Sour Beer Trending UP

Yeah I dislike wines besides a Georgian (country, not state) semi-sweet.

 

Sounds terrible for your skin, but whatever does it for you...

Edit: And, while I prefer beer many times over, I've learned to like wines to a degree, since I work in a liquor store that focuses on selling wine (higher markup due to long standing public opinion of wine being more sophisticated). I might be able to recommend some cabs to try (assuming they are available in your area), if you want to retry Consecration at a later date, and decide to get some wine legs first.

 

There are a lot popping up, and a lot of them are good. Belgium is demolishing us on this plane though. Flemish Sours and Gueuze are just delicious. So good.

 

You're an educated man...

 

No offense but sour beers taste like vomit.

 

Well, I used to think Sierra Nevada tasted like soap, so don't write sours off just yet. Maybe you haven't tried the right one. I didn't like them until about 6 months ago, and I still don't like the ones that are as sour as possible just for the sake of being sour.

I like my beer balanced.

 

What sour beers have you tried?

 

Sierra Nevada Exportation
Ichtegem's Grand Cru
Leipziger Gose
Petrus Aged Pale
The Bruery Sour in the Rye

If you are planning on recommending certain beers to me I appreciate it but it's not a style I want to waste my time/money trying to get into.

 

My girlfriend said this the first time I took her to The Bruery. I was so sad. She only likes lambics. Save me

 

Please don't waste your money on them.

PS Two of the five above are worthwhile, and it's really not a broad spectrum to make a judgment on a style so varied. But if you don't like "vomit" tasting beers then maybe you should stay away.

 

I can say from experience that Petrus Aged Pale is good, and I've heard nothing but good things about Sour in the Rye (particularly, Kumquat), but I don't know about the other three. I ask because, as Marc suggests, there are several different types of sour. A Lambic, for example, is quite different than a brett sour. And, the last sour I tried was not like any other sour I've had yet (very vinegary). Some have very fruity qualities, some have more of a funk. Some have very light acidity, and some have the pucker power of a fresh lemon!

Edit: And, I've never had a "vomit" flavored sour. It might be the sours you've tried, but it also might be that your palate is not tuned well for what sours have to offer.

 

Me too. Haha ... I'd like to be able to find this style here in the craft beer hinterlands.

 

What do you mean by brett sour? A lambic typically has multiple strains of brettanomyces in it, so what makes it different than a "brett sour"?

 

I don't know which strain is specifically used, but the "brett" beers I've come across lean more towards leather, barnyard, banana/banana peel, and more subtle acidity (sometimes yogurty). One of these being Brux by Russian River and Sierra Nevada; so I guess that would be Brett B?

 

I love sour fruit, candy and citrus flavors in general, so sours were a natural love for me. My first sours were in a Russian River sampler at the brewpub. I had Temptation, Supplication, Consecration. I am/was very spoiled.

I do find that some sour beers are too sour or have too much acidity, so I can understand where the "tastes like vomit" comes from. I had Oude Tart a couple years ago and while it was complex and interesting, it smelled like gorgonzola and I didn't really want that much more of it.

 

Tart of darkness and Oude tart are very good beers though

 

I'm noticing the trend more too since I just recently got into them as well. But still don't let the Magic Hat Steven Sour mislead you, it's still awful

 

As much as I love Rodenbach, I do have to say those cats at Cascade know what the hell they're doing.

 

Anything sour, I'm down for. I eat lemons straight up, with salt. So, sour beer...of course I'm down with them. Everyone just has their own personal tastes. For me, the more sour, the better. It's been a nice journey finding great sours, started out way back when with Lindeman's lambics. Say what you will, they were absolutely delicious then, and probably still are.

To touch on others that people have mentioned: Monk's Cafe, Duchesse, Rodenbach, Goose Island Juliet I did not enjoy. Too much of a red wine flavor for my tastes. Also didn't care for Tilquin gueze. (Or Rueuze from the Bruery...which makes me think I don't care for guezes...I shan't give up on that though)

Those that I do love: Bruery Sour in the Rye, Tart of Darkness & Oude Tart, Westbrook Gose (definitely way more sour than the traditional gose style), Petrus Aged Pale Ale, Newport Storm's Xavier, Goose Island Lolita, Le Terroir.

Just wanted to share some offerings that others may want to try if their tastebuds yearn for mouthwatering and puckeringly sour flavors. (Or some that, for those searching for something truly tart and crazy-sour, I may would stay away from)

ISO Sour in the Rye kumquat and peach variants, Oude Tart w/ cherries, Cascade offerings, and anything else that is deliciously sour/tart!

 

I hope it's better for twice the price. (Talking about Madame Rose vs. the regular Rodenbach or the Grand Cru, not the 2010 vintage.)