Sours for beginners; help me out.

I love sours, but there are plenty of people who don't like sours at all. The beauty of it is you can drink whatever you like.

NG's Berliner and Wild Sour are both very good representations of their respective styles, so if you don't like those I'd recommend sticking with styles you like for now and revisiting sours sometime down the road.

 

Your not necessarily missing anything. You might just not like them. Just because they're hyped up doesn't mean they have to be your thing. I know tons of people who don't like sours at all.

 

You may wish to try some saisons that have a bit of bretta added to them, such as Logsdon or Upright. This gives you a touch of funkiness without overwhelming the rest of the flavours. If you enjoy that element you can then work your way up to more sours.

 

My friend, you are no beer advocate. Please ban yourself from this site.

I'm kidding. You may just not enjoy them. Do you like lemons, limes, sour plums? If not, sour is not your thing. Load up on the beers you truly enjoy! No need to drink the types you don't enjoy.

 

This. No need to try to accustom yourself to a style you simply don't like. I'm not a fan of tripels at all, and I have no desire to go buy a bunch and try to find out why exactly. Sours are also one of the most expensive styles out there, so your wallet will be thanking your palette down the road.

 

Another vote for "don't bother". I've tried every sour ever offered to me, and I've absolutely hated every single one of them. That's not to say that every other style came easily to me - Guinness was my first stout and nearly turned me off from ever trying another one, and the first IPAs I had were one-sided bitter examples of the style that didn't represent the balance that others offered.

But sours? I just don't like sour drinks, period. And if you don't like the beers your trying either, consider yourself lucky that you're not interested in one of the most expensive styles there is. Save your money for brews you love.

 

If you really really want to keep trying to get into them, try a Flanders Oud Bruin style ale - I find that they typically still have that sour character but are not as sour as lambics or even most American wild ales. Petrus Aged Red is a good example of this - it'll still have a good amount of malt flavor too to balance the sourness. I haven't had the more-highly-regarded Aged Pale so I don't know how that compares.

Of course I'm no expert on sours so I may be way off-base but that's just my 2 cents.

 

Try things like Flanders Red Ales first! These can be sweet and tart! Some good examples are Duchesse de Bourgogne, Jolly Pumpkin La Roja, and Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge! Once your palate gets used to sours there's nothing else like 'em! Oh, and empty your pockets because they're not cheap! All in all though it's really an Amazing style (well, Lambics and Gueuze) that takes a long time before it's ready and the blending of different vintage Lambics to create a Gueuze is truly an art (Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen, Tilquin, and Hannsens to name a few)! In the U.S. their are more and more Breweries recreating this old style of sour beer! It's a fun style for sure and can be really refreshing on a hot day! I'd say just keep trying as many as you can and try and pick out different flavors from what the beer is blended with! For example: some are aged with Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Grapes or even Rhubarb and various other types of fruits! Some of these examples can be very vinegary and others may be more vinous from the fruit! You will notice that some are more sweet while others are more tart and funky! Some of these styles due to their wild yeast strains will evolve in the bottle over many years and get even more tart and funky! I live in Maine and I am very fortunate to be fairly close to Allagash and they have been producing some incredible sour beers! Others to look out for in the U.S. would be Crooked Stave, Russian River, The Lost Abbey, Boulevard, New Belgium, Cascade, Jester King, and Logsdons to name a few! I hope this helps you in your search and experimentation with sours! Cheers!

 

If you're still interested in seeing what the hype is about, make sure you've tried out all the styles in the sour category. Flanders Reds, Oud Bruins, Gueze in addition to lambics and Berliner Weisse. I'd say the Flanders Red and Oud Bruin sours can be very different from their "cousins."

 

I just got schooled on sours for the first time last weekend at a tasting. I had 5 or 6, including a few crooked stave, Juliet, among others. For the first time I really enjoyed all of them, but my only thing is that I really couldn't tell them apart. They all tasted sour, which for me kind of overshadowed the complexity and nuance everyone else seemed to be appreciating. And I got very little of the barrel character. It definitely peaked my interest though and am looking forward to exploring more. So I'd recommend giving it another whirl, for me exploring new stuff is a big part of the appeal of craft, and you may be surprised to find a sour or two you love. Probably not worth breaking the bank though given your previous experiences.

 

Also speed! Amphetamines come in many styles and are good as well!

 

Buy a case of Rodenbach Grand Cru and drink it until you like it. Then move on to others. I believe any palate can be trained.

 

First off, I was in your boat for a long time, just recently started to enjoy sours. A great beginner's sour (though not necessarily easy to find) is RR Temptation. Has a lot of wine characteristics, and the sourness is nicely balanced. I've also been liking the Almanac sours, although they're not any easier to find. A lot of sours are based on particular fruits--maybe try one that's based on a fruit you enjoy? One reason I liked Almanac #3 so much was because I generally enjoy strawberries and nectarines anyway.

Next up for me: stouts.

 

OP, please don't drink this beer. I by no means intend to cause offence to Kahless, but Petrus Aged Red is FAR from a typical or good Oud Bruin. It tastes like cherry cough medicine and is sweetened to all hell. If you want a good Oud Bruin that has minimal tartness (but it is perceptible), go for Goudenband, a classic.

 

PETRUS - aged red, aged pale, oud bruin
Festina Peche -- if it was still in season
Sloop Sauer (peach, as well)
Monk's Cafe Flemish Red

Just a few of my personal favorites

 

This. Best introduction to sours available, IMHO.

 

This is how it worked for me. It was not an intentional plan, but just how it happened. Pretty happy with the outcome, but unhappy with my constant desire give away all my money in the pursuit of great sours.

 

Exactly and a great point! (Not only in beer but in just about everything!) Just because sours may be de rigor for the moment doesn't mean that they are for everyone. I share lots of beers with lots of "beer people" several times a week (or so it seems). Many of the most knowledgable and experienced beer drinkers don't drink sours - they just don't like them.

I'm a firm believer that there are "chocolate people" and "vanilla people;" "cake people" and "pie people." (I'm a vanilla, pie person. I rarely like chocolate and I almost never eat cake. I don't make excuses for it - I just follow my tastes and what I like.) Would you ever feel pressure to eat a chocolate cake because "its what the cool kids are doing?" Do you wear skin tight jeans and weigh 98 pounds because that's what the fashion magazines show? If you like Sprite or 7-Up do you think you "have to be missing something" if Coke is not your favorite? (I'm sure you get my point by now! Sorry for beating the dead horse)......

Short Answer: You're not missing anything. If you don't like sours you shouldn't drink sours. Period. There is no "missing" just as there is not "right or wrong" when it comes to personal taste!" (JMO)