New Belgium La Folie

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Sour cherry smell rolls of this one. When held to the light it looks like 2 unmixed liquids. Extremely tart, especially on the first sip. Surprisingly fizzy. Shockingly, the malt actually makes it through all that and is delicious. Lucky enough to try this a week after Russian River’s Consecration, and that was the better of the two. A fine beer.

Opaque brown pour with a fluffy white head. Very fruity aroma with grape and apple. Some vinegar and sourness. Very sour flavor, just the right amount for me. Creamy and oaky with hints of wood and chocolate. Love the sours!

Draft at Map Room. Poured into Cantillon tumbler. Murky red-bBrown with a thin offwhite head. Nose is super sour, minimal stone fruit. On the taste, it is all sour, all the time. Very clean with some nice grain backing up the slight bitterness and prunes. Damn fine!

750 ml bottle - big thanks to bvc for cracking this one out; pours dark amber and cloudy with spotty white head; wow, a sour bug for sure; some mild cherry and fruit mixed in the aromas, but the sourness almost knocks you off you feet; flavors of sour apples and pears; wow, quite a sour; my palate was shaky at this point of the night, so a revisit will be in order to feel the subtleties

On tap @ The Maproom! Lucky to find this one on the website and rush over there before the weekend, I know this one won’t be around after tonight. What a unique beer. This pours a dark brown with light hints of red, with a thin quickly disappearing tan head. Aroma of wine, sourness, cherries and wood. the taste is of sourness, cherries, a distinctive tart taste. Quite a complex mix of flavors leading to a dry finish. The aftertaste a sourness and dryness linger in the mouth for 5-10 seconds, this is what good brews should do! Well worth the drive to taste this and well worth the $6. I just wish this was around more often. By far the best of New Belgium.

Bottled sample via (and shared with) oakbluff. Deep red in colour with medium carbonation. Strong aromas of sour cherry, wood, lemon, and some bready malts. Focused sour cherry flavors, along with notes of lemon, munich malts, a bit of earth, and vinegar. Medium bodied with a refreshing sourness. Excellent stuff.

750ml Caged/Corked Batch 07-1315 Got a big POP! when opened, I knew somthing was up. Poured into a chalice a medium mahongy color, highly carbonated, nice two-finger foamy off-white head, which leaves some small islands and lots of sticky lacing through out the drink. The nose is malty, tangy/sour, woodsy, figs, raisins, plums, and some caramel. The taste is malty, big dose of carbonation, tangy/sour, good dose of dark fruit, a slight sweetness on the lips, and caramel. The finish is slightly dry and tangy. Medium body, a well rounded brew. Drinkable, this Flanders is more soury than say a Duchness De Bourgne (sorry on the spelling), but still enjoyable. I’m glad I finally got a chance to try it out, thanks Bill.

Pours ruby red, mohogany head. Bottle# 7/684388 Aroma good woody / oaky aroma, yeasty and fruity (cherry). Taste, this is sour all over, if not a fan of the style you might want to overllook and really get into the complexity of the beer itself. Taste starts off with some sweetness and is followed by a wave of sourness. The oak gives the beer a light apple/cider note, but overtaken by some tart cherry. I am not a huge fan of sour beers, but I must give credit to New Belgium. This one is true to the style, and could be the US equivalent of Rodenbach