Beer 71: Sour Beer Bonanza

For the past year, I’ve been on the lookout for New Holland Brewing Company’s Blue Sunday Sour.  Yesterday morning I hit the jackpot and am now in possession of TWO (yes, two) cases of it.  The Blue Sunday Sour is part of New Holland’s cellar series and is heritage-blended from their library of barrel-soured beers.  I’ve only ever had one bottle of it and I have clung to that memory for an entire year.  It became my great white whale…ever elusive, haunting me.  Sure I was nervous that I just spent a ridiculous amount of money on beer that may not live up to my recollection.  Would the 2012 edition be as good as the one I had?

Silly me.  After popping one open moments ago, I knew I made a good decision.  It poured into my tulip glass a garnet hue.  Very little head that left just a hint of lacing around the edge of the beer’s surface.  There is oak in the nose along with balsamic vinegar with a nuance of sour cherry.  The balsamic carries over to the taste along with the subtle cherry notes.  There’s malt and oak flavors and it pinches your tongue in exactly the way a good sour ale should.  It leaves my mouth feeling all tingly and finishes dry.  At 8.5% ABV and knowing that I’ve got to make it until February 2013, one bottle will be all I need for today.

Alas this review doesn't count, as I crossed New Holland off the list with my review of Dragon's Milk found here.

Yesterday while out with friends, I had a Monk’s Flemish Sour Ale.  This review doesn’t count either since it is brewed by Brouwerij van Steenberge and I crossed that one off the list at Teresa’s Next Door when I tasted the Klokke Roeland.  I would describe the Monk’s as sweeter, slightly thicker drinking than the New Holland.  The balsamic flavor is the first taste that hits you.  It’s big and bold.  More dark cherry flavor, too.  While the Monk’s is good, I prefer the more nuanced flavors of New Holland.

So onto the actual review for tonight.  LoverBeer Madamin.  Described as a Flemish sour out of Italy, I figured I couldn’t go wrong.  Sorry for the subpar photo.  I only had the Blackberry with me.  The LoverBeer smelled of fruity sourness.  Not too much funk.  It tasted of sour cherry and oak/red wine.  There was another fruit flavor hiding in there…maybe plum?  It definitely had the typical sour characteristics but it also was a bit too watery for me.

And there you go.  The Three Little Bears review of sour ales.  One is too bold, one is too watery and one is just right.  On that note, I leave you with some lazy-ass dachshunds snoozing post-walk in the sun:

Cheers!