Introduction to Sour Beers
Many American brewers are experimenting with sour beers, but the tradition of sours goes back to Belgium, where the world’s greatest sours have been brewed for hundreds of years in the region’s traditional and historied brewing culture. The most common types of Belgian sour beers include Belgian lambics, geuzes and Flanders red ales.
What to try:I would suggest that someone new to sour beers start by finding a Belgian sour to try. Due to the higher brewing costs for these beers, as well as the additional cost of importing them, Belgian beers are typically more in the price range of wine ($12 — $20 per bottle) than the standard beer.
This price tag is justified by the intensely complex and unique flavors presented in a high quality sour. Due to the higher price point and the import status, Belgian sours are most often found in higher end liquor stores and beer bars. Some of the easier bottles to find include Lindemans Gueuze Cuvee Rene, Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge, Gueuze Tilquin and Rodenbach Grand Cru. If you are lucky enough to find a store that carries any gueuzes made by Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen, make sure to grab a bottle. These two lambic and gueuze makers are widely considered to be two of the finest sour beer producers in the world.
How to serve: After you have acquired a Belgian sour to try, I would recommend going about enjoying it in the way that fine wine is tasted rather than a standard pint of beer. Make sure to leave the bottle out of the refrigerator for at least ten minutes before drinking it to allow the bottle to approach “cellar temperature.” At this temperature the sour opens up, and the flavors and complexity of the beer will be significantly improved. When you open the beer (if it is corked), keep in mind that some sours can be highly carbonated, so the cork may dislodge itself or begin to do so as you loosen the cage. As you pour the beer, also keep in mind that these beers have secondary fermentation in the bottle, so you may find yeast sediment settled in the bottom of the bottle. I typically recommend not pouring the last ounce of beer to avoid the cloudiness and flavors that this yeast will contribute.
Analyzing the Beer: The best way to fully enjoy the complexity of a good sour is to formally analyze or review it as you drink. Beers are typically observed or rated according to a handful of criteria, including appearance, smell, taste, mouthfeel and overall opinion. As you pour the beer, look at how it appears in the glass. Is it golden yellow, a ruddy red or straw-colored? Does it fizz in the glass, or does it pour still and uncarbonated? Next, smell the beer. With gueuzes and lambics you often find lemon, green apple, lemon peel, earth, and citrus fruit to be prominent smells. With flanders reds your nose may detect more of a vinegary or woody odor.
Taste: Next, taste the beer. It is interesting to find that the flavors you will taste do not always line up identically with the qualities you identified by smell. This adds a level of complexity and intrigue to the process of tasting sours. Though the flavors will vary depending on the brewer and style of sour beer, you can expect tartness, and flavors ranging from lemon, earth, and tart green apple, to many more subtle and nuanced flavors. Take a moment to think of how the beer feels in your mouth.
After that it is good to analyze your overall feelings on the beer. Did the beer impress you on all fronts? Or did it smell intricate and fruity, but have a mismatch in its taste? Forming an overall opinion that takes multiple qualities of the beer into consideration will make it easier to know what you are looking for in a beer, and also make it easier to decide what types of sour beers and sour beer brewers interest you.
The number of sour beer makers on the market is great, and sour brewing is growing in popularity in the U.S. While the intense tartness of these beers is not for all palates, many people find the lemony and acidic qualities to be compelling flavors for a beer. In any case, the complexity and tradition of these beers make them worth exploring.
