Top 10 Sour Beers

these are my favorite 10 new-to-me sour beer beers of 2008. a collection of traditional Belgian Sour Ales (Lambics, Fruit Lambics, Flanders Red, Flanders Brown) and American Interpretations. all time favorites include Orval, Cantillion Gueze, Cantillion Iris, Boon Framboise, Russian River Temptation, Russian River Supplication.

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.

Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga
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.

Boulevard Saison Brett
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.

Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
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.

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.

Zoetzuur Flemish Reserve
Flanders Red
A very sharp, acidic red with a delicious malt backbone. Smells like sour cherries, once again, but has a less musty and muddled aroma, much more tart, and the flavor is cleaner, not musty, but definitely bretty. Hints of oak, raisins, plums and sour fruit. Very dry, almost astringent.

Port Brewing -de Proef Signature 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.

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%.

Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour
aka, Bios Vlaamse Bourgogne. A Flanders Red
Deep, rich malt with sour power. Almost like a sweet tart. Carmel, raisins, cherries, chocolate, oak. Then the sourness kicks in and goes through the finish. Musty, but lacking the horsey Brett Flavor. Richer, fruiter and more luscious than many of its kind.

Allgash -de Proef Les Deux Brasseurs
Belgian Golden Strong ale spiked with Brett from each Brewery.
Tart at the start, sweet and slightly malty-grainy in the middle, quite acidic, with a very hoppy finish. Notes of wheat, grass, orange, grapefruit, pear, apple, cider and slight funk.