Your "Gateway" Sour Beer

I didn't get into sours until about almost two years after getting into craft. I didnt' really know they existed TBH. The first bottle share i attended that opened my eyes had duck duck gooze, some jester king bottles and a few other amazing sours. From that day on i was doomed.

 

Supplication for me.

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/688/96771/

 

La Folie 2014

 

I went to Russian River Brewing a month ago and did a sampler of all their sour beers. The only one I liked was Supplication.

Interesting that so many people mentioned Supplication here too. Is that really the n3wb's sour, and my palate isn't refined enough to appreciate the others?

 

Im lovin all the Duchesse responses... Same here. Had it at Beer Market with my buddy a couple years ago and that has opened the door to a new avenue of expensive/ world class/ deliciousness in a bottle.

 

Three years ago my buddy was raving about sours. My first sip of Petrus Aged Pale Ale and I was hooked. A very expensive addiction ever since.

 

The first sour beer to catch my attention (and maybe the first one I ever had) was Bockor's Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge. Something really clicked with me there. Shortly thereafter I had a Russian River Consecration and I was hooked!

 

I'm actually surprised by the Duchesse responses! That beer was recommended to me in my early sour days and I didn't like it at all, and still don't. It's not really sour even, more vinegary, and too sweet!

 

I agree that it is super vinegary. I thought the Rodenbach Ale was much better, even though it was four months past the best by date when I had it.

 

Consecration was the eye opener for me. I had only had one or two before but that one did it and opened up a whole new world of beer to enjoy for me.

 

My gateway sour would probably have to be Kuhnhenn's A Play In The Hay. They brewed about 8 different fruited versions for the Michigan Brewers Guild summer beer fest and because of some connections I was able to help them at their tent. At first I wasn't a fan of the wild ale style, but as the day went on and I had more and more samples I fell in love with the funk and tart. I wish Kuhnhenn's would bring those beers back!

 

Petrus Aged Pale and Cisco Brewing "WOODS" series.

 

Monk's Cafe

 

Rodenbach Grand Cru. I still like to keep it around. It's easy to find and a good value.

The beers that really turned me on to just how good sours can be were Supplication and Consecration from Russian River. Been chasin' that dragon ever since.

 

The Bruery's Filmishmish
Changed my world.

 

Duchesse and Tart of Darkness (even though it's not a great example of the most common styles, it was still sour)

 

Tour at Cantillon pretty much sold me

 

Duchesse De Bourgogne, first sour that impressed me. Funny thing is that I tried RR Supplication first and hated it but now I love Supplication.

 

There were a couple of Berliner Weiss beers available when I was younger, and since I was friends with some families of German heritage I was encouraged to give them a try. Kindl was definitely one of them, but I always forget the second. Anyway, it was definitely instructive, as you can imagine, mostly because they were so different from the standard "light and dark" beers that I knew at the time; so they did open me up to seeing just how different beers could be and still be "beer".

A few years later I was introduced to lambics, but because the ice was already broken by the Berliner Weisses that was a smooth transition.