"Sour Beers" from Green's

"SOUR BEERS" FROM GREEN'S

Sour beers present a (delicious) conundrum. Where most breweries are clinically clean to ward off unintended flavors, sour beer is aged in oak barrels which can be decades old and which have conditioned thousands of batches of beer. And where most brewers would dump a batch if they detected the slightest sourness, some classic styles embrace this seeming odd flavor.

Brewed with multiple yeast strains, the beer is aged in oak, then blended with young beer to the brewer’s taste. The age, oak, and yeast produce staggeringly complex---and challenging beers--common descriptors: sharp, tart, sour, fruity, appley, spicy. Newcomers to the style often marvel, ‘this is beer?!’. (We say challenging though, because the tartness and sourness can be off putting to some). And what’s more, the tartness makes these very complex beers puzzlingly refreshing and thirst quenching. Flemish Red is the classic style, but we’ve added an Oud Bruin and aged Pale Ale for breadth. And one funky American version that falls somewhere near the Flemish Red style. These beers are well suited to relaxing on a warm evening or pre or post dinner.

De Proef Zoet Zur:

Dark golden amber color with a high white head. Winey, mature cheese, barnyard and sour wild yeast aromas. A round entry leads to tart and slightly sour medium-bodied palate with dried apple, mild tarragon, medicinal bark and herbs, and lemon flavors. Finishes with a long, dry, spicy, cider-like fade. This has a great interplay of sweet, sour, and herbs and will go brilliant with robust cheeses. A very sophisticated beer for those looking for something really different-Beverage Testing Institute.

Duchess Du Bourgone:

Red, burnished dark copper color with a frothy manila head. Sweet caramel, spice, tart apple skin, and cider vinegar aromas. A racy, zest entry leads to a sweet and bracingly tart medium to full-bodied palate with caramel, apples, cider vinegar, vanilla, and brown spices. Finishes with a caramel and sour apple skin fade. A challenging but very rewarding beer….Beverage Testing Institute.

Ichtegems:

Ruby colored, aroma of berry, dark cherries with a hint of vinegar. Slight tartness with a berrylike fruitness and woody notes from the oak barrels—B. United tasting notes.

Vichtenaar:

This traditional ale has a fruity sour oak notes and refreshing aftertaste. It is lively and layered with notes of Madeira, vanilla, oak and the acidity of a fresh apple—specialtybeer.com

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja:

…rich woody, malty aroma…oak aging sings in flavor harmony. Slight and thoroughly pleasant tartness refreshes and balances the full body. Interesting, memorable, well cared for, warming, well balanced, and all things artisanally wonderful—Charlie Papizan.

Petrus Oud Bruin:

…Woodsy and vinegary scents dominate with mild traces of vanilla.The first taste is pleasantly dry and sour with a tongue tingling acidity like grapefruit flesh, only darker in flavor. It wouldn’t be a stretch to compare it to a micro dose of oak- and vinegar-infused Novocain. Delicious Novocain, that is. Mouthfeel is light, almost like a dunkel lager, which lends to a lack of sweetness and enhances the vinegary characteristics. The finish is earthy and long…—Bethany Sherwin

Petrus Aged Pale:

The golden body has a slightly hazy appearance with a thick, fluffy crown of head that gives off sour aromas, mostly green apples and vinegar mixed with a little bit of booziness. The brew is light and airy, like a less carbonated version of champagne with the mild oaky tartness that comes from barrel conditioning---Bethany Sherwin.