A Question About Funk

All this descriptors sound so appealing

But we love the funk anyway!

 

Never got funk from sofie. Tropical fruits? Oh hell yeah.

 

Tropical fruits, flowers, funk: I've gotten all of those things. Usually the funk comes first, but then they get more floral as time goes on. But the earthy funk always seems to be pulsing in the background.

 

The original question has been answered. "Funk" means most of the notes in "sours".

But are most of those notes really "funky"? Lemons and hay and musty barns don't smell like sweaty gym socks. At least not to me.

I think of the word "funky" like I do "balance" and "esters" when it comes to beer reviews. They have almost no meaning because they're used to describe so many different things that you need more descriptors than the cover word to understand their specific meaning. One could even argue that "bitter" has little meaning because everybody's tolerance for bitter flavors is different, but that's a path even deeper into the weeds ...

I don't mean to take away anybody's favorite word. Lord knows I've got my own crutches I lean on when trying to peck out one of my subpar reviews. But with the subject raised, I wondered if I'm the only one who thinks "funky" is often misused.

 

I thought funk is mostly due to the brett in beers. So look for things with brett in them. Sour tasting beers can be funky, but sour is not funk. Also funky beers like orval are not sour in the slightest.

 

"Funky" usually comes across as mildew to me. A musty barn. If it's really strong it smells like sweaty socks or armpits.

 

Find a beer with "brett brux strain". Preferably not fresh.. maybe 6 months plus. You'll get it after that.

 

People are giving you some crappy answers here, it seems this is as confusing to people as the word dank. If you can, search out these two beers (the ones in the front).


The lost abbey one is going through a rebranding/repackaging right now it's being released right around now under a different name. But you can still find these on shelves. Excellent beer. Folks keep suggesting Orval but it's a very complex beer and if you didn't know what to look for it may be masked be a lot of other flavors. These beers I mentioned are more pure brett funk in your face.. it's an undeniable taste, although it's off-putting at first for most people. It is a taste that you can learn to love.. kinda like the first sour or dipa. It might take a few tries.

 

Funk is yeast, funk is bacteria.

 

For me, I've experienced "funk" as a tangy, puckering, tartness.

Referring to Post #28, I can't remember when I've ever seen those two beers on the shelf in these here parts, especially the Russian River - the stuff isn't easy to get on our side of the Mississippi. Hopefully this won't be considered a crappy answer but seeing that you are from Kentucky, I know Against The Grain does some Wild Ales, they would be a good place to start. I was able to pick up a bottle of "Brett The Hipman Hop" and it hits on that "funk" that you're asking about. Really, any of their Wild Ales should help answer you curiosity.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26850/?sort=styleA&view=beers

Is Almanac Beer Co. available in KY? We just started getting a few of their beers here in PA and if you want a quintessential example ... anything from their Farm to Barrel Series will pretty much answer your question!

This one goes out to @shyblee ( ) ...

 

Referring to post #30.. oops you're right i should've checked which state he was from. I don't know what beer you have access to in kentucky, but others that said orval and sofie are actually good places to start as far as being easier and more widely distributed. But yeah... look for beers with the word Brettanomyces on the label.. and it's even better if they have been sitting on the shelf for a year or so for max funk.

 

Gueuzes and brett-beers are the best represantatives of funk in beer.

 

Funk can't be explained, it has to be experienced. You can't describe the color green to a blind man, for example. I would suggest doing a side by side with 2 beers - one with light funk, the other with a solid, but moderate, dose of it. For the light one, I recommend Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse ale. Alternate sipping with the stronger one and you'll understand what funk is. I'm not a high funk fan, so others here can recommend good ones to you.

 

Grab yourself a 4 pk of Allagash Lil Brett a Mosaic hopped ale brewed with their House strain of wild yeast.
I believe you will begin to understand what funk is. BTW great beer....

 

You forgot the part about how that pile of stable hay is actually in the basement of an old house.

 

I've never really had it taste cidery, so I can't give you a good answer. A wild assed guess however, I would think a few years. I've had it maybe 3-4 years old, and it still was very beery.

 

Good gueuze type funk reminds me of a musty cellar of an old house. Simply marvelous if you ask me.

 

Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale isn't fermented with any wild yeast so I wouldn't suggest it for a funk tasting. I'd go with Saison-Brett at various stages of aging to demonstrate what brettanomyces can do in beer.

 

I was thinking a used jock strap.