Sours: Help for Noobs

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by BeerDummy, Apr 11, 2014.

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  1. jbhollis1180

    jbhollis1180 Initiate (0) Jul 6, 2013 Connecticut

    I'm also young in sour expedition and have found that the Brett based ales are suited well for my palate. I tried a Rodenbach Grand Cru and had to choke it down (I really hate to drain pour). I may eventually go back but for now its mostly RR and Allagash to get my start.
     
  2. stealth

    stealth Pooh-Bah (1,819) Dec 16, 2011 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Yup all three are very accessible. Jacobins is the best flanders red out there, IMHO.
     
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  3. putonyourwalkingshoes

    putonyourwalkingshoes Initiate (0) Jul 31, 2013 California
    Trader

    Personally after seeing what you've had and the fact you hated Duchess, you won't like Rodenbach. It's heavy on the vinegar as well. I used to love Rodenbach Grand Cru and now I can't stand it. The Rodenbach vintage now that's another story.

    With Cantillon you may be surprised with what you're getting. They've always come off as thin to me but their flavors come together really well. Classic gueze is amazing. Highly highly recommended but others like Iris and Rose kind of disappointed me.
     
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  4. putonyourwalkingshoes

    putonyourwalkingshoes Initiate (0) Jul 31, 2013 California
    Trader

    Was my very first sour and completely turned me off to sours initially. I thought I would never like the style after having Rodenbach. Go pay another $1 and get the Grand Cru.
     
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  5. hoptualBrew

    hoptualBrew Initiate (0) May 29, 2011 Florida

    There is a very broad range of "sour".

    Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Acetabacter are yeast/bacteria that play roles in sour/wild beer styles.

    The vinegar character you got in the Duchesse, as in Rodenbach, comes largely from Acetabacter. Over the age of conditioning in oak vats, intentional oxygen exposure through the pourous wood leads to increased acidity and these flavor profiles.

    I can't stand Flanders Reds & Oud Bruins, but love Brettanomyces & Lactobacillus beers more than any other style. Lumping all these styles into one "sour" category is like lumping all top fermenting beers into a single "ale" category.
     
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  6. Kadonny

    Kadonny Pooh-Bah (2,582) Sep 5, 2007 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Just had my first Oude Tart, awesome sour.
     
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  7. LehighAce06

    LehighAce06 Pooh-Bah (2,166) Jul 31, 2010 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Definitely agree. This is why I was suggesting pursuing beers that are very similar with the one exception of which yeast/bacteria soured them, do a controlled experiment on the effects of each (I want to do this myself now just to try it)
     
  8. hoptualBrew

    hoptualBrew Initiate (0) May 29, 2011 Florida

    Not sure if you can get Jolly Pumpkin in California, but JP puts out some world class wild fermented beers. If you haven't had Jolly Pumpkin's regular offerings, your missing out.
     
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  9. Shroud0fdoom

    Shroud0fdoom Initiate (0) Oct 31, 2013 Maryland

    I am not fond of sours and even I enjoy Jolly Pumpkin. They're balanced enough for me to enjoy!
     
  10. jbck109

    jbck109 Initiate (0) May 30, 2010 Michigan

    Maybe you should try to seek out as many different styles of sours as you can find to see what you like. From what you've enjoyed, it seems like Oude Bruin is a style you like. Maybe berliner or gose could be good for you, they are more tart acetic sour, but no vinegar or barnyard funk. They are totally different from what you have had so far though, but very good.The ones I have had seem to have more of a lemon type sour, if that sounds appealing, give one a shot.
     
    #70 jbck109, Jun 6, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2014
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  11. thatoneguymike

    thatoneguymike Pooh-Bah (1,947) Sep 18, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    Just to give you my recommendations, and, since I hate Duchesse and, to a lesser degree, Tilquin too, you and I might have similar tastes.

    To add to those that you mentioned, you may want to try Tart of Darkness and Oude Tart, definitely Almanac's Dogpatch Sour (which I would imagine their other Farm to Table sours are good as well), Westbrook Gose if you get the chance!!, Le Terroir when it's released this year, Petrus Aged Pale, Cuvee de Jacobins (amazing, somewhat easy to find and available in 'affordable' $22 4 packs), and 3 Fonteinen's Oude Kriek or however it's spelled.

    There are plenty of expensive letdowns out there given the prices, but, if you ask me, those listed above are winners when you want puckering, lip-smacking sours!
     
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  12. whiskey

    whiskey Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2012 California

    Perfect. I've had and love Oude Tart, Tart of Darkness, La Terroir, Almanacs Dogpatch, Pluot, and Blackberry so it looks like we do have similar tastes.

    Cool, now I can search out Petrus aged, Cuvee De Jacobins and 3F Oude Kriek. Awesome, thanks! Maybe I'll look into trading for some Westbrook Gose too. On that note, is Westbrook Gose something that has to be drank fresh or can I take my time on it?

    Also, any good Gose that is year round in Southern CA?
     
  13. thatoneguymike

    thatoneguymike Pooh-Bah (1,947) Sep 18, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    The Petrus Aged Red is pretty good too, heavy on the cherry flavor, but slightly sweet too! It was good, I won't lie, but more akin to Lindemann's Kriek (which I won't knock! my first 'sour' love!)
     
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  14. putonyourwalkingshoes

    putonyourwalkingshoes Initiate (0) Jul 31, 2013 California
    Trader

    Cuvee De Jacobins you can skip right away. Petrus is alright... for the price. 3F oude kriek amazing if you can find one that hasn't been sitting on the shelf. That used to be the case now ever place charges an arm and a leg for a 375ml and they fly off the shelf when around. 3F is artistry.
     
  15. whiskey

    whiskey Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2012 California

    Go on....
     
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  16. putonyourwalkingshoes

    putonyourwalkingshoes Initiate (0) Jul 31, 2013 California
    Trader

    It just falls into that category of belgian sours that aren't impressive like Monk's cafe or Bacchus. If you got the funds go throw down on a case of Cascade sours and they'll blow you away. Liquor stores mark them up because they don't get a discount. They buy that beer just like the rest of us directly from the brewer. A lot of brewers could take a page out of Cascade's book in terms of consistency and awesome customer service. You don't pay sales tax either just shipping.

    I didn't get Stone Sour Fest tickets this year, I was going to bring an old sour fest glass and try to hit up people on their 9th-10th glass and try to buy some drinks off of them. It'll work nicely.
     
  17. LehighAce06

    LehighAce06 Pooh-Bah (2,166) Jul 31, 2010 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I might have misunderstood what you're trying to do here, but the way I'm reading that it sounds like a horrible idea.
     
  18. putonyourwalkingshoes

    putonyourwalkingshoes Initiate (0) Jul 31, 2013 California
    Trader

    Those festivals are endurance runs especially their sour fest. In hot weather when you're on your 8th pour out of 15, the lactic sweats really get to you. I'll do nicely Mr. East Coast thank you for your humble opinion.. A lot of people don't make it past 12.
     
  19. LehighAce06

    LehighAce06 Pooh-Bah (2,166) Jul 31, 2010 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    First off, do you know how much you sound like a douche referring to me by the coast I'm nearest, as if that's a derogatory thing? You also sound like a douche by boasting that you're more capable of drinking a large volume of beer than the other attendees, and I'm certain that the point isn't to race to see who can imbibe more than the other guy (that is generally left to college campuses and much lesser quality brews).

    Secondly, as I already stated, I may misunderstand the situation as I am not familiar with this particular festival. With that said, what I initially meant was that it sounds to me like you are planning to attend a festival for which you have not paid, and in lieu of a ticket, you plan to pay the attendees to give you their allotted pours, which undermines both the spirit and financial viability of the festival. If this festival is structured differently, as I've already acknowledged I would not know, then forgive my misunderstanding, this was only my initial impression based on what you said.
     
  20. aleigator

    aleigator Pooh-Bah (2,648) May 10, 2014 Germany
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I think you might want to try the Boon Gueuze, as it is perfect to get into this kind of style. It comes along a lot smoother and modest on the sourness, in comparison to other classic Gueuzes.

    Also I would recommend to try all kinds of fruit lambics, as the sourness in those is only underlining the fermented fruits, the lactic acidity isn't as far developed as in the classic Gueuze/Lambic.
     
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