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New Belgium La Folie

New Belgium La Folie - Sour Ale

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 Percentile 
100
overall
Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale

Fort Collins, Colorado USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
7294.03/5.04.02/5.06%93.8Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler
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Commercial Description:
La Folie Wood-Aged Biere, is our original wood-conditioned beer, resting in French Oak barrels between one and three years before being hand bottled, numbered and corked for your enjoyment. Brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert, came to us from Rodenbach – home of the fabled sour red. Our La Folie emulates the spontaneous fermentation beers of Peter’s beloved Flanders with sour apple notes, a dry effervescence, and earthy undertones.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 boFNjackson (1233), Portland, Oregon, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/517/20
Jul 18, 2008  
PIB, tap... Poured burgundy with an off-white head. Potent, sour, wine-like aroma. Feels like a lemon warhead in the mouth (remember those!). Very satisfying and delicious. It’s aggressive in the mouth but makes you want more and more.


 duff (5474), Surrey, Greater London, England
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Jul 16, 2008  
Bottle (thanks Phil L). this was great!!! Initial tart sourness in the nose. Some vinegar, and iron and blood in the aroma. palate is tart, and quite dry in the finish. With some beautiful well balanced acidity. Some nice oaky, light vanilla notes also come through. Flavour seems to go on forever. Finish is dry sour/tart. Very good indeed!


 ditmier (1019), Boise, Idaho, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/57/104/516/20
Jul 13, 2008  
2008 Bottle - March of 2008 to be exact, aroma is like christmas, valentines day and bar mitzvah all rolled into one...oak monster, tobacco, leather, aged fruit and dk sugar, none of which prepares you for the first taste...most tart sour I’ve ever had, if people say it’s like a flemmish red, don’t believe them...oak is the most obvious, with yeast and funk following shortly thereafter....share this with at least one more aficionado, because a 750 of it is alot for one person...try it immediately after opening so you have a bench mark to compare to, it only gets better as it warms...


 djtimeless (170), Florida, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/519/20
Jul 13, 2008    Updated: Jul 4, 2009
Pours out dark brown with some head. Smells great. Taste is lots of cherry with a lasting tartness. Not sweet at all. Pretty sour. Very woody and some what funky. Crisp and refreshing. Lambic like, Oude Bruin. One of my favorites.


 VitaminR (421), Colorado, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/519/20
Jul 11, 2008  
Caramel dark fruit nose, hints of tart cherry pie. Beautiful reddish amber hue, medium head that dissipated quickly, tiny bubbles continue to rise like a Champagne. Tart cherry and green apples, slight caramel vanilla hiding under biting sourness. Full body, yet effervescence cuts through. Mouth feel is creamy and finish is tart, complex, and long. This is an excellent sour ale, very complex, thought provoking, and a must try.


 Beerlando (2283), Orlando, Florida, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/105/517/20
Jul 5, 2008  
Courtesy jayMFg. 2008 vintage. Wow! Even better than my lofty expectations. Pours a hazy, dark auburn to chestnut brown color with a foamy, eggshell colored head. Nice, sticky, honeycomb lacing marks the glass. The nose is nothing short of divine, with layer upon layer of succulently sour fruits, primarily cherries and apples, with notes of balsamic vinegar, toasted French oak, and lactic creaminess. There is a light, earthy, mustiness to the yeast profile. Flavors are equally impressive. Tart, nay, sour cherries and apples are calmed by lactose and caramelized sugars. Oak is the glue that binds everything together, its toasty, musty, vanilla profile drawing the sour fruits and lightly sweet malts into a beautifully integrated, satisfying sipping beer. Effervescent yet silky, the palate achieves perfect balance between substance and drinkability. This is just an excellent beer from start to finish. Masterful.


 polomagnifico (532), Saginaw, Michigan, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/518/20
Jul 4, 2008    Updated: Jul 11, 2009
Bottle with huge thanks again to BOLTZ7555, Cheers bro! Aroma has notes of sour fruit, oak, cherries, and a hint of earth. Deep amber brown hazy hue with an average sized off-white head that mostly diminished and left little lace. Flavor is sour as hell and fruity. A bit earthy near the finish and then wham-o, pucker time! Palate is medium bodied and sparkling. Acidic mouth feel but clean finish. Very different and interesting. Highly recommend.


enginaaron (73), San Diego, California, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/59/104/518/20
Jul 1, 2008  
An excellent intro to sours! Enjoyed very much. Strong, fresh, somewhat aged-fruit aroma, very acidic. Dark amber color, very clear. Light carbonation with a minimal amount of co2 bubbles. Flavor is of aged sour grapes that develops and changes color; ends with a very sour taste that can be sort of an acquired tasted. Palate is enormous and constantly changing. Quite interesting to patiently await it’s development. Overall impression was fantastic. Can’t wait to have this beer again!



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