Your "Gateway" Sour Beer

Rodenbach Grand Cru.

 

Mine was a bit different than most - I had tried a few sours here and there, and hadn't liked them, then was at a fest, and a friend of mine in the know brought me to a table that had an under-the-table one - Abbaye de Bon Chien.
Holy cow that was good - and I've been into them ever since, though unfortunately my wallet doesn't like them all that much.
I did homebrew a COnsecration clone a few years back that came out really well. I still have a few left, and they get better and better over time.

 

The first sour beer I ever had was Tart of Darkness from The Bruery at Stone Brewing's Pour It Black event last October. I don't know if it was just that it was a nice change from the heavy stouts I had been drinking all day, but I loved it and so did my wife. I actually would consider it her favorite beer as far as I know, and it was her first sour beer as well. While it is not my favorite beer overall, it is one of my favorite sours for sure.

 

Captain Lawrence Rosso e Marrone.

 

Cantillon Gueze. I had tried a a couple sours before, I believe one was by Sam Adams. Tasted like vinegar and couldn't drink it. I waked into my local bottle shop and the owner said he had 1 bottle of Gueze left if I wanted it. I passed because I didn't like sours so he said he was gonna keep it and share. He opened it a poured samples for us and 2 others. Wow! mind blown and I've liked sours ever since.

 

Creature Comforts' Athena was my foray into sours. I hated Warheads so much as a kid I was sure that sours wouldn't be my thing. I was wrong.

 

Monks cafe.
Duchesse De Beourgeone.
Rodenbach.
Cuvee De Jacobins.

Das how I got turnt to the sour side.

 

It didn't take much to get me on the sour train (I love lemons, lemon juice) but there was a confluence of 3 beers that really opened my eyes to this type of beer.

New Glarus Enigma: A really nuanced, subtle, and balanced example of sour in a beer. Enjoyed this very much

Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose: Very impressed by this one

Destihl Counter Clockweisse Berliner: Blown away by how much flavor was packed into a berliner

 

Rodenbach

 

The one that sold me was the first one I ever tried - Cuvee de Jacobins Rouge!

 

Schultheiss Berliner Weisse (RIP!!!)

As far as Belgian sours......Liefmans Goudenband

 

Sour in the Rye

 

For me it was Blue Sunday and Incorrigible by New Holland. Simple and basic when it comes to sours and at $5 a bomber it was worth the risk without breaking the bank. IMO it's still one of the best deals in craft beer.

 

That's the Berliner Weiss I was trying to remember! Great stuff.

 

We stopped by Strangeways Brewing in Richmond two years ago after they had just opened, and one of their few offerings was a sour. "This beer is awf... wait, this beer is messed... well, strange, it's definitely strange. But intriguing." Word! (that's the name of the American Wild Ale ), that I apparently had after about one month on BA. Definitely been a nice trip since then.

 

+1 for Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge... such a funky palate. Delightful.

 

Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose

 

La Folie...at the time I though I'd be a sour enthusiast from then on. Not the case, with the exception of that one and a few others; I don't enjoy sours near as much as hop-forward & darker beers.

 

Rodenbach Grand Cru for sure. Still one the best sours out there.

 

NB's La Folie.