Sours - where do I start?

Now this is very cool! Thanks to all the folks who jumped in and provided excellent insight! Now I guess I just have to prepare the wallet!

 

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja > Lips of Faith: La Folie > Jolly Pumpkin La Roja.

E: Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait

 

You don't need to work up to a Gueuze. Get a reality check.

Some BAs have a real distorted view of their place on this Earth.

What is happening to beer that people think you need a pedigree to imbibe in a style??

Meh!!!!

 

No one is saying you need a pedigree, just that Cuvée Rene is more intensely sour than something like Duchesse, Goudenband or Monk's Cafe. I hated Cuvée Rene when I tried it and it was my first attempt at a sour. I haven't retried it, but I've liked all the Flemish sours I've tried. Now I plan on retrying Rene since I've not had a gueze since that one.

It would be like someone asking what IPAs to try to ease them into the style and everyone jumping in and telling them to try Ruination and Palate Wrecker.

 

trinity old growth. dive right in.

 

Cantillon Loerik
Rodenbach Alexander
Drie Fonteinen J&J Blauw

 

Jolly Pumpkin

 

All of this. If you want to break into the style you can't go wrong with these.

 

Jump straight in. Consecration.

 

I recently had the Monk's and I thought it was great! A great beginner for sour ales

 

If you can eat a sour patch kid or a jolly rancher, then you can drink a very sour beer. This isn't like a wheat beer fan looking to get into hoppy beers. Don't be afraid to make a Cascade or a Bruery sour your first.

Most of the so called starter sours mentioned ITT are tasty beers. I've tried a lot of different sours and I can't think of too many that were difficult to drink or just plain nasty. I've enjoyed the $10 per 750ml sours. I've enjoyed the $20+ per 750ml sours. Truth be told, the $20+ sours are generally more complex and enjoyable for me.

Cuvee Rene is the only one I don't really agree with as a starter sour. It has a massive Brett L. barnyard note and is super dry and tart in an acrid sort of way. I buy it to mix with other beers when I want to add some barnyard and some tartness. I found it to be challenging to drink and it was probably the 20th sour I tried.

 

The Monks I tried was a vinegar bomb. It must have been a couple years old when I bought it. I liked it with the big vinegar note, but a lot of people seem to think vinegar is an unattractive flaw.

 

See, I didn't find Oude Tart to be any more complex than the Duchesse. Just a little more sour.

 

Looks like someone needs to get laid!

 

Best place to start is with a second job. You'll need it if you take a liking to them.

 

Not everyone has the same taste. There is no universal right or wrong.

Oude Tart had some nice malty notes for me, possibly from Belgian Caraveinne malt and a funky pineapple note that reminded me of Brett C in addition to the Roeselare yeast they likely used. I could be wrong about all of that, but that's how I remember it. It also had a nice barrel character that isn't present in many Belgian sours.

Duchesse would probably be my least favorite of all the sour beers I've tried and don't really have anything good to say about it. It was back sweetened and slightly vinegary. I like dry sours. I intend to drink it again someday to see if I was mistaken, but I recall being very unimpressed.

If you like Duchesse, I urge you to drop $20 on Rodenbach Vintage. Try them back to back. There is a big difference.

 

i'd say definatly Duchese Du Bourgogne as well as Brouwerij Van Steenberge's Monk's Cafe flemish sour ale and the best last BROUWERIJ BAVIK "PETRUS AGED PALE"!!! SOOOOOO GOOD!

 

Yes. We sure do. Which is why I didn't say "YOU'RE WRONG" anywhere in my post. My statement had more to do with the fact that I don't feel that people need to spend an arm and a leg to get good sours. Petrus and the two Liefman's sours are much cheaper than most American made sours and generally just as good to me.

And I would love to try Rodenbach ANYTHING, but it's not available in Southern IN.

 

I like Petrus Pale and Liefman's Goudeband.