New Belgium La Folie

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

the best beer i have ever had! thanks to Silphium for sharing this amazing beer! 2006 bottle #3538 pours reddish/ruddy brown with slight off-white head..aroma is very similar to Rodenbach’s Grand Cru...massive blackberry, vinous concord grape, vinegar, and sour must...flavor is massively sour/tart...begins with a punch of concord grape, vinegar (seems like it has been aged perhaps)..similar to a fine wine or champagne...very woodsey, acidic...puckering finish!! SUPERB!! enveloping mouthfeel, soft yet strong and sour as hell! almost a tear-jerker! almost perfect...

Upon a couple of other samplings, I feel there is just a little too much acetic acid, on occasion, for this to be a perfect 5.

2002 bottle (#2424). The tart toasted grapeskin, leathery, acidity is muted by age. Stony, oaky, the finish changes to tiny tinges of fruity bursts, sweeter, and then back to a smooth tartness, gueuze-like. Fabulous - shared with argo0, JSturm, and h. Spectacular. Authentic, rustic, and magnificent. Aroma is rich, sweet, and very woody. Appears beautifully clouded, with an inner glowing brown. Fruit skins. I expected less, and this has turned into one of the best beer experiences I’ve ever had.

In short: Intensely tasty Flemish Sour that also offers a rich malty body. Amazing stuff.
How: Many tasting sessions. Never had a full bottle. Latest sample (rated here) at Montreal-crew sour beer tasting. Bottle from MartinT
The look: Cloudy dark red body with a medium beige head
In long: Straight to the point Flemish Sour. Very sour. Lots of cherry and oak sourness. A little peppery-ish spicy too. Rich body that offers more on the malt/caramel front than all other Flemish Sour except maybe the Earthmonk. Somewhat fluffy body. Woody and even tree bark flavours in there too. The attack is intense, then the beer settles down and it becomes rich and round and after you swallow you get that intense comeback of spicy cherries and oak. Might be my second favorite Flemish Sour right after the Earthmonk. There are many things I expect to find in Colorado: mountains, cows, guns… but this Flemish Sour was quite a surprise.

Let me start off by saying a HUGE Thanks to Styles. He sent me this awsome beer and I have to say that it is my favorite beer thus far. I told Chris that I am becoming more and more interested in sours and this beer was absolutely wonderful. It poured a nice brown body with a huge vinergery smell. The sour fruits (apples and cherries) came through with a hint of fig. The taste was so complex. Huge sour and malt. The sourness became ever more dominant as it warmed. Lacing stuck to the glass lick glue. This was pefect on that hot memorial day.

Perhaps it was just the right time for this to be the right beer, but I truly think this is just one remarkable sour that would never let me down. Dark caramel, amber-brown colored body with a filmy head and minor spots of lacing. Amazing acidic aroma of tart cherries, red wine and comforting vinegar. Medium bodied and the sourness attacks the taste buds, it’s a full on assault, very zesty feeling. Sips wonderfully and makes the mouth water wishing for more. Prominent sour cherry flavor with a sour mash and woody taste. Port wine that has started to turn perhaps. This is a wonderful creation, one of the richest and all around pleasing sour ales I’ve tried to date.

Much thanks to dpjuart for letting me try this. I’ve been waiting for so long.. Cloudy red body with a thin tan head. Wonderful sour, acidic, funky aroma with loads of fruit and vinegar. Sharp, biting taste. Acidic, sour, and fruity, with lemon, cherries, strawberries and much more. Damn near perfect in my book. Beautiful.

on tap @ papago... pours a hazy dark brown with red tints. it’s topped with an aggressively forming tan head that rapidly disappears. tart aroma with some malty sweetness, fresh cherries, wood and some grassiness. the palate has little sweetness on it. flavors of wood, fruit (blackberry, red cherry, lemon zest), grain and a grassy/herbal bite. very dry finish which continues to parch. medium to full bodied for the style with a nice smooth texture. sharpness makes it really easy to drink at a hefty price from the taps... re rate from bottle coming soon.7/4/8/4/18=4.1

from 2007 bottle #1938 courtesy of rollinhard... intense aroma of blood... minerals and iron, wood, sour cherry, earth and a light saltiness. much more robust palate and sourness than on tap. the flavors are all there just amped up... now, to get some more... 9/4/9/5/19=4.6

new keg at papago... something has changed drastically. it has become more like the bottled version in depth of aroma and flavor. everything has been turned up... the malt sweetness and the counterbalancing sourness especially. herbal dryness really cleans the whole thing up. THIS is what i want drink everyday...10/4/10/5/19/4.8

sweet jeebus... growler from late 2008 batch=the best soured beer i’ve ever had... 5.0

Can’t thank Jake (BlackForestCO) enough for this gem.
Beautiful cloudy brown that shimmers with red tones and a moderately-sized off-white head. Nose is tart and acidic with loads of wood, some raisin, sugary sweet berries, grapes... delicious. Flavor builds on this, increasing the sour components and the creamy lactic notes... superb balance. Palate is full and acidic, spritzy and refreshing, and near endless in grape and lactic wood. Drank 750ml and wanted more... absolutely superb stuff here.