The Session #54- Sours

This month's The Session is hosted by Jon at The Brew Site.  The topic: Sours.  Something I find close to my heart.

I’ve been gradually exploring Sour Beer and finding myself seeking out and trying various beers which fit into the “sour” realm (yes, I’m purposefully avoiding the word “style” here as it is entirely too loaded): beers inoculated with wild yeasts, soured with fruit (often in conjunction with those wild yeasts and barrel-aging), lactic acid beers like Berliner Weisse-influenced beers and the rare Gose, and so on. It’s a challenging area, both in acquiring a taste for soured beer and in brewing them—fortunately many brewers are being adventurous and branching out these days, giving us many more options.

So that’s our topic for August: Sour Beer. I’ll leave the implementation up to you, but here are some suggestions: seek out and review a sour beer of some kind; write about your experiences with brewing a sour beer; talk about your first sour beer experience; who’s brewing the better sours—Belgians or Americans (or somebody else)?; perhaps a contrary approach—what you don’t like about sour beers. Or if you have the perfect sour beer idea you want to write about, I can’t wait to read it!

For me, a non-drinker for the first 21 years 18 days of my life, crashing into the world of craft beer was fun.  I did not become used to the BMC light lagers, and could not stand them when I started drinking.  One piece of advice my brother gave me, a couple years before I started drinking, went something like this: "No matter what you are doing, do it because you like it.  There are people here (we were at a party) drinking Bud Light to get drunk, even though they hate it.  They would enjoy this so much more if they were drinking something they liked."  Now, college parties are going to be full of whatever is the cheapest thing available, but the "drink what you like" idea is what I base my beers off of.  My wife and I don't drink a lot of red wine, why? We don't like it (I will enjoy a Malbec with a good steak, but that is about it).

Fast forward 5-6 years from that party, and I was sitting in Max's Taphouse trying many different beers.  By this time, I had become a hophead, trying all beers of all styles trying to find what I liked and didn't like.  I saw a style on the list that I didn't ever have before; I asked for a Rodenbach Grand Cru.  BOOM!  I don't think I understood the flavors in my mouth, but still to this day my mouth waters thinking about Grand Cru.

Since that first sip, anything that says sour or wild on it, has gone in my glass.  From Gueuze to Orval to Flemish Red to Gose, the list goes on and on. Now I will go to bar, see one and order it.  Sometimes I will get a "warning" from the bartender that it might be too sour for me. I nod my head and take a sip.  Other times I will get a great surprise when walking into a brewpub and see Gose on tap (happened at a friend's rehearsal dinner at River House- delicious, refreshing Gose, soft on the sour and salt, but great on a hot day).

So finally, I think I found what I like. In it, I get a mouth puckering delight.

The Surpirse Beer

When I walk into my local beer bar, I look to find something good to drink. Simple enough. I usually try 2 or 3 beers, looking for something I expect, something I have heard was good but did not try yet, and finally a surprise. The surprise might be a beer that I have wanted to try, or a beer that just sounds cool.

Recently, I was in the bar and a beer caught my eye. I didn't know whether to try it or not, but I thought, what the heck. When the beer came, I was surprised at the color, aroma, taste and overall feeling of this beer. It is the pleasent feeling that keeps me trying good beers and bad beers.

I had a Magic Hat the other day at Max's and I was blown away by it. I am not the biggest fan of the Vermont Brewery. Roxy Rolles and Blind Faith are ok, and I could do without #9 or Circus Boy. But the other day I sampled their America Sour, their winter Odd Notion. I was stunned, I didn't know what to say other than it was different, in a good way.

Now, I like sour beers. I will partake in a Rodenback Grand Cru a couple times a year (I claim it is my favorite). And I am thrilled to have a couple of Jolly Pumpkin, Brett is always welcome in my fridge, so I was skepicle when I saw the American Sour. But I was wondering if this might be the Magic Hat beer that I could rave about. And I think it was.

Your memory of a surprise beer may be good or bad. The beer may be a style that you do not normally like, but now is a favorite. Or the beer may be a favorite style, from a brewery that normally produces great stuff, but it was a turnoff. The beer may have made the brewery out to be a bad, or, as in my case, turned me onto a brewery that I haven't really liked in my short beer drinking life.

I was thrilled and almost giddy over this beer. I want to hear your thoughts and feelings (highs and/or lows).  Did this beer change your thoughts on a brewery or style. Has your tastes changed?

Rodenbach Grand Cru

Either you like it or you hate it. The comparison of UNC and Rodenbach Grand Cru can go pretty deep. Ask a fan of any other ACC team, and you can hear the dislike. I have heard the same while tasting the Grand Cru. The sourness, the cherries, whatever it is, there are many people out there that would take a sip and hate it. On the other hand, there are people out there that charish every sip.

I fell into this beer at the first Belgian Beer Fest that I went to at Max's. I didn't know what to think of a Flemish Red Ale. First sip, I didn't know about it. Second sip, I could taste it. Third sip, I was in love. Now it is something I look forward to. When other brews are supposed to be similar to it, the comparison always is bad for the other beer.

What is your opinion on these sour beers?