New Belgium La Folie

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

2007 bottle. Big thanks to Brent for sharing, this was very generous! Ruby color. Aroma begins to preview the sourness here, with hints at green olive jar juice, even touches of black olives. My nostrils just tingle with the acidity. Starts with a hard tartness, very tightly focused at the center of the palate. Some green apple character. It has almost a savory quality. Bone dry finish. wow. Maybe not super complex but just a big great sweet and sour mother. Stunning stateside version of the style.

On tap @ O’Briens San Diego. Copper cherry colored pour. Sour nose with sweetness. Woody, sour taste, tartness. This style is starting to grow on me. Very good

On tap at Brouwers Belgian fest May 2007. Copper color with a persistent head. Good oak/wood tart lemon, cider smell. Big sourness at first gives way to flavors of cherries, tart lemon, yeast and wood. Very good. The best American brewed sour beer I’ve had so far.

Bottle from xmarcnolanx. Damn... I could nose this beer all day. Wonderful! Cherries, vanilla and new oak. Very pelasant tart and sour without being overpowering. The cherry and vanilla assert themselves as the beer opens and warms. Pours cloudy brownish red with a lively, frothy head. Dry wood, tart cherries with an insane amount of bracing sourness on the palate. Pleasant acidity with lots of new oak notes as well. Medium bodied with pleasant, mouth filling carbonation.

(750 ml bottle (#07-5625) via trade with <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=9 target=blank>BeerandBlues2, thanks Brad!) Woody and sour...Cork pops out with alot of force. Pours murky dark slightly orangish brown with large somewhat foamy biege head that settles down rather quickly. Aroma is pungently sour - like apple cider vinegar with some cherry. Woodiness also in nose. Mouthfeel smooth and soft. Wide, weepy rings of lacing melt away rather quickly. Tastes ultra-sour with notes of sour apple and tart, sour cherry. Oak quality kind of softens the sharp sourness somewhat but still this is sour, sour, sour. Heavy duty sour but excellent.

On tap at FoBAB ’07. I love this beer. Clear to cloudy amber. So sour, so good aroma, fruit, funky. Sour, fruit flavor, lemon, perfect. Medium, sharp body. This beer rocks me right out of my socks. 8/3/10/4/19 = 4.4

La Folie 10th tasted at "An evening with Pantanap #3" Thanks Kan! Hazy red brown with slim almost nonexistent tan head. Strong oak aroma with tartness, funk, red fruit. Funky, oaky flavor with red fruit, sour and tart. Medium body and sour pucker. Very nice, very fruity. 3/9/9/4/18 = 4.3

Regular La Folie tasted next to 10th Anny at "An evening with Pantanap #3" Thanks Matt! Hazy red brown with big biege head. Full/rich red fruit aroma with sourness, subdued funk. Dirty red fruit flavor with sourness, oak, nice cherry. Medium bodied and tart. Very nice but 10th anny is better. 4/8/8/3/17 = 4.0 Rerate via the La Folie 10th anny blend during the First Annual Chicago Sourt Tasting. Bottle #682 thanks to Kan. Dark red, almost brown, very dark with creamy beige head. Aroma is cherry, dryer with a sweetness as it warms, oaky, woody, slight grapiness. Flavor is big tart up front, oaky, cherry, red wine vinegar. Medium body with sour pucker. Tasty, love the fruit the fruit quality of this beer 8 5 8 4 17 = 4.2

bottle (2007).....appearance: toffee/caramel brown with thin off-white head....aroma: oak, sour funk, and some tart cherries.....taste: sour oak, tart cherries, level of carbonation paired nicely with the flaovrs, nice long lasting tart finish....a very nice sour. 2/1/08 - had the regular version side by side w/ the 10th anniversary. the 10th had more fruitier notes and packed less of a sour punch. it was a bit earthier and more mellow. i enjoyed them both but enjoyed the 10th just a little bit more. 8/4/8/5/16

FoBAB 07. finally got to try this. a bit underwhelming: really sour, dry. no sweetness at all. real carbonated and cherry. it’d taste just like the rodenbach if it was at all sweet. once again, underwhelming.