates with zero lacing.

Smells of fermented berry... Maybe blueberry but very faint. Sourness is present. Little to no alcohol on the nose.

Taste is fruity without sweetness. Like a heightened lambic with a crisp, tart finish.

Medium to light moutheel.

Overall pleasantly surprised. Drank better as it warmed towards room temperature. Would buy and enjoy again.

★ 497 characters

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass, vintage 2015.

Deep crimson, hints of brown but just a bright dark red with mahogany hues all around. Very clear, with some nice forming middle column carbonation, a hint of one finger tan head, but manages to settle to a simple puck and creamy collar. Very neat looking body color I must say.

Excellent bouquet on the nose. Hints of Flander style oud bruin character, light toasty wood notes, moderate acid and caramel. Not much hinting fruit aromas though, but still very nice quite impressed here.

Palate is real slick and seems buttery flavored as well. Diacetyl in a wild brew? Hard to say really didn't seem like that was coming from the nose, but boy does this come off odd. Good round full body from oak hinted aging but with a moderate malt backbone. Good soild mouthfeel, a hint of mixed mild cream and simple acidity that is easily cut through a decent to thick malt body. Not much fruit character, perhaps some mild hints of steely grapefruit a bit, but also not slick too much on the finish either. Time wares off more of the butter character interestingly.

Overall comes off like a pretty neutral Oud Bruin, with much more depth taken from oak aging. Not sure if this is faulty, but it's still very well done, but boy if this had some decent red fruit flavors and quality it could be really special.

★ 1,371 characters

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up a bottle of New Holland's Blue Sunday Sour last week for $7.99 at The Lager Mill. I think I may have tried this once at a beer festival a few years ago, but I can't fully remember, so I thought I should give the latest release a try, so lets see how it goes. 2015 Vintage. Poured from a foiled 22oz bottle in a teku.

A- The label looks good, it's got a classy look to it and it's eye catching. It poured a dark ruby red color that took on more of a brighter ruby color when held to the light with almost two fingers worth of creamy tan head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left a little bit of patchy lacing behind. This is a good looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness with a nice cherry and berry like aroma being the first to stick out and it makes for a nice blend of berry and fruity aromas with no single one sticking out the most and it's followed by the yeast which imparts a somewhat lighter funky aroma with just a slight vinegar like aroma. Towards the end comes the oak which imparts a nice and noticeable woody oak aroma with just a slight bit of vanilla coming through. This beer had a good aroma, it's just what I would expect from the style.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness being the first to show up and it's followed by the sour berry and cherry aspects that i got in the aroma and they show up nicely and the sourness is on the higher side of medium. UP next comes the yeast and oak which seem to show up at the same time and impart a funky oak flavor with malts showing up towards the end and lingering into the aftertaste taste along with a little bit of sourness and some berry and cherry flavors. This is a good tasting beer, it has pretty much everything that I look for in the style and it doesn't have any off flavors.

M- Pretty smooth, a little refreshing, slightly acidic, crisp, on the lighter side of being medium bodied with a slightly higher amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was pretty good and it worked well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was a good beer and I thought it was a good example of the style, it had everything that I look for in the style and while it isn't a favorite of the style, it pretty good in every aspect and when it comes down to it I enjoyed drinking it. This beer had nice drinkability, it was pretty smooth, a little refreshing, slightly acidic, crisp, not too filling and the taste does a nice job at holding my attention, half the bottle is the perfect amount for me, but because it isn't too acidic I wouldn't rule out drinking the full bottle. What I like the most about this beer was that it was just a tasty and good example of the style. What I liked the least about this beer was that it didn't have a little more complexity, I think the separates it from some of the better sours. I would buy this beer again, I already got one for the cellar and I wouldn't mind getting another one. I would recommend this beer, especially if you like sours. All in all I was happy with this beer and I was a little impressed that New Holland could make a beer like this and keep it under $10 a bottle, there's hardly any breweries that can do that and I respect them for that. It's one of the better New Holland beers I've had and I would say it'a above average for the style. Good job guys, this was one tasty and affordable sour, keep up the good work.

★ 3,533 characters