Wild, Sour, and Funky!

In anticipation of tonight's Sour Fest at Brouwers Cafe, I decided to give a rundown of some of my favorite sour/wild ales that are available in bottles. Sadly, my favorite beer of all time, Rodenbach Grand Cru, is missing from this list because it has not been available in Seattle since last October. Today, Sour ales are generally Belgian-style beers that are spontaneously fermented and aged in wooden barrels for several months or years. There are many different styles from Flanders red and brown, to gueuze and other lambics. I also really enjoy wild ales. They are not quite sour ales, but they display some of the same characteristics, because they are brewed with the addition of brettanomyces -- a yeast strain that gives the beer a funky taste and is also added to many sours. I am no expert on the subject, I just know that these are among some of my favorite beers to drink. Because they are barrel aged, be prepared to spend more than you would for one of those genuine drafts. There is a wealth of material online about sour ales, where you can learn more about the history and styles. 

Bockor Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge was my introduction to sour ales and remains the most sour I've tasted. It has just become available in bottles, and I've seen it many places on tap in the past. This is a great example of a Flanders red ale. It is mouth-puckering with a nice cherry flavor -- not too sweet, like some sours that I am not crazy about. It is around $6 a bottle, so you will want to savor every eye-twitching sip. Rodenbach Grand Cru is also a Flanders red which is cheaper and not quite as sour. These are two of my favorites. 

Sanctification is brewed by Russian River in California. They have gained quite a following and are revered as one of the top breweries in the US. They do a few different types of sour ales. Sanctification is brewed with 100% brettanomyces, and I have only had one bottle of this. Russian River sours are amazing beers, and if it wasn't for the price they would be my beer of choice. Because a lot of time goes into producing a beer like this, all of their sours are about $12 for a 12 oz. bottle. If you can do math, that is $1 per ounce! They are more of a special occasion type beer, unless you are George Clooney. This has a good amount of funk and is slightly sour.

Supplication and Consecration (not pictured) are my favorite Russian River beers -- really incredible sours that will have you trying to find things to celebrate. Supplication is aged in Pinot Noir barrels for one year with sour cherries added. Consecration is aged in Cabernet barrels with currants added. These are both some of the most complex and tasty beers I've ever tried. You can really taste the wine barrels, and they are both perfectly sour. They even have a hint of a brandy-like quality. Start a beer piggy bank and save up for a Russian River party! I have also had another of their sours called Temptation (also not pictured), which is aged in Chardonnay barrels. While it is also a beer for the kings, if I have $12, I am spending it on one of the other three.

Lindeman's Cuvee Rene is a gueuze style of beer from Belgium. This is a great summer refresher with a taste somewhat like slightly sour champagne -- nice and light with a dry funkiness. I love this style and have not had many others, because some of them are really steep in price. This one is about $6 for a 12 oz. bottle and is regarded as a solid offering of the style without breaking the bank.

Liefman's Goudenband is my least favorite of the beers on this list. It is a sour brown ale closely resembling Duchesse De Bourgogne, which is probably one of the most popular sours. Nowadays, everyone seems to be drinking a Duchesse. It is both light on sour and heavy on sweet. This style reminds me of a cherry coke and, while it is refreshing, it's just not that interesting to me. Perhaps it would be a good choice for an introduction to the wild, sour, and funky. Monk's Cafe (not pictured) is another one to seek out if you like a sweeter style of sour.

Petrus Aged Pale is my most frequently purchased sour ale. Once I couldn't find Rodenbach Grand Cru anymore, I was really excited to discover this beer at Seattle's best Belgium bar, The Stumbling Monk. I even persuaded a few local grocery stores to carry it. I thought this was the sourest of the bunch, until I revisited Jacobins Rouge. Petrus Aged Pale is a very crisp, refreshing ale that is simply sour. At around $4 a bottle it is also one of the cheapest. This is a spectacular beer that I am happy to drink anytime. You can pay 4 bucks (including tip) for a tall boy of PBR at the local Streamline -- I will stay at home and have a Petrus on the porch.

Reinaert Wild Ale is not really a sour, but it's another one of my favorite styles of Belgian beers. It's basically a strong ale brewed with that wild strain of brettanomyces yeast that I love. This one is a good value, at around $10 for a 750 ml bottle. It is also 9% abv so you can definitely get your funk on after you crack open a bottle.

Warning: I don't recommend trying all of these in one night!