Sour Beers

[DougOLis]

Stone Brewery is having a Sour Fest this coming Sunday and I wanted to get a recommendation of beers I should definitely try.

http://www.stonebrew.com/calendar/080...

[Josh]

So how was it?

[DougOLis]

It was fantastic. You didn't get a chance to make it up?

I tried to focuse on the beers I hadn't tried or seen before so I stayed away from the Cantillons, Boons (haven't cared for them before), and Rodenbachs. I have a bottle of Supplication at home so I skipped that but did go for the other Russian River offerings. I think Temptation was my favorite of those 3 but all were great in there own way.

The standout for me was definitely Isabelle Proximus. It has an immense drinkability and is sour without being ofputting. It was exactly what I hoped for and liked in a sour beer. I'm not sure what the availability is of it now, but if you get a chance definitely try.

The Black Marlin was really interesting and not at all what I expected. I had low expectations going in for it but came out quite impressed.

Also tried the Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze and while I thought it was good I'm not sure I'd drink it again. It was pretty intense and sour and actually kind of reminded me of Alpine's Briscoe.

I forget if there was anything else I tried, but those are the points that stick out right now.

[Josh]

Yeah, wasn't able to make it up unfortunately. Just back from a vacation and had things to do. I recently had the Drie Fonteinen gueuze at Hamilton's, and I agree with your assessment of it. A friend of mine picked up some of the Isabelle, so I have tried it. I liked it, but honestly don't think it's worth the money. When it comes to gueuze, my go-to favorite is Oud Beersel, which is both reasonably priced, and delicious. Girardin is also good, but quite a bit pricier.

[Whisper]

Just had a bottle of Fantome Saison and all I can say is WOW! If you like saisons, or just sour beers in general, this is one excellent selection from our friends at Brasserie Fantome in Belgium. Highly recommended.

[TBird]

went to captain lawrence the day they released cuvee de castleton and they sold out 30 minutes before i got there(they sold out in 1 hr, 15 mins).
the following week they sent me an email that showed where they had sent about 2 cases at retail. none were nowhere near me.
try bierkraft, my wife says. i go there all the time for growler refills and of course, cheese, but they weren't on the list.
walked in monday and lo and behold, there were two bottles sitting there like the second coming of christ.

i got the golden ticket!!

[tmso]

Berliner Weissbier blew my mind the first time I had it. Not sure how well it would travel in bottles, though.

[JessKidden]

According to the German Beer Institute- "All Berliner Weisse nowadays comes exclusively in a squatt, 0.33-liter (11.16-fl. oz.) bottle. There is no draft Berliner Weisse." http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Berliner_Weisse.html

Of course, the the two most recent German BW's, carried by B. United don't come in that traditional bottle (what US brewers used to call the "steinie bottle")-

http://www.bunitedint.com/portfolios/producers/bayrischer_bahnhof/weisse/overview.php
http://www.bunitedint.com/portfolios/...

...but from what I understand, both of these are pretty much "for export to US" beers.

Those two bottles (along with the apparently no longer exported, Kindl) seems to travel OK in their bottles. That same German website notes that "... Berliner Weisse can be stored in a cool dark place for up to five years..." so I'll still pick up old Berliner Kindl Weisse's when I find 'em, even tho' the "Best Before" dates are 2007.

Tho', this summer my main Berliner Weisse is Dogfish Head's Festina Peche.

[tmso]

Cool, thanks for the correction. And that's good news for those of us outside of Berlin.

[Beach Chick]

Is the 'Sour Fest' for the food or the beer?..hee hee
I might be in the area..cool

[Whisper]

I'd certainly try the offerings from Jolly Pumpkin (I know, strange name but they make great sour beers). Among those on the list, their Oro de Calabaza is excellent.

[Josh]

I generally agree with LStaff's suggestions, with the exception of La Folie and Rodenbach. I think those are both really overrated. The ones I would *skip* (because you can get them at pubs in San Diego like O'Brien's or Hamilton's) are: Petrus Aged Pale, Oud Beersel, Orval, Girardin, Hanssens, Cantillon, Boon, Lindemans.

I'd definitely try all the Ballast Point offerings. They make surprisingly good sour beers. Deschutes is a good producer, I had no idea they did sours. I'd probably want to try those. Isabelle Proximus is great, don't miss that one.

[JRSD]

Definitely try the Isabelle Proximus from Lost Abbey - a great beer. I have not heard of the Sinner's 08 and that will probably be something that you won't see around too much.

I love the Eric's Ale from New Belgium, a sour peach beer. Definitely cannot go wrong with the Russian River beers as well. Avery 15, Le Folie and Rodenbach are excellent, but I have seen them at O'brien's several times and so you may not need to try them when you are working on limited tasters. The Avery 15 has a very wild/funky taste that was not very fruity but also very good.

I drink a fair amount of sours, and even if I just chose off the taps could still use all my tasters on things I have never tried. Haven't sorted out my transportation, but hopefully see you there!

[LStaff]

I would start off with something mild and sweeter like Boon Kriek, Boon Marriage parfait then see how the Boon Oude Kriek differs, then check out all the Russian River beers - Supplication being my favorite and a world class beer imo. Don't miss Drie Fontienen and Giradin as they seem to be hard to find elsewhere. And you can't miss the classic lambic producer Cantillon if you are not familiar with those beers. Maybe try New belgium Le Folie, and Rodenbach beers if you never had them before. Not all that familiar with the west coast brewery offerings.

Looks like a fun time.