New Belgium La Folie

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

thanx to boboski. Pours a cool looking reddish amber color with a small head that dissipates quick. Sourness on the nose.Flavor is slightly sweet and sour.Finish is sour cherries.

Huge thanks to boboski for sharing this one with all of us at the Orlando gathering.

2007 vintage. Pours a semi cloudy golden body with a small, off white head. Aromas of sour cherries, yeast, funk, spices, oak, vanilla. Fore is lightly astringent, with the sour notes coming in strongly. Finish is sour fruits, funk, wood notes. Finish is tart, but not nearly as bad as I expected. Finish is medium length and memorable. Superb brew.

Oh dear God. Can I please have this every day til I die? Dark brown and full of sour smells. I get lemon, peach and orange bursting through. So sour on the palate. I get every type of sour flavor I’ve ever had in a beer. Like beer and lemon juice combined. Tom, the trade was worth it for this beer alone. Thanks again.

750mL Bottle. Rising, acerbic, volatile aroma, loaded with strawberry reduction, balsamic must, barrel finings, oak chemicals, edges of glacial acitic acid, pear sauce, tabasco and rum. Complex, refined, enticing and amazing. Pours a nice clearish ruddied middle brown, beautiful foam of smoked ivory atop. Flavor falls behind a little bit, but works gracefull with the tart and acidic. More pale fruit sauces, spiked with drops of vinegar and sake. Crisp, clean and actually really soft. The carbonation is perfusive and cuts the edges off. Really not as searing and blinding as I expected. Even better than I had envisioned. Finishes dry, with a bit of almond sweetness and some mistings of lemon rind. Beautiful.

Rating updated from sampling out of bottles numerous times, and on tap at various locations. I remember when I first became interested in craft beer and artisanal ales, La Folie was the first sour ale I ever tried; at the original Liar’s Club while I was living in Mission Beach. I didn’t think this was the beer that would initiate a serious devotion for barrel-aged sour beers. Really, really good stuff. Hazy brown color with a one-finger head and good carbonation. Earthy and malty base character in the flavor that balances well with the citric sourness and lactic acid. Prominent oak wood notes linger on the finish. The use of champagne yeast for secondary fermentation gives it a unique mouthfeel. A mature and sophisticated beer in every sense. The 2005 Anniversary Vintage has been my favorite. Absolutely killer.

27April07. On tap @ Toronado. aroma of a freshly sliced plum. WOW, I did not know that New Belgium Brewing made a Flemish Sour Ale! Reddish-brown color. very tart. Flavors of sour fruit. very acidic. This beer makes me feel like I’m in Belgium! very unique

Stopped in to The Liars Club while in San Diego last weekend and took notes. I only had time for two beers – one of them being this. The aroma of apples and wine swirled above the New Belgian snifter. The first sip of the red entity delivered an all-new experience in beers. The presence of the wine barrel was clear. The intense sour response numbed after a couple of sips to reveal a very interesting beer experience that left a carpet of stimuli on the tongue. All should try this unique creature.

Draft. A wonderful companion to Le Terroir at New Belgium. Similar in appearance though more reddish in color. The aromas and flavors emphasize the cherry and lemon fruits. The wood aging is apparent on the tongue. This is, however, a really sour beer which relies on brute force to show its complexities. As a result, the finish is a bit harsh and grabby instead of the smooth sour finish offered by Le Terroir. Still, a fantastic flemish sour.