In My Glass- Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

This is one of my favorite styles.  I haven't reviewed very many of them though, so hang with me.  I know what I like in a Flemish Red (Rodenbach Grand Cru's sour tartness), and kind of compare every other Flemish Red to the Grand Cru.

The Monk's Cafe pours a dark brown with hints of red.  It has a nice head to it (one inch) that quickly disappears.  The nose presents a sourness to it.  You can also pick up quite a bit of acidity which is typical.  On the first sip, I can tell the acidity will be a prominent part of the beer.  The acidity overpowers the sour tartness, but the sourness is still a very active taste.  It tastes as if it is a green apple sour, very nice.

The beer is smooth, kind of creamy, but not heavy.  I am slightly surprised by how light it is in the mouth and still being slightly creamy.  As the beer warmed, the acidity smoothed out, even though it was still dominant, making the beer drinkable.  I would not suggest the Monk's Cafe Flemish Red to someone that has not had a Flemish Red before, I would rather suggest the Leroy Paulus I had the other day, as the flavors are more muted and less offensive or active.  But if someone knows what kind of beer they are getting into. the Monk's Cafe Flemish Red would be a great beer to have.  Probably not more than one or two of the, but a nice beer to drink.