Sour beer

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Mcsuck

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I've never had a sour beer and been wanting to try one, any suggestions on a few good ones to pick up?
 
Monks Cafe Flemmish Red is really good. New Belgium's La Folie is pretty good as well.
 
rodenbach grand cru....delish

This was the first non-fruit sour I ever really enjoyed, it is great.

What is EXTREMELY delicious and got me wanting to try all the sours out there are the Lindemann's Fruit Lambics. I see them at many grocery stores, big green bottles with yellow labels. Give those a try they taste just like Martinelli's Sparkling Cider.
 
Yeah, supplication by Russian River is their best one in my opinion consecration is delicious as well but not quite as good as supplication.
 
What can you get? The duchess, rodenbach, and monks are all readily available and pretty good. But if you're in a decent Shelton market then there are many many more. My current favorite is probably cuvee de ranke. Or try anything from jolly pumpkin, they're all good.
 
Haven't been able to get my hands on Rodenbach yet, but Duchesse is a great one.

Cantillion definitely if you can get your hands on it.

I'd also recommend the Monk's Flemish Red.

I'd also add:

Oude Gueuze Tilquin à L'Ancienne
1809 Berliner Weisse
Lindeman's Gueuze Cuvee Rene (that one should be pretty easy to find, and it's MUCH better than their fruit lambics)
 
I second every choice in this thread.

Except maybe Monk's Cafe (too sweet, not very sour at all, but I still buy it on occasion) and Duchesse (definitely try it, but there's variability and age makes a big difference in flavor).
 
Stay away from New Belgium's La Folie and Bruery's Mother Funker.

Those are way too sour for a first.
 
cfonnes said:
Stay away from New Belgium's La Folie and Bruery's Mother Funker.

Those are way too sour for a first.

La folie is ridonkulously good. But yes way too sour for a first timer.

The first sour I had was The Duchesse. While it is a sweeter example its a great sour beer to start with.
 
La Folie is good if you like a lot of acetic character. It's not good if you don't. My enjoyment threshold for acetic acid is fairly low so while I can appreciate a little La Folie and I think it's well made, I don't enjoy it enough to want to purchase it.

Liefman's Goudenband is getting wider distribution so that might be available in your area as well.

Personally I think Petrus oud bruin and Lindeman's Cuvee Rene are the easiest entry points to sour beer without getting overwhelmed by sourness. Some people seem to think Cuvee Rene is very sour. I don't think it is. Petrus oud bruin is a mix of sour and non-sour beer so it's not too sour and the flavor is not incredibly complex but it is tart without that cloying sweetness of Duchess or Monk's Cafe.
 
I don't really see either Monk's Cafe or Duchesse as cloying. Sweeter than others, for sure, but I think think of it as balanced, and it makes them great cherry-poppers for new sour drinkers. At least, that's my opinion. I see the Lindeman's fruit lambics as cloying.
 
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