Best West Coast Sours?

I erased my post before you replied, I thought you guys were talking about Rare Barrel. I wouldn't trade too many Rare Barrel, A lot harder to get supply wise than the larger BW. And you're right Barrelworks is amazing, liked everything I've had but their name really isn't mentioned as much as a few of the other CA breweries. More for us I guess.

 

That post made it sound like if Lost Abbey is putting mediocre sours in the market. I know they had there issues but those beers are fantastic when they dont have whatever issue. Not sure about there draft sours. I only had Finest Sour, Im hoping in getting some spontaneous cheer this weekend.

 

Societe sours. There is no ease on finding them though.

 

Post 1 - They never miss.
Post 2 - If you ignore the times they have problems, they're perfect!

Cognitive dissonance is fun.

 

I dont typically consider QC issues when evaluating whether I think a beer is good or not. A bad bottle or batch of CdT isn't going to prevent me from calling it a good beer. It does affect whether I'm willing to take the risk and buy it though

 

Agree on that (to a degree*), but there's a fundamental difference between saying "Lost Abbey makes good sours" and "Lost Abbey aint no hit or miss when its about sours." The good descriptor, I can agree with. Saying they never miss, however, is absurd.

* It's an entirely separate discussion, but once QC issues reach a certain level, it's hard to call a beer good based on just its peaks and/or potential. None of LA's sours would be in this conversation, but there are beers that they've struggled with to the point that calling it a good beer without some serious modifiers is a tough sell.

 

Tahoe Mountain

 

Degarde
SARA
.....
Everyone else

 

Once barrelworks starts bottling more sours they will quickly climb to the top of the "hype" list (even higher than Feral One and Bretta Rose got them). I work close enough to grab a beer from them on my lunch break so I am spoiled and bias but they have some tap-only stuff that people would kill for. Truly epic in the making.

 

Cuvee de Tomme is a quad with cherries added in barreling stage, does that maje it a sour?? Taste fuckin great!!!

 

Beatification. Damn good stuff.

 

No, but the fact that it's innoculated with organisms other than Sacchraomyces does.

 

Inoculating a beer with brett does not make it a sour.

 

True, but CdT is a sour beer so it's definitely got more than brett.

 

Ya, I don't know anything about what kinda bugs go into that beer. On their site it says brett, but who knows whats in the barrels and whats on the fruit. Just don't want people thinking any beer that isn't exclusively sacc, is a sour.

 

Council Tart Saisons

- at least based on that ShitShow yesterday

 

The food truck was nice though.

 

I don't think you've tried their good sours if that's your take on it.

 

Well, I have... When stacked up against sours from Russian River, De Garde, Barrelworks, Allagash, JK and the list goes on, they are average and overpriced. I live in Southern California, so it's not like I can't get my hands on everything they have to offer.

 

Just stopping by.....Almanac Blueberry Sour has great flavor with the blueberry being very present. On another note the Tustin Brew CO "Lets hear it for the Boyz" is amazing but not available often.