This week is SF Beer Week, and yesterday, I attended a sour beer tasting at The Jug Shop, where I got to sample 18 sour beers. I’ve been wanting to learn more about sour beers since I discovered Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale and Deschutes‘ The Dissident. Here are my notes. The ones I really liked have an asterisk next to them.
1. Leipziger Gose - very pale color, wheat/lemon notes, very dry finish. Light-bodied with some carbonation.
(*) 2. Rodenbach Grand Cru – bronze color with some reddish tint. Notes of sour apple/cherry and malt, subtle touch of vinegar. Smooth mouthfeel, light body. I think this would be great paired with cheese.
(*) 3. Liefmans Goudenband – Copper brown in color. Very nutty and malty notes, hints of apple cider vinegar. Some oak notes. Smooth, medium-bodied finish.
4. Grande Dame Oud Bruin – dark reddish brown color with a very fruity aroma reminiscent of plums and cherries, some hints of oak. Acidic finish, light bodied with slight carbonation.
5. Fantôme Pissenlit – very pale color, slightly foamy. Very light bodied with wheat and lemon notes.
6. Fantôme Spéciale De Noel – Caramel colored with fruit and wheat notes. Medium bodied with a finish that tasted slightly like tart apples and honey. Very complex and kind of hard to figure out.
(*) 7. L’Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien – Color of burnt caramel, with strong fruity notes and some malt. Oaky/cherry finish, medium bodied.
8. Haandbakk – Reddish brown color with very malty notes. Taste is acidic and antiseptic, almost like pine tar. Very dry finish.
9. Oud Beersel Oude Gueuze Vieille – very pale golden color. Very fragrant and complex on the nose. Very dry finish.
10. Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René – Golden colored, with notes of honey and pear. Hints of lemon – very dry and medium-bodied.
11. Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze – very pale color and somewhat cloudy. Very yeasty amd funky notes. Very tart on the palate, like rhubarb. Dry finish.
12. Russian River Sanctification – pale color and murky. Tart, fruity, and malty notes – fruit smells like apple and pear. A very dry, crisp, and tart finish.
13. Russian River Temptation – Light golden color. Notes of malt, oak, apple. Grassy and green apple in the mouth with a very dry and clean finish.
14. Russian River Supplication – Reddish caramel color, with a very fruity nose – like cherry and rhubarb. Very tart sour cherry and oaky flavor and medium-bodied. Dry finish.
(*) 15. Russian River Consecration – Nice burnt caramel color. Very malty and fruity notes with lots of cherry and oak. Medium bodied, semi-dry finish.
16. Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Vieille – Raspberry colored, some carbonation. Malty and fruity notes, like apples and berries. Very light bodied with cherry tastes, very dry finish. Would pair well with a goat cheese.
(*) 17 Cascade Kriek Ale – very rich copper color with very distinctive cherry notes. Semi-dry mouthfeel with definite cherry palate. Medium-bodied with hints of apple.
18. Oudbeitje Lambic – Pale yellow color and murky. Malty notes with hints of strawberry and rhubarb. Very astringent.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
My favorite sours from the ones on your list are:
L’Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien (they are in Switzerland)
Supplication
Consecration
Cascade Kriek
Temptation
This year’s Dissident was not as sour as the 2008 vintage. I’m letting my bottles age for a couple years hoping it will get more sour.
I noticed that you tend to prefer sours that have a darker, vinous character. Seek out Duchesse De Bourgogne, a wine-like sourness. I use this to make french onion soup (fantastic recipe) and check out the Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek and Framboise.
For Cascade (Portland, OR) bottles, seek out Apricot, Sang Rouge, as well as the Bourbonic (a sour aged and blended with bourbon)… Another notable sour beer brewery is Upright Brewing (small artisan brewery)
Cheers,
BG
Hey Brendan! Funny, I just had a Duchesse de Bourgogne 2 weeks ago and really liked it. I’ll keep an eye out for the others you mentioned. Thanks!