Lips Of Faith - La Folie - New Belgium Brewing

rdobens

Tennessee

2.29/5  rDev -46.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I had my growler filled after a recommendation from other member of my local growler club. Having thoroughly enjoyed the other Lips of Faith brews I had tried I really wanted to like this beer. I just could not get my palate into the sour mash. This was my first sour mash beer experience, maybe if I have a few more and become accustom to the flavors I will revisit this beer and re-evaluate.

Serving type: growler

03-08-2013 00:28:08 | More by rdobens

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

32 oz growler poured into a New Belgium globe at fridge-cellar temperature.

L – Ruby brown color with a 0.5-finger tan bubbly head that rapidly dissipates to a ring of bubbles that surround the edge of the glass throughout. A tiny bit of patchy lacing. Some haze but clear enough to appreciate a good amount of bubbles.

S – Red wine, cherries, vinegar, some oak, and maybe some caramel. As the beer warms, certainly more malt becomes apparent with more caramel, chocolate, and plum notes.

T – Tart right off the bat with sour cherries and grapes. Finishes slightly bittersweet with some apple, raspberry, and oak notes. Again, as the beer warms, the sweetness balances out the sourness better with caramel, chocolate, and dark fruit notes.

F – Thin-bodied with good carbonation, a puckering mouthfeel, and a sour and slightly dry finish. Again, as the beer warms, it gains more body and the sweetness makes the sourness more manageable.

O – I really like this beer, and so it pains me to give it anything less than a 4. However, it possesses the misfortune of belonging to a style of beers that can be some of the most brilliantly complex beers in the world. Regardless of the score, this is a very good beer and a fantastic introduction to sours. In fact, it was the very beer that got me hooked on them. This is a very tasty, drinkable, and approachable sour beer.

Serving type: growler

12-02-2012 21:07:12 | More by BlackBelt5112203

libbey

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

64oz growler split with friends. Poured into a snifter.

A: The beer pours a murky dark amber/brown with a minimal cap of head that settles quickly leaving a thin trail of spotty lacing.

S: The smell is of musty tart cherries intermingling with layers of oak and funk.

T: The taste follows the nose with a a big blast of super tart dark fruit on the font end with a nice dry oaky finish. Flavor is fairly bright with fruit and very sour.

M: Overall mouthfeel is well carbonated and carries this medium bodied bruin brown perfectly. Finish is dry with oak and funk lingering on the pallet.

O: Overall this is an exceptional sour from New Belgium and one that I never pass on when I see. World Class pursue accordingly.

Serving type: growler

09-09-2012 23:19:30 | More by libbey

doopydoogle

Tennessee

4.1/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Brown, almost black, with a thin head

S - Sour raisins, currants, black cherries, kombucha, chocolate, raspberry, woodiness, wild mushrooms, mineral

T - Zesty front with lingering tones of malt, berries, and dark fruit. Some apple tones come through with a lingering meatiness almost. There's good acidity and the beer has many layers to its flavor. There's a bit off woody smokiness as well

M - Vibrant acidity and a good mouthcoating.

O - A good outing for the style

Serving type: growler

11-03-2011 00:07:07 | More by doopydoogle

clintyeastwood

South Carolina

2.98/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured with the appearance of dirty rootbeer with a cranberry tinge. Had a thin beige head.

Aromas of red-wine vinegar, underlying sweet smell, over-ripe raspberries? underlying smell of mop water.

Strong balsamic vinegar. tastes of sweet tarts, faint taste of mildew & wet wood.

Mouthfeel is slick & pungent.

Overall, an interesting beer, especially if you enjoy flavors of vinegar. You may find yourself craving a glass of this, as I did after my initial tasting. However, it did seem more of an inital fancy and I found myself boring quickly and had a hard time getting though the growler I had purchased.

Serving type: growler

06-26-2011 01:06:04 | More by clintyeastwood

Wetpaperbag

Washington

3.4/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- Hazy orange red color with a good amount of fluffy tan head that stuck around for a while.

S- Cherry, dried fruit, brown ale earthyness, acrid acid with a touch of creaminess.

T- The taste isn't bad, it is sour and kinda made my eye twitch a bit. My teeth are feeling it a bit too, but doable. Reminds me of a cherry warhead. A kinda synthetic cherry taste.

M- Other then eating away at my teeth a bit I have a feeling after polishing off the growler my insides are going to hate me.

D- Good, but see mouthfeel above.

Serving type: growler

01-21-2011 05:15:42 | More by Wetpaperbag

PEBKAC

New York

4.15/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Big Tex goes out of his way & surprises me for my birthday with a goodie. 32 ounces all for me. :D

I think I've tasted some dregs from a bottle once, but I'm feeling like this is a really good time to be a little selfish.

Poured into my favorite Ommegang Anniversary glass.

The glass flips open & I get showered with lovely, vinous mist. 7 out of 10 out of shape beer geeks prefer this to being in the clubhouse after winning the Pennant I bet. :P

It slowly gurgles out the bottle the color of dry blood, settling in the glass a murky oiled brown leather with edges of bourbon. An inch of frosted, slightly orange, coffee creamer head impedes my movement for just a bit.

Smell is all about over-ripe cherry juice & perceived strawberry tartness. To a lesser extent, apple skins, butter, soil, & sweet table wine. Musk. The trail end is just slightly bready.

Taste is vinegary of course but with a lot of soft white wine fruitiness. Lots of palate drying wood, & sour green apple esters. A bit of leather. Salivating pitty apricot tartness & bitter grapefruit rind. Paper dry finish. I consider funky notes a tossup on whether they work or not. This right here doesn't exhibit any barnyard or off-kilter aspects. If it's just done really well, I don't think it needs that quality to be effective. They certainly have the experience & modern equipment to mimic & refine something old world.

Light to mild acetone harshness. Carbonation is just barely there, but I think it works. So dry.

Okay, here's where I say all this negative stuff because I'm such a downer & everyone rakes me for it: The alcohol is noticeable through the fruit notes; eventual cottonmouth; price; heartburn... okay, I'm reaching. It's a very good beer with insignificant faults.

Thank you Blake, may the winds shift a little more in you favor.

:)

Serving type: growler

06-02-2009 03:49:19 | More by PEBKAC

BigJTrucker

Oregon

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This 2L Growler was filled with 2005 La Folie @ Bier Stein, Eugene, OR aproximately 12 hours ago.

Upon popping open my flip top growler i am immediately struck by a strong sour aroma, reminiscent of the last gueze i remember having. Man, i've been enjoying sour beers lately so this is already off to a good start.

It pours into my NBB Abbey glass a deep copper color, with a very thin head that settles fairly quickly. ***EDIT: a second, more vigorous pour produced a 3/4" head that last about 30 seconds***

Smell is clearly sour, with some fruity sweetness tucked in back that reminds me of apple cider, maybe even with some cranberries.

Taste is "mouthpuckeringly" sour to start, hints of bitter apple, cranberries, the expected oak flavors seem to be a bit more muted in this 2 year old edition than i would've expected.

Mouthfeel is a complex jumble of smooth,sweet,fizzy, dry,sticky Very interesting but in a good way.

If you are a fan of sour beers, this one hits the spot. fairly low abv make this a somewhat sessionable beer. I will certainly have another glass of this tonight. I Would really like to get my hand on some bottles and put a few more years on it to see it further develop.

Serving type: growler

12-14-2007 11:50:40 | More by BigJTrucker

bnes09

Illinois

3.26/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Nice ruby brown color. Weak soda-like head on the pour with zero retention and almost no lacing. I anticipate that the lack of head is expected with this style.

Dark fruit aroma of prune and black cherry juice. Sweet character overall.

Some dark fruit ester notes and mild spices up front (e.g. ginger and nutmeg). Then the aggressive lactic and citric acid sourness dominates the palate, eliminating all other flavors. Finishes on the spicy end with lingering tartness. If I let it sit on my tongue for more than a second or two, the aggressively sour flavor reminds me of stomach acid. My recommendation, drink it quickly.

Light to medium bodied with a sharp, aggressive carbonation. Bone dry in the finish while leaving sticky sugars on the lips.

This may be a good example of the style but its just not my thing. I'm disappointed too because I really enjoyed Monk's cafe.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 03:50:33 | More by bnes09

standardcherry

Massachusetts

4.34/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2013 22oz bottle.

A: Brown/red-ish color with a quickly receding brown head.
S: Super fruity and sweet. Sour cherries, raspberries and maybe a bit of citrus too. Has almost a "jam" aroma. Vinegar and oak in the finish.
T: Opens up pretty tart. Well balanced with the fruity sweetness. Very big fruity taste - sour cherries, orange - followed by a bit of funk. Not too sour, very pleasant. Big oak and slight vinegary taste as it warmed up. Finishes dry.
M: A bit thin and it could have used more carbonation.
O: Great take on the style, I would gladly buy tons of this if it was available. Thanks for this one Tom, glad I was able to try it!

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 06:17:47 | More by standardcherry

Avagadro

New Jersey

3.71/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottled April 6, 2009; Consumed May 12, 2013. 1-3 years in oak plus four years in the bottle makes this a blend of beers 5-7 years old. Served in a Duvel glass.

A: Dark brown in color, with mahogany highlights when held to the light. A few shades darker than a traditional oude bruin, but it's not off putting. A frothy head forms upon pouring, but fades quickly. Lacing is present, but lazy.

S: Aroma is a bit faint, but what is there is pleasant; Pedro Ximenez, balsamic, and vanilla blend together elegantly in the bouquet.

T: Saying that this is sour is an understatement. The puckering acidity masks all of the delicious vinous flavors that make an oude bruin so delicious. Big sour in the front, with only wisps of port, caramel, and vanilla in the back. It's tasty, but I can't help but wonder if this beer would have been more balanced if consumed at an earlier date.

M: Very light and dry, which is good, but without any effervescence the beer seems lifeless.

O: A well made beer, but I feel like I may have help on to this one a bit too long. This is my first encounter with this beer, so I may be wrong, but I have to imagine the sourness has been amplified by its years of aging. If you want a really sour beer, go ahead and age it, but if balance is your forte, drink it sooner.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 21:08:34 | More by Avagadro

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2011 vintage 650ml bottle poured into tulip 10/5/13 thanks Rutager for yet another bottle

A brown with a hint of red, enough clarity to almost see the other side of the glass under the foam, two fingers sit for a few sips and leaves no lace

S burnt brown sugar, tart cherries, unripe strawberries and sour apple, vinous notes, some oak but its mellow, sweet and sour sauce with a hint of vinegar and teriyaki, a little funk works wonders, smells bang on for the style

T slightly more oak but other then that the smell follows through in the mouth and that's a good thing

M sour and acidic, not too heavy with decent carbonation, has a nice pucker to it and its quite slick after the fact, I want to say its dry but I get a little sweetness on the finish but not much

O very well made brew going on here, nails the style and I could drink another bomber or three with no worries

I'm wondering what Old Belgium or the true OB (Original Belgian) would have to say about this one? I'm guessing the OB would just say "respect" and bump fists with this "New" comer

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 04:52:03 | More by wordemupg

MattSweatshirt

Texas

4.03/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out a deep reddish brown with a quickly receding light brown head. 3.5

The aroma hits with cherries and just this big fruitiness that comes off a little like strawberries and raspberries. Some sweetness in there matches well with the fruit. Vinegar and the wood barrel.

Slightly sweet and fairly tart. Delivers a largely fruity taste like the aroma indicated. Lots of cherry and more red fruits and tart green apple, vinegar, wood.

Medium bodied with medium carbonation. The tartness is nice and after the initial sour shock lends itself to a great sippability. Finishes a little dry.

Definitely worth a try if you like sours.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 06:04:20 | More by MattSweatshirt

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.34/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle, bottled on 12/02/12, poured into a snifter.

A- Pours a slightly hazy brown color. Produces a thin layer of off-white head that recedes to a collar.

S- Lots of tart acidity, nice blend of lactic and acetic, some funk, oak, some sweet cherry aroma. This smells pretty damn nice.

T- Very tart, the tartness is great btw, moves into a bit of funk and light cherry towards the center and a huge, very dry, oaky, tannic finish. The fruit is subtle here, which I really like, it accents the sourness really nicely without being overbearing.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth feel, bone dry.

O- This actually surprised me. I'm not a huge fan of Oud Bruins, but this is actually a really tasty beer. The tartness is done really well and the cherry is in just the right amount. One of the more impressive American sours I've had recently.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 03:22:57 | More by WillCarrera

secondtooth

Indiana

4.34/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a cloudy, sudsy amber. Thin head, and little noticeable lace.

Nose says sour fruit, and funky yeastiness. Unusual and exceptional.

Taste is very much sour fruit and funky, yeasty, musty sweet and sour-ness. What a unique flavor profile! This one is strong and quite acidic -- assertively sour and astringent, with a lingering taste on the palate. Enjoyable and impressive, even if the $15.99 price tag is a little hard on the wallet.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 23:34:32 | More by secondtooth

kaseydad

California

4.21/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2013 vintage...7% abv

Pours a murky brown with a fairly decent cream colored head but is like a distant visiting cousin....doesn't go away. Volumes up when agitated.

The aroma is very much oak. Decent whiffs of vinegar, raspberry, floral, and blood orange.

The sour is there in the taste but enjoyable. Not as sour as the label would have you believe, but definitely drinkable. As it warms the sour lessens and the true magic happens. Big and oaky with a firing of sourness on the swallow. Bitter. Slight grapefruit/orange rind. Sour cherries. Funk. A tad salivation on the buds but not much.

Nicely carbonated.

Overall I dug this. There are many other sour browns out there, but this was enjoyable and nary a palate wrecker. It's got the flavor and the right amount of sour to compliment the overall end product. Not a huge fan of some of the NB beers, but this one was well made and worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 01:18:52 | More by kaseydad

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.01/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to FTowne for this bottle... 2013 vintage...

A: Pours a deep murky brown with reds around the edges. There is one full finger of light khaki colored head that seems to fade very quickly. What is left of the foam is only a thin ring of tiny bubbles along the edges of the glass.

S: The nose is sour cherries, grape skin, cider vinegar, mild raspberry, and lacto. Damn this smells sour.

T: Wow. This beer starts out and finishes the same way. TART! I get sweet fruits right up front, but it instantly changes to tart and sour. Berries and vinegar are all over the place. The finish is puckering and drying.

M: Medium bodied beer. It starts out tart and biting, get fruity in the middle, and back to tart. The flavors destroy the palate and overwhelm it.

O: This is a super sour beer. It’s good, but it’s not my favorite for the style. I am happy to have tried it, but it’s not something I’d personally seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 20:11:45 | More by trxxpaxxs

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

4.34/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: poured from a 22 oz bottle into a snifter, brown with a short tan head that vanishes leaving little, lacing, cloudy

S: sour cherries, acetic acid, pickles, that mouth watering throat closing vinegar smell

T: mouth turning sour, astringent, cider vinegar, tart, dry, oak, wood, earthy, sour cherry, sour apple, sour

M: thinner with good carbonation, lasting sour taste

O: it is sour in every sense of the word, in America we do it big and this is bolder than it's typical Belgian inspiration

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 00:50:22 | More by M_C_Hampton

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

3.83/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2012 edition reviewed on April 28, 2013. Poured from a bottle into a Duvel tulip. The beer pours brown with a hint of ruby red, fairly clear, and sports about a half finger of khaki head that dies off very quickly, leaving a thin layer of foam. The nose has some nice fruity malt aromas of plums, figs, and dark cherries. There is also a faint vanilla-like oaky note.

Light to medium body and a sharp, tart flavor. There are a few sweet notes here on the front of the tongue, but the sour notes truly dominate. After a very brief vanilla and caramel-like note, big cherry and lemon notes rush in and scour the palate. The mouth dries out in back, leaving a red wine-like tannic feel that makes the beer very appetizing. Very sour, but doesn't get very high marks in the complexity department.

Not really an Oud Bruin, as it lacks the maltiness of that style. More in the tradition of a Flanders Red Ale in flavor profile. Not the most sour beer I've had, but a tart, unbalanced, acidic beer that American fans of sour beers should enjoy. It's good, but I probably won't buy it again. Goudenband is cheaper than what I paid for this.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 17:14:20 | More by deadonhisfeet

Lognar

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

2013 Vintage. I managed to snag it for $8.49.

Pours a reddish, light cola color with a finger or so of vanilla head.

The nose is sour fruits - grapes and dark fruits. Green apple and lime tartness. Very wine-like. A bit of sweetness too.

The taste is really sour, tart, and acidic - just like a Cry Baby sour candy really, except the taste is vinegar sourness as opposed to chemical, artificial sourness. Starts out with a sharp tartness that blends to an even acidic sourness. The bite is acidic vinegar that moves from the front of the mouth to the back. It's mostly sour, but there is a bit of malt sweetness to it as well. Seriously though this is really really tart, vinegary sour.

The mouthfeel is crisp, medium bodied and with lots of carbonation.

Overall this was not for me. It was just too much vinegar acidity. It was a very complex in its varying flavors, but just too sour for more than half a glass. Definitely a sipper too.

This was my first sour, but not my last. I think I just need to steer clear of the vinegar, acetic sours.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 00:42:05 | More by Lognar

chugalug06

Colorado

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Deep roasty and dark red brew with burnt straw colored foamy head. Missing lacing.

Tart green apple, pear, peach, lime, acid. Bitter.

Oily, and bitter. Limey, peach, apple, lingering well placed flavors, moderate carbonation, some well hidden ginger and cinnamon. Flaming early tartness with mellow smooth bubbly finish.

Recommended, but at $15-18/22oz it's a bit hard to swallow. Bring back the C&C, New Belgium!!!!

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 03:04:52 | More by chugalug06

GRG1313

California

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2013 offering.

Pours dark copper with red/cranberry tones. A fast fading light khaki head.

Nose of cooked cherries with hints of cocoa and light tart apple vinegar. Mouthfeel is clean and crisp; very well balanced and with perfect tart/sour character.

Flavor profile is tart cooked pie cherries with a "brown ale" undertone. There are hints of cocoa and cooked stone fruit, all with the tart character prevailing.

This is a very drinkable beer with a nice clean, tart finish that leaves you salivating a bit and wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 23:17:14 | More by GRG1313

Maxwell

Massachusetts

3.66/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

2013 Vintage

The beer pours a dark candied brown, and sits in the glass as almost purpling brown with only a ring of sand-dune-colored bubbles as a head. The beer’s body is beautifully ruby colored in the light, and hazy with proteins and such, there is even a nice steady stream of miniscule bubbles working their way to the top of the beer. The beer leaves a lacing of splotchy bubbles that almost look like a crooked willow tree on my glass. The lacing is sticky and dry, but not dominant on the glass. On the nose, the beer smells nicely green apple tart with malic acid and funky with hints of malt vinegar. There are slight hints of oak, and definite cherry leather scents in the funk, though it does tend more towards the barnyard side of things. As I stick my nose in it more, I almost get a toasty note within the funk, which I assume is coming from the barrels, and which also hints at a molasses scent in the malts. On the tongue, the beer tastes hugely acidic and with only a light touch of sweet sugar and fruit and a lingering hint of salt in the aftertaste. Flavors begin as puckering green apple, which grows into slight malt vinegar and green apple flavors. The tartness is a little oppressive on the taste buds, but there are light hints of cherry and light cleaning solution on the finish of the beer. The aftertaste mellows the beer out considerably and brings some lovely caramel malts into the tart cherry flavor alongside a less pleasant flavor that moves from appleskins to green apple and also shows hints of bitter tannin from the barrels the beer aged in. In the mouth, the beer feels medium light in body, but attacks the tongue oppressively with carbonation, washing away any sweetness that may have helped balance out the big tart flavors of the beer. The mouth is left puckering and a little burnt from carbonation, and wet from the spittle trying to neutralize the acid of the beer. Overall, this beer, like many American wild ales, is a little unbalanced in terms of acidity. It has some lovely complexities that get drowned in the harsh acidity of the beer. Perhaps with age the acid will mellow and the brettanomyces that I assume are in this beer will become more dominant, but right now I think the beer is a little too rough and acidic for my tastes, though certainly complex and well crafted. Maybe I got an off bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 21:53:03 | More by Maxwell

sommersb

Tennessee

4.29/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Tasted On: 04-17-2013
Freshness: 2013 Vintage
Packaging: 22 oz. brown bottle, pry-cap
Glassware: Teku
Purchased: Single from Midtown, Nashville

Pours a cloudy, dark sienna color, brown with red hints. The head is off-white and sits a couple of fingers high. Lacing is very good with a good bit of head retention as well.

Aromas have a real "pow" moment of sourness, with resemblances to sour cherries and green apples. Other smells include a woody/oak character and then fruity grapes, which give it a wine-like bouquet.

The taste is both tart and sour, like in a sour cherry, and has elements of both sweetness and sourness. Strong flavors of green apple and wine bring acidity to the picture. Bitterness is very low.

The mouthfeel is sharp with a high carbonation level. Medium-bodied, it finishes somewhat dry and with mouth-puckering sourness.

Overall, this is one of only a few beers I've had in this style, but it seems to be a well-made and enjoyable sour ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 01:57:05 | More by sommersb

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle. 2012 vintage. Pours a deep clear ruby with a foamy off-white head. This maintains some robust ringing, leaving back thick sudsy swathes of lacing. Smells of oak and dark vinous character, with some acidic notes that singe the nose a bit at first. Some light backing sugars fill out the back of the nose. The taste is oak and wine with a somewhat heady sourness to the profile that puckers the tongue a bit but overall isn’t too overbearing. Sugars emerge more and more as this warms, helping even the flavors out. Dry and oaky on the finish with some lingering sweetness. The feel is medium with a sharp creaminess to the carbonation that blows up a bit in the mouth yet is undercut by some tannic slickness that helps keep this smooth. Alcohol feels right about where it should be. A little aggressive at first with the flavors, this balances out beautifully as things warm and develops into a tremendous example of a Flanders Red. One of the best from New Belgium and a great overall sour.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 18:47:59 | More by Kegatron