Want to try some sour beers...

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chaydaw

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Location
Germantown, MD
I have never had a sour/lambic beer that wasn't back sweetened. I'd like to try some but don't exactly know where to start. Can anyone give me some suggestions on what to try and even better where to get them? I live just outside DC if anyone is around this area. Thanks so much!
 
DC gets a decent number of Lambics/Gueuzes (which I love) and Flemish Reds (most of which I don't care for), it also isn't too hard to get bottles of Jolly Pumpkin and a couple other American sours from time to time. Berliner Weisse like 1809 or Bahnhof is another easy place to start.

Might be worth trekking in to Churchkey when they have a couple sours on so you can get samples without investing in a whole bottle of something you might not like.

You can also show up to a DC Homebrewers meeting, let me know and I’ll make sure to bring a few sours.
 
What is churchkey? Never heard of it. Any good beer stores you know of that sell some sours in DC or even north toward Frederick? Thanks for the input.
 
What is churchkey? Never heard of it. Any good beer stores you know of that sell some sours in DC or even north toward Frederick? Thanks for the input.

Churchkey is a fantastic beer place on 14th near Logan circle -- well worth the drive (or better yet, metro it and get sloppy) from Germantown.

Their website appears to be down for the moment, but you can find info & beer list at www.churchkeydc.com
 
Here is a list from a recent tasting event.


Abbaye de St. Bon Chien 2007
A barrel-aged sour ale with a range of astonishing flavors & aromas: tart cherry, spices, brandy, ripe , vinous, velvety, light acidity and very low bitterness, ABV 11%

Allagash Confluence
A wild ale brewed with Brettanomyces & Belgian ale yeast. Spicy, earthy, crisp, with aromas of lemon zest & Brett, ABV 7.4%

Avery Brabant
Brabant is a dark unfiltered beer, fermented entirely with Brett and aged in Zinfandel barrels for nine months, ABV 8.65%

Avery De Vogelbekdieren
A blend of three Avery oak-aged experiments: Oaked Oude Deux, Opus One Reverend, Buffalo Trace Reverend. Rich malt, dark fruit, vinous character, vanilla, baking spices, subtle oak and Brett aroma, ABV 10.5%

Ballast Point Sour Wench
A sour Mash Wheat Ale w/ Blackberries, ABV: 5.4%

Bear Republic Cuvee du Bubba
A custom blend of the beers of Bear Republic, Cuvee du Bubba is re-fermented by wild yeasts in selected wine barrels. The Cuvee is an amber brew with a bouquet of stone fruits and boasts a complex flavor profile of malts backed by a hint of tobacco, and topped off with a tort cherry pie finish. ABV 5.8%

Bockor Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge
Flanders Red Ale, ABV: 5.5%

Boon Oude Lambic Mariage Parfait 2003
Three year old Iambic from a single cask, tart citrus character, wet oak aromas and pronounced earthy Brett character, ABV 8.0%

Bootleggers Kentucky Wild
Bourbon barrel aged for over 15 months, this American Wild Ale exhibits an oaky Bourbon nose with a round caramel malt backbone with acidity and hints of tartness in the finish providing an unusual but refreshing drink reminiscent of sour mash bourbon, ABV ?%

The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse
A tart German-Style wheat beer brewed with lactobacillus and a hint of Brettantomyces, ABV 3.1%

The Bruery Cuvee Juene
Aged in Chardonnay barrels. A crisp hay a green apple nose gives way to a surprisingly complex palate, featuring tart fruit, citrus, wheat, oak, and lactic acid notes, among others, ABV 6.5%

The Bruery Sour in the Rye
American Wild Rye Ale. Our first sour mash release, this high-gravity
rye beer was a pain to get into the fermenter, but you’ll be glad we
took the time. Brewed with a substantial portion of rye malt, the
spicy character of the grain asserts itself with clove and pepper in
the aroma and flavor. Add in sour cherry notes from our special
blend of micro-organisms and vanilla from the red wine barrels and
you’ve got a mouthful! ABV?%

The Bruery White Zin
American Wild Ale with fruit. No, not the wine! Rather, this beer
is a blend of Cuvee Juene with Zinbier, a Belgian blonde fermented
with almost 1000 pounds of zinfandel grapes. Ripe fruit flavors meld
with the biscuity malt to create a unique flavor profile, accentuated
by a refreshing acidity, ABV 7.5%

Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru
A classic, specially selected single batch of Iambic, aged three years in
oak cask, ABV 5%

Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise 2005
Very rare unblended raspberry Iambic, aged in oak barrels,
with almost twice the amount of raspberries of the normal blended
Framboise, ABV 5%

Craftsman Summers End Sour
À sour pale ale, ABV ?%

Deschutes Green Monster
Green Lakes Organic ale aged with two strains of Brettanomyces
& lactobacillus, ABV: 7.5%

Deschutes Little Buddha
Flanders Style Sour Ale aged with Boysenberries and two strains
of Brettanomyces, ABV 10.3%

Duchesse de Bourgogne (cellared 1yr.)
A traditional Flemish red ale matured in oak casks, smooth with a
rich texture and interplay of cherry, passion fruit, and chocolate,
and a long, dry, acidic finish, ABV 6 %

Echt Kriekenbier (cellared 3yrs+)
A traditional Flemish cherry ale, aromas of Kirsch brandy, vanilla, oak and a late surge of passion-fruit flavors with some acidy, ABV 6.8 %

Green Flash Grand Mantis
Green Flash Grand Cru aged in Merlot Barrels w/ Brett ABV 9.1%

Ichtegem’s Grand Cru
Traditional Flemish Red Ale made from a blend of two beers aged in Bordeaux wine barrels, ABV: 6.5%

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja Grand Reserve
A Flanders-style, artisan amber ale that has been aged additionally in bourbon and wine barrels, ABV: 8 %

Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme
A massive brown ale base that is made from Malted Barley, Raisins, Candy Sugar and Sour Cherries, this beer is fully fermented before being placed in Bourbon barrels, where it ages for one year with Sour Cherries & Brett, ABV 11 %

Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze
An American wild ale brewed with naturally occurring yeast, blended from young & old barrel aged beers inspired by the great gueuze lambics of Belgium, ABV 7%

Lost Abbey Isabelle Proximus
A collaboration between Tomme Arthur, Vinnie Cilurzo, Lorenzo Dabove, Rob Tod,
Adam Avery and Sam Calagione, this American Wild Ale is aged in oak barrels from
each of the 6 participating breweries & blended to perfection, ABV 7 %

Lost Abbey Phunky Duck
An unblended, barrel-aged American wild ale brewed with naturally occurring
yeast & microflora.

Moonlight Sour Puss Black (cellared 1.5 yrs.)
A sour version of Death and Taxes Black Lager, ABV 5 %

Moonlight 25 to Life
American Wild Ale, ABV: ?%

New Belgium Eric’s Ale ‘08
Ale with peach juice and aged in oak barrels, ABV 7%

New Belgium Lechee Tart
Ale with lechees and cinnamon. Aged in oak barrels. ABV 6.4

New Belgium La Folie
A wood-aged beer, resting in French Oak barrels between one and three years. Brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert, from Rodenbach, emulates the spontaneous fermentation beers of Flanders with sour apple notes, a dry effervescence, and earthy undertones, ABV 6%

New Belgium Le Terroir
An American Wild Ale barrel-aged for two years and then dry-hopped with Amarillo and cascade hops for 8 days., ABV 6.3%

New Belgium Love Barrel #30
Aged in an oak Foeder at the brewery. It is the unblended starter for all of New Belgium’s wood-aged beers. ABV 6%

New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek
This Kriek ale began in the wooden vessels at Brouwerij Boon undergoing the natural alchemy that can only occur in the Iambic region of Belgium. There, fresh cherries were added. Then it embarked on a refrigerated, trans-Atlantic journey to New Belgium Brewing in Colorado, USA. Upon arrival, the intense cherry, cedary-lambic character of the Boon contribution was woven with an expansive, subtly floral fermented composition from New Belgium, ABV 7.8%

Ommegang Rouge Grand Cru (Bockor) Batch #1
Brewed in Belgium by Bockor, for Ommegang. An authentic Flemish red ale aged 18 months in French oak. ABV 5.5%

Ommegang Rouge Grand Cru (Bockor) Batch #2
See Batch #1
Rodenbach Grand Cru
A traditional Flemish red ale blended from 1/3 young beer and 2/3 beer aged for years in large oak vats. The more important proportion of oak matured beer contributes to its fruity taste, complexity and intensity RV 6%
Russian River Consecration Batch #1
A strong dark ale aged for 6 months inside used cabernet sauvignon barrels with currants added, ABV 10.5%

Russian River Consecration Batch # 2
See Batch 1

Russian River Temptation
A blonde ale aged in French oak chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces; flavors of wine and oak absorb into the brew throughout its aging. ABV 7.25%

St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition
A traditional Gueuze Lambic with hints of zesty lemon & ripe peaches mingled with rustic musty notes of wild yeast. This Gueuze is brewed in small batches, infused with a perfume of farm-fresh horse-blanket, medium-bodied and has a dry sour fruit flavor, ABV 5%

Telegraph Reserve Wheat
This intensely sour “wild ale” recalls the earliest rustic beers crafted centuries ago before brewers had an understanding of controlled fermentation. Brewed with the addition of lemon verbena, as well as lactobocillus and brettanomyces, ABV 5.7%

Valley Brewing Chile Wonka Sour
The beer starts with Central Valley Golden, Luna Blanca, aged in bourbon barrels for one year. The barrel imparts a natural aroma of chile peppers from the addition of organic rainforest coffee beans in a previous use. The Wonka effect is achieved through the addition of Scharffenberger Cacao Nibs into the barrel. Aromas of chile peppers, flavors of chocolate and a dry sourness define this truly unique beer, ABV 5.8%

Valley Brewing Olallieberry Sour
An American Style Sour created from Central Valley Golden & Luna Blanca soured in white wine barrels with 80 pounds of fresh olallieberries in each barrel. The beer is allowed to re-ferment and sour for 1 year before release, ABV 6.5%
 
I recently found a cantillon kriek at a shop in northern nj. Having never tasted a real lambic I was curious. All I'd ever had sour-wise was a flanders red by monk's cafe, and to me it was like drinking straight vinegar. the cantillon was more like drinking stomach bile. I guess it's acetic vs lactic. I'm gonna go ahead and just fess up to not quite being there yet on the sour beer appreciation. I'll keep trying, though, when the opportunity arises.
 
What is churchkey? Never heard of it. Any good beer stores you know of that sell some sours in DC or even north toward Frederick? Thanks for the input.

As the other poster said it is the big new beer bar in DC. They just had a Joly Pumpkin event that sadly I didn't make it to. If you hit there the Whole Foods around the corner has some good stuff.

Chevy Chase Wine and Spirits (on Connecticut Ave), Perfect Pour (in Columbia MD near Maryland Homebrew), and Village Pump (College Park) are all worth checking out. The problem with Maryland is Montgomery County, the country acts as the distributor which makes getting anything limited release a pain to get.

Have you checked out Beers and Cheers in Germantown? I've never been but the reviews are decent: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/19351/view=beerfly
 
Thanks for the info oldsock. I have been to beers and cheers several times. In face it was a visit there that prompted this thread. All they had were sweetened lambics. I asked if they had any unsweetened and he said no but if I told him a brand he would order it for me.
 
Thanks for the info oldsock. I have been to beers and cheers several times. In face it was a visit there that prompted this thread. All they had were sweetened lambics. I asked if they had any unsweetened and he said no but if I told him a brand he would order it for me.

Assuming they have the sweetened Lindemans they should be able to get their Cuvee Rene. It is a bit more restrained than some of the others, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing (and the price is usually pretty reasonable, ~$10 for a 750). Good luck.
 
I don't have much experience with sour beers, but I tried this for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it blew me away!
Can't help with availability across the pond though...

IMAG0077.jpg
 
I just drank Jolly Pumpkin for the first time (La Roja). It's probably my second favorite sour (Consecration FTW). One of those beers that just put a smile on my face from the first nose to the second to last sip. The last sip is a frown. I am a fan of a hint of vinegar though. Also, I guess JP changes from batch to batch.
 
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