Sour beers suck?

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Are Sour Beers Yummy?

  • Hecks yeah! Me likely some tartness!

  • 's ok. I enjoy one now and again.

  • Not sure, I've never had the pleasure of trying one.

  • Take that masty stuff back to Hell where it came from!


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Homercidal

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Someone posted a poll regarding IPAs, and I was curious about why people liked sour beers, so I thought maybe the same principle could be applied to them as well, to get an idea about their relative popularity.

I've find them to be kind of nasty. I tried a Lambic once, from the bottle, and it was drinkable, but honestly probably the worst beer I'd had at that point. I tried a Raspberry Lambic at a beer fest, and everyone was raving about it, so I tried that.

I literally had to choke it down and focus on not throwing up. It tasted very much as though I had already thrown up some bile from my stomach. Well, I kept it down (can't waste beer), but I really made me set against ever wanting to try it again.

Now, to be fair, I don't care much for sour stuff. I don't generally eat fruits, and don't care for any fruit flavored candies or especially sour candies.

After that Raspberry Lambic, I got back to drinking the other stuff, and managed to wash the nasty taste away.
 
it's an acquired taste, like rauchbier. I was offput the first one I had too, but maybe you need to ease into them. Start with a berlinerweisse. Then move on to less-sour, more-sweet lambics, like from Lindemans. Then once you acquire that taste, you can move to the heavy hitters like Cantillon, Hanssen's, Boon, etc.

You'll be glad that you did. I never thought I'd like Rauchbier, but I have 5gals in my lagerator right now. Same goes for sour beers---Hanssen's Kreik is one of the best beers I've ever had.

Of course, maybe you'll just never get into it---to each his own---but I firmly believe that it's an acquired taste like most other things. I'm sure at age 18 you weren't drinking russian imperial stouts, right?
 
So you tried one sour beer, didn't like it, and therefore sour beers suck? Huh?

I've only had a few sour beers, some I liked, some I didn't, but no where near enough to say that they're all either good or bad. Russian River's all-Brett beer, can't remember the name, was one of the best things I've ever had. I kinda like DFH's quasi-Berliner Weisse, can't remember that either. Both had a very tart, fruity character, very crisp, extremely drinkable.

I also can't stand Rodenbach Grand Gru, it's just way too much vinegar character for me.

I've also had the fake-ish fruit lambics, the ones that are way backsweetened... which taste good, but might as well be Kool-Aid. I don't even really think of those as being "beer".

But, you've got to try more than one sour beer before you make up your mind!
 
So you tried one sour beer, didn't like it, and therefore sour beers suck? Huh?

I've only had a few sour beers, some I liked, some I didn't, but no where near enough to say that they're all either good or bad. Russian River's all-Brett beer, can't remember the name, was one of the best things I've ever had. I kinda like DFH's quasi-Berliner Weisse, can't remember that either. Both had a very tart, fruity character, very crisp, extremely drinkable.

I also can't stand Rodenbach Grand Gru, it's just way too much vinegar character for me.

I've also had the fake-ish fruit lambics, the ones that are way backsweetened... which taste good, but might as well be Kool-Aid. I don't even really think of those as being "beer".

But, you've got to try more than one sour beer before you make up your mind!

Well, yes, I have an open mind, but I actually tried *two*. Anyway, I don't suspect I'll care much for them, because I just don't care much for tart things. But I'm willing to try them out if I can be convinced that there are some good ones out there. Part of the reason for creating this thread is so that I might learn of which styles and brands are highly though of. I'm already getting good feedback that way.
 
It's one thing for me to try a 4oz sample glass of something sour, quite another to try and finish a 750ml bottle by myself.
 
Evan! I agree about acquiring tastes. I'm actually enjoying IPA's now and couldn't stand them before.

Have tried a few sours so far and definately don't seek them out. However, I am always open to tasting new/different things, so I will be trying sours again in the future.
 
I also can't stand Rodenbach Grand Gru, it's just way too much vinegar character for me.

More for me! I love the Grand Cru. The classic Rodenbach is ok, but the Grand Cru shines in my opinion.

The Russian River sours (pretty much all of them) are amazing.
 
Sour beers, like basically every other style, can't be judged on one example or one type of beer within that style. There is a huge range of beverages that you could classify as under the sour umbrella and not all of them are dosed with cough syrupy fruit flavorings or so extremely sour. Berliner Weiss, Flanders Red, Lambic, Gueuze, Oud Bruin, ect...there is a whole world of beers you're shutting the door on.
 
Sour beers, like basically every other style, can't be judged on one example or one type of beer within that style. There is a huge range of beverages that you could classify as under the sour umbrella and not all of them are dosed with cough syrupy fruit flavorings or so extremely sour. Berliner Weiss, Flanders Red, Lambic, Gueuze, Oud Bruin, ect...there is a whole world of beers you're shutting the door on.

I agree. Try something like the Petrus Aged Pale next to a Lambic. They are nothing alike. I can very much understand someone not liking a lambic and then appreciating another one of the sour styles.
 
While I'm sure that the sour beers you are talking about are tasty to you, I just don't like anything sour. Not lemon-aid, not vinegar oil on my salad, not any thing. But that's me. Sause on the other hand...
 
I didn't vote. I love sour flavors and hate sour beers. That doesn't mean they're bad, just don't serve one to me.
 
I have tried allot of sours beers over the years and have despised every single one. Then some time will pass and i will end trying one again either because i want to try something new or because i think maybe my taste buds have changed........nope still despise em every time.

They taste like spoiled rotten beer to me.
 
Besides a blackberry hefe gone terribly wrong, I've only had a SA Cranberry Lambic...phooey!
 
SA Cranberry Lambic is not a sour beer - it's a gross cranberry wheat beer. Blech. Real lambics on the other hand... it's like anything worth liking. At first, I just didn't get it, but with a little effort, I now don't know how I ever lived without it!
 
Of course, maybe you'll just never get into it---to each his own---but I firmly believe that it's an acquired taste like most other things. I'm sure at age 18 you weren't drinking russian imperial stouts, right?

See, I don't get this whole "acquired taste" thing. Sure I wasn't drinking RISes at 18--I wasn't drinking anything. The only thing I really bounced off of when I first tried it was white wine (odd but true). The things people point to as acquired tastes (Islay Scotches, sour beers, hoppy beers, etc.) are generally things I fell in love with instantly.
 
I've find them to be kind of nasty. I tried a Lambic once, from the bottle, and it was drinkable, but honestly probably the worst beer I'd had at that point. I tried a Raspberry Lambic at a beer fest, and everyone was raving about it, so I tried that.

I literally had to choke it down and focus on not throwing up. It tasted very much as though I had already thrown up some bile from my stomach. Well, I kept it down (can't waste beer), but I really made me set against ever wanting to try it again.

Now, to be fair, I don't care much for sour stuff. I don't generally eat fruits, and don't care for any fruit flavored candies or especially sour candies.

After that Raspberry Lambic, I got back to drinking the other stuff, and managed to wash the nasty taste away.

I've tried Lindeman's Raspberry lambic and had the same reaction. It tasted like bad koolaid to me.

However Lindemanns are artifically sweetened. The real lambics are very dry. I love the real Lambics and Flander's Reds I have tried. Look for Cantilon, Lindeman's Gran Curee (sp), Rodenbach Gran Cru. These are all great beers that I love.

Craig
 
I'm slowly starting to acquire taste for many styles that I wrote off after a few tastes. I hated IPAs, Imperial anythings, and of all blasphemy anything with that Belgian phenol.

Everything has changed.
 
See, I don't get this whole "acquired taste" thing. Sure I wasn't drinking RISes at 18--I wasn't drinking anything. The only thing I really bounced off of when I first tried it was white wine (odd but true). The things people point to as acquired tastes (Islay Scotches, sour beers, hoppy beers, etc.) are generally things I fell in love with instantly.

I think I am very similar. I was told beer was an acquired taste. I tried it several times in high school and college but never like it. Then I was introduced to good beer and loved it. Since that point RIS is probably my favorite style. IPAs are good and ofcourse sour beers.

However I can't stand the "entry level" sour beers like the sweetened Lambics. Rodenbach Grand Cru and Lindeman's Cuvée René are very good, and ofcourse Cantilon. The only reason I don't drink sour beers more often is they are very expensive.

Craig
 
...and of all blasphemy anything with that Belgian phenol.

I have been trying to acquire a taste for the Belgian beers but I can't quite get over that phenol taste yet. Although I must say I just tried a Chimay red (Premier?) and the phenol taste was much more subtle - that's a very nice beer.

Haven't tried any sour beers yet, but this thread has provided some inspiration!
 

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