How to evaluate sours?

Hello. I mentioned this in a thread last week about sours. Keep an open mind to the fact that you may never like sours at all or just may never 'get them' like others do. I was a music major in college. I like literally every type of music, except opera. I have given it a chance every 10 years or so, but it's just something I don't like at all. That's also the case with coffee for me. I have just never liked it and have given it many chances. Same goes for a lot of other stuff, including sours. I have tried them many times over the years and I just don't like the great majority of them. About the best I can say about one or two of them is that I don't hate them.

There's no law that says you have to like sours. Or any beer or beer style for that matter.

 

Suck on a Warheads candy while drinking a Sour. Your mouth will implode.

 

uhhhhhhhhhh

 

I would start with Lambics and Flanders Reds. Gueuze is usually really harsh. But I see youve already dived into Oud Beersel, which is one of the more sour sours. Dont try Cantillon or 3 Fonteinen, but if you see either grab them and save them for a while. I like the Lindemans idea, also try Boon Gueuze and Gueuze Fond Tradition. All 3 are on the cheaper end of the gueuze spectrum, but only give up a bit of flavor.

On the lambic end, dont get Lindemans lambics (too sweet), look for Hanssens, Boon, and if you see it 3 Fonteinen. Hanssens Oudbeitje Lambic is one of my personal favorites.

A good Flanders Red is a bit sweet and more drinkable, and you cant go wrong with Duchesse de Bourgogne or Bourgogne de Flaners. Oud Bruins arent a bad idea either.

 

It is really possible to go wrong with the Bourgognes. The artificial sweetener is out of control with them, as they are in the Lindeman's lambics. Rodenbach Grand Cru is a much better place to look if you want to enjoy Flanders Reds.

 

I wouldn't say, aside from a few, that most of their stuff is really that sour. Havent had a ton of them, but they have been more funky and mildly tart than the sourness of many of the belgian gueuze and lambic and american wilds that the OP seems to be talking about. To be fair I haven't had any of their american wilds, so I could be way off base.

 

Even the Weizen Bam I had the other night was sour. I will agree no ALL are sour but they have plenty of sour beers.

 

Read reviews on BA then go to different brewer's website's take note of what you like and dislike on the styles/sours that you try then expand you tastings and then decide if you actually like this style

 

Try eating plain yogurt- it's an everyday food that most people sweeten up with additives. It's naturally sour from lactic acid, the same souring agent found in sour beer. Lactobacillusis is commonly used in yogurt production and is used to make Berliner Weisses.

 

I sort of dove into the deep end on a palate range. My first was Bruery/CCB's Marron Acidifie. The next night I opened up a 750ml of 2009 Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze. Perhaps trying really good stuff right off the bat will work for you? It sure opened my eyes.

I still love some of the more inexpensive sours though. Duchesse is still a favorite of mine.

 

Yeah, don't know what that guy was talking about!

Don't know what you're getting, but Orval is pure Brett funk ... nothing sour about that beer at all, just a bit "wild". DAMN good beer though!

 

As I said, sour/funky/wild/tart/whatever...they are all related in a sense, especially for someone new to the category. I was trying to explain that the light brett or light lacto beers are more of a lead-in to the category