intro to sour beers?

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gratefuldisc

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I'm feeling adventurous. I am sorta interested in trying some commercial examples of sour ales. can anyone recommend a good place to start?
 
I think DFH Festina Peche is a really easy sour to get into. I believe they call it a "session sour". From there you can try an Eric's Ale from the New Belgium Lips of Faith series.
 
I didnt realize that dfh festina peche was a sour. I see it all the time at my local packy but I've never tried it. I think they even sell it in singles... thanks.
 
It fairly mild for a sour, but at least you'll get an idea if you'll like them. The Lips of Faith Sour Brown Ale is really good also, but it's a much more "in your face" sour. One of my favorites though.
 
i didnt notice festina peche to have any characteristics of a sour at all. more like a basic peach wheat beer. drink cantillon. failing that cuvee rene from lindemans is fairly easy to find.
 
I had Cuvee Rene for the first time recently, and I loved it. But man was it sour...I mean just face puckering. I really like Jolly Pumpkin's Oro de Calabaza (I hope I'm spelling that right...) It's got a lot of funk, but not a whole lot of sourness. I really love that stuff.
 
I'm feeling the same way as the OP, I'm interested in trying some sour beers. I didn't like them in the past, but I feel like now they're something that I could get into. I've had the La Folie mentioned above, and it was interesting to say the least.

The main thing for me that keeps me from really liking them (I think) is that I feel like I can really only taste pure sourness. I feel like the sourness keeps me from tasting anything else in the beers, although in La Folie I felt like I was also getting a winey character (I think it's aged in wine barrels). Anyone else feel this way?
 
I think it depends on the type of sour. If its flanders red/brown, Kriek (et all), lambic, gueuze. Since all the styles are different, it makes a huge difference in taste. Just had some Monk cafe flemish sour ale from the tap tonight, and it was very mild. Compare that to the gueuze I had that was like a 2x4 to the face. I guess my point is that you cant lump all sours together. After reading the "wild brews" book, it made it very clear that they are all made very different. It would be like comparing a stout to an IPA. So try a few and find a style that suits you! Im more of a flanders or kreik lambic fan myself.
 
I think DFH Festina Peche is a really easy sour to get into. I believe they call it a "session sour". From there you can try an Eric's Ale from the New Belgium Lips of Faith series.

i don't think that's a very good one too sour imo. if you are looking for a good peach beer that is more balanced I had tried a Peche Lambic that I thought was really good
 
Go big or go home:
rodenbach-grand-cru.jpg
 
My fav is Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne, "The Burgundies of Belgium". Very nice balance of sour and maltiness. It's a blend of 8 and 18 months old cask aged ales.

duchesse.jpg
 
My fav is Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne, "The Burgundies of Belgium". Very nice balance of sour and maltiness. It's a blend of 8 and 18 months old cask aged ales.

Tastes like A1 steak sauce. definitely large on the vinegar.
 
Tastes like A1 steak sauce. definitely large on the vinegar.

I respectfully disagree. To my taste it is actually quite malty. Its like a nice balance of wine and beer together. Granted I've only had it on tap, maybe its different in a bottle.

To my mouth I find something like a Rodenbach Flemish Sour Ale as vinegary. You have to work half way through a pint before you come to appreciate its pronounced sour cask flavor.
 
Telling someone to get cantillion gueuze or lindemans cuvee rene as an intro to sour is a sure way to turn them off. To me those beers are definition of acquired taste. I love those beers, but only appreciated them after working my way through milder sours.

I recently had someone who swears they hate all things sour try a victory wild devil. While not funky by any means, they loved it, and could still pick up some of the differences that the brett provided to the beer. Also while not considered 'real' by lambic enthusiasts, the lindemans kriek/framboise are also good to see if you like the associated tartness/acidity and slight funk of sour beers. They are considerably sweet for the style, so they aren't nearly as sour/funky/etc as other lambics.
 
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