Top 10 Neo-Belgian Beers

an homage to Belgian Style ales made in other areas, notably North America. Much overlap here with the sour beer and dark strong categories.

Russian River Beatification
Blended Gueze 100% Spontaneously Fermented in very old Oak. Batch #2
Wow. This is as sour and bubbly as they come. Almost no brett flavor, very dry, grapefruit, tart and hints of wood, pear, apple. This is an incredibly one dimensional ale, and I mean that in a very good way! If you like sour, dry and bubbly, this is the way to go.

Green Flash Grand Cru
A Belgian Style Dark Strong Ale
Decadent and rich for a beer on tap, and considering it is a new beer to 2008, pretty amazing at the balance. Cloves, chocolate, smoke and charred wood flavors complement the slightly ester yeast character, with a strong dark fruit, raisin and fig character. Rich, thick, dark and warm. This is what heaven tastes like.

Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Oro
Golden Strong ale fermented in Oak (and spiked with Brett?)
Another spicy, sour and hoppy offering from JP. This offering is quite sour, gold colored and hazy, and has esters to boot: pear, apple, slight banana. Doesn't have the quite the barnyard-farmhouse going, possibly due to other organisms besides Brett? Need to find out more.

Boulevard Saison Sour
Saison spiked with Brett
A beer more in balance than overpowered by sourness, this Saison has a nice hop and ester spiciness, is slightly creamy, and sour with a bitter finish. Hints of pears, apples, banana, with notes of wheat, grass and a very citrus, noticeably orange, character to it. Very smooth and refreshing.

Brugge Diamond Kings
Quadrupel barrel aged in french oak and spiked with Brett and pickled plums.
This beer is a powerhouse. Much more malt complexity and even some residual sweetness than most Brett ales. Figs, raisins, cherries, toffee, vanilla, plums, this beer has much more of the barrel flavor to it left than just the beasties. The sourness is gentle, just a slight tartness, mustiness, and funkiness, maybe because it is just such a big beer at 12%.

Jolly Pumpkin Lucinerga
Belgian Pale Ale fermented in Oak (and spiked with Brett?)
Complex, well rounded, lightly sour ale. Light and spicy, with notes of coriander, clove, vanilla and some malt depth and complexity, slight toffee. A little musty, and flowery from hops. Has that indescribable "brett" flavor, often called barnyard. A definite farmhouse character to this one

Russian River Consecration
Pale ale aged in Oak with Pluots.
Sour, cherries, figs, raisins, toffee. It has a dry, vinous character, should age superbly, and the barrel character is quite apparent, slight notes of vanilla, oak, earth. Quite acidic and a lingering sour finish. This one sticks with you.

Port Brewing de Proef Signature Ale 2007
Pale ale spiked with Brett
Pale, refreshing very funky beer. This beer is quite bitter, light on the palatte, and has a grainy undertone. The brett character has nowhere to hide as the malt profile is quite low. The nose and finish are both quite hoppy, grapefruit and orange, but the sour-funkhouse character provides the base for this beer.

Unibroue 16th Anniversary Ale
A Belgian Style Dark Strong Ale
Wonderfully complex dark strong ale. Raisins, plum and caramel dominate the flavor, with a slight woody hop accent present. Thick, but well carbonated, ale, with a richness throughout that doesn't reach creaminess. Allspice, grapes, , nutmeg, vanilla, cherries. It is hard to describe all the flavors in this beer. Who needs wine.

Deschutes, The Dissident
Flanders Style Brown Ale with Cherries aged in Pinot Bottles
Powerful yet smooth sour brown ale. Nose is of dark cherries, raisins, figs, plums, toffee and chocolate. Medium bodied and mouth filling, with a tart and slightly tannic aspect to it. Flavors similar to the nose, but slightly more wood, earth and slight toast and caramel. Not overtly farmhouse or barnyard, the brett flavor is subdued, but the sourness and cherries pervade.