New Belgium La Folie

Sampled at the Hellbilly’s Hellraiser Phoenix tasting (4/13/08). Bottle courtesy of Hellbilly. My first sour ever. Pours a dark amber with a very small head. Nose is vinegar, sour crabapples with a slight malt background. Palate is more vinegar, crabapple, aspirin and lemons. Whew – this baby is sour, but I liked it!

barleyPops shared a bottle of this with myself and Nimrod. Thanks! Falling Rock Tap House 10th Anniversary Special Edition Bottle #07-7123. Only my second sour ale to date and this was an interesting one. Murky light brown pour with a small tan head. Aroma of sour grapes and a hint of oak tannins. Every sip of this was an experience! Mouth numbing sour tartness initially held me back from really discerning the subtleties of the beer. Cherries and some subtle oak characteristics are really the only definite flavors I could pick up. Very acidic and funky. I know a well-made beer when I drink one and this is - it just isn’t a style that I’ve come to enjoy.

Bottle. Good fruity acidity in the aroma, lots of peach. Cloudy brown poor with a swirly head. Strong sour flavor without too much depth, slight sweetness in the finish. Clean thick mouthfeel.

bottle #: 07-7123, Falling Rock 10th Anniversary blend courtesy of iowaherkeye, thanks Joey. shared with illini08 & nimrod. while I’m not much of a sourhead, I have had a few which I really liked. unfortunately this one just didn’t quite do it for me. by the time I hit the second half of my glass I was enjoying it more, but the first half of the glass was tough. reddish brown pour with a tan-ish off white head. aroma and initial flavor is TART cherries and some sour funk. in addition to the tart cherries other flavors noted were some oak and acidic vinegar to make your mouth pucker.

On tap at the liars club..... great stuff...sour nose....complex sour tastes quite honestly the best beer ever from new Belgium that I have ever tried...which admittedly is not anywhere near my favorite brewery....but a damn good sour!

750ML 2006 bottle courtesy of Ughsmash, thanks buddy!
Appearance & Nose Poured into a snifter with red-hazy-amber color and medium frothy offwhite head. Great head retention and lacing of the glass. Nose from the pop of the cork is vibrant, pungent, aggressively tart cherry. Screams sour and purkiness to come. Apples, white vinegar, wood, red wine are also apparent.
Flavor & Palate Mouth feel of micro bubbles and light body. Initial taste tart. Freshly sliced granny apple & sour cherries combine with intense sour presentation. White vinegar falls into place from the aroma and displays mildly the acetic acid . Mid palate displays more oak and some mild barnyard funk (must and hay). Finishing dry with raspberry and lemon rhine bitterness. Palate duration is above average. Planning to drink this entire bottle to the face but this one is definitely a sipper, strong acidity really catches up after first half glass. Sides of the mouth pucker with joy. Not overwhelmingly complex but a flavor that displays fine qualities of a sour ale and is very drinkable as well as enjoyable. You want sour, this is remarkeable along with intense heartburn I am receiving.

Deep red pour with soft tan head. Nose is very tart (which I love) cherries, apples and vinegar. Wood comes out as well. Flavor is a surprisingly tasty sour that gives good mouth coverage. Very nice.

Bottled 2007. This poured a gorgeous red brown with a towering whitish head. Tons of bubbles. The head gently subsided though leaving a thin layer that stuck around through most of the glass. Aroma of green apples, cherries, brett and wood. The flavor of this was just fantastic: sour, tart, smooth oakiness. It just wrapped itself around your mouth: bubbly, and dry enough not to be cloying at all. Glad for the advice to drink this fresh!