Sour Ale

Today is my last day in Kansas City and I'm finishing off the last few beers that are still in the cellar. I've been holding on to this bottle of Russian River Consecration for a while now and I figure it's finally time to open it up. I picked up this bottle in Denver about six months ago and judging by the date code on the bottle, it had been sitting on the shelf for quite some time. This bottle is from batch 004X4, meaning it was brewed over two years ago and it's been bottled for 16 months now. I'm not worried about the freshness, I'm more excited for the complexity and depth the aging has hopefully added to this sour Wild Ale.

Russian River's Belgian and barrel aged beers have a near legendary reputation as some of the best beers produced in this country. That reputation also means they are also some of the most sought after beers, making them difficult or impossible to find in most markets. I returned from an out of state trip a few months back with a few bottles of Russian River beers so I could try them out and see if they live up to the hype. This is the first bottle I'm reviewing, Russian River's Supplication, a Sour Ale aged in oak barrels.

When people talk about New Glarus' beers they are quick to bring up the tart and sour fruit ales the brewery produces for local consumption in Wisconsin. Most of these beers don't leave the state as they are best when they are at their freshest. Being several states away from Wisconsin I haven't been privileged enough to try any of the strawberry, raspberry or cherry beers New Glarus has brewed... at least not until now. I recently got this bottle of Enigma from a local homebrewer that vacations in Wisconsin. I found myself hankering for some sour cherries as the summer winds down so I figured it was time to pop open this Unplugged Sour Ale.

The Belgians are an interesting bunch... Their beers are among the world's best. The abbey style ales that come from Belgium are some of my favorite beers I've ever had. Belgians, being a little ...out there, have some more interesting ales in their stable as well, and that's what I've got today. I sat down with this Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale not knowing exactly what to expect. I've had a few American Oud Bruin style beers before, they were sweet and sour brown ales usually brewed with a bit of cherry flavor. That's the only frame of reference I really had. It's safe to say this Flemish Sour is nothing like the Oud Bruins I've had before...