Trying Sours...Recommendations?

[couchsending]

It’s shocking how much odd info there is in this thread.

I would say the New Belgium “sour” beers are the most readily available,
best US produced, examples of this “style”. They are incredibly well executed beers. I can’t stand NB clean beers personally but their “Sour” beers are really quite good. These beers are made in the traditional extended aging method using a mixed culture consisting of Brett and various bacteria. Interesting enough they actually primary ferment with lager yeast but fermented warm. This style could just as easily be considered “farmhouse”. It’s all marketing. Their production method for these beers is very similar to Rodenbach.

Kettle Sours are maybe what got me into the style and I’ve made two but never again. The sourness is so one dimensional.

Not all Brett produces “farmhouse” characteristics. It depends on the strain, how it’s used, and how long it has aged. There are plenty of awesome “farmhouse” styles that don’t have much barnyard. There are plenty of Brett strains that will produce some of the most amazing aromatic compounds you’ve ever smelt in a beer without any “horse blanket” or “farmhouse” qualities. Pineapple, lemon, strawberry, you name it Brett can make it. It can also turn odd or off flavors into amazing ones.

I would suggest if you want to explore this style do some research on the BA. There are tons of kettle sours out there but honestly they don’t do the “Sour” beer style justice.

If you’re in Illinois I would suggest looking for some Jolly Pumpkin, you should be able to find it. They have a Sour scale on their bottles which could be helpful. And if you wanted to make a “sour” beer their dregs are some of the best to use. Not sure if you can find Jackie Os in your area, but they’re another awesome Midwest brewery producing some awesome mixed fermentation beers. Not sure if Upland is available near you or not. Never had their beer but heard good things about their oak aged sour beers.

For someone just getting into sour beers I wouldn’t necessarily recommend traditional Belgian Geuze. It could be a bit of a shock. Personally I find the backsweetened sweet “sour” beers disgusting and somewhat of a disgrace to the style.

 

[radwizard]

Yeah, Brett often gets a one word description for some odd reason. I don't really get that. Can you accurately describe Saccharomyces flavors in a few words? I'm not sure why Brettanomyces would be different...

I agree with the above. Based on your location, Jolly Pumpkin would be an excellent choice. Bam Biere is supper tasty, and using JP dregs is a good idea for a new sour brewer.

Reading American Sours got me really interested in trying different sour beers produced by brewers featured in the book. It is interesting to taste the beers after you understand the brewers methods a bit.

 

[ESBrewer]

Looks like they have the Boon Black Label Geuze at my store, @ESBrewer so I'll be able to try out that one. I see a spreadsheet in my future just to keep track of all the ones I need to sample.

Black label is highly rated and was decent when I once tried it. You should try that as well. But I prefer their standard Oude Geuze over Black label. These beers are traditional, dry and sour, not back sweetened or anything like that (yes, some bad examples of sour beers could be). These are mixtures of lambics of different ages and the residual sugar in younger beer promotes secondary fermentation. These beers tend to mature in the bottle and the taste may evolve so it depends when you drink it. If I remember correctly, I liked Timmermans version as well, but I didn't like Oud Beersel that much. But it could be about the right timing as I mentioned. Right now I'm drinking Oud Beersel Bersalis, which IS a mixture of a blonde ale and a lambic. Decent but nothing too exceptional. I prefer the high quality lambics.

 

[mj1angier]

If ya'll ever get down/ up to N.C., give Barrel Culture a try. https://www.facebook.com/BarrelCulture/

It is not your granddaddies sours!!

 

[Morrey]

While a Brett barrel aged sour from Crooked Stave or Wicked Weed may take many months, a nice Gose is wonderful and can be ready in just a few weeks. Kettle souring is really neat...you may be surprised how fun this is to brew. Anderson Valley and Westbrook are good examples of Gose style to attempt cloning.