New Belgium La Folie

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

2007 bottle. Big thanks to Brent for sharing, this was very generous! Ruby color. Aroma begins to preview the sourness here, with hints at green olive jar juice, even touches of black olives. My nostrils just tingle with the acidity. Starts with a hard tartness, very tightly focused at the center of the palate. Some green apple character. It has almost a savory quality. Bone dry finish. wow. Maybe not super complex but just a big great sweet and sour mother. Stunning stateside version of the style.

The beer as it pours from the bottle a bemused reddish-amber color, the head smallish in size, creamy in texture and the color a winsome light tan color, with the lace a fine velum like curtain to drape the glass. Nose is tart and simply reeks of over ripe fruit with a pleasing oak and earthy aroma “WOW” what a treat for the old schnozzle, start is tart and nicely malted with the top fair to middling in its feel to the palate. Finish is stern in its acidity, hops delightful and accommodate the fruity tart sweetness quite well, very dry and long lasting aftertaste, what a magnificent beer it is a real treat, and one I wish was more readily available, hopefully soon is what I here, can’t wait to put some of these in my cellar.

Egad that's sour. Nice reddish brown color, like dried blood or so. It's no Rodenbach, but then again, what is? I gotta give it points for being an american beer in this style.

750 ml bottle, 2004, shared with (and courtesy of) TAR and cb. Cloudy copper, lasting small head. Huge nose: wine, cherry, sherry-vanilla..gets much more complex and sour-oaky as it warms. Super-intense, mouth-puckering sourness...this is at the other extreme of FSAs from De Dolle Special Brousel, the fruitiness and sweetness being really subdued and buried in a rather light maltiness. Smooth and oaky in the midpalate, lots of balsamic vinegar at the finish and hints of cherry-nutmeg. Not quite Rodenbach, but quite distinctive.

Deep ruby color graced my presence along with a slight amount of light head. The tasted is based around a foundation of roasted, not burnt cherries. This was another impressive beer from the wheel of beer.

Pours hazy deep amber with light tan head. Aroma has vinegar and oak. There is also light cherry and tart apples hints. Medium / light body with sharp, but light, carbonation. Taste is oaky / woody with vinegar qualities and citric acid. The finish is prickly with granny smith apples, tart cherries and pepperiness. Starts smoothiing out the further down you get and the fnish starts taking on a bit of sweetness to compliment the tartness. A very complex beer - something to sit back and savor. (84/8/3/17 - 4)
Rerate notes - just bumping up number to where they should be.

Bottle # 04-3008: After laying down for two years, I decided this would be a nice time to open this up and see how it’s doing. I’ll admit that any sour beer style automatically does very well with me, and this is no exception. Pours a perfect amber, golden orange that gives way to magnificent yellow hues as the tulip glass tapers. Thick head dissipates quickly, leaving not a trace of itself, but still lending lace to the glass. Aroma is vinous, sour, and dusty. Hints of lemon and flowers, maybe even a trace of seville olives. Flavor is initially lemony and sour, somewhat salty, a hint of burlap and hay, sour grapes, cobwebs, wood, and a dry, sour finish. Change that: extremely dry finish. A very excellent selection, one that I hope to have more of in the future (#05-2691 after two years of laying in the bottle on 01/20/08)

Sampled at the RBPG; bottle courtesy of lukin013. Sour malty cherry skins, smooth. Hops, light caramel. Deep vinuous aroma. Deep chestnut brown clear with thin off-white head. Smooth palate, velvety. Smooth tart fruity taste, light acidity, not harsh. Nice malt, with oak. Great fruity malt finish with light bitter after. I really like sour ales and this is a nice one; could probably chill out for a bit more time and be even better.