New Belgium Le Terroir

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

Draft. Thick-looking golden amber color. Sour aromas, mostly of peach, accompanied by a sharp grassy hop aroma. Tart sourness throughout with a viscous mouthfeel and medium-heavy weight. Peach is the dominant fruit, and it works so well with the sour notes, more subtle than cherry, so the essences of the fruit and hops come through. Really a great flemish sour ale.

Hand-bottled bomber from Crosling. This is fantastically delicious. Tart, funky, grass aroma only hints at the intrigue brought from the flavor. Starts like a sweet, spritzy soda up front -- think old-school, tart Orangina -- then quickly segues into a peachy sourness, complimented by a touch of citrusy hops. Smooth oak finishes out the flavor. The symphony of flavors in each sip is beautiful. Plus, the mild carbonation makes this very drinkable and soft, especially for a sour. Excellent!

Sampled at Monk’s Cafe New Belgium Dinner 4/10/07 and at Tria Fermentation school 4/11/07. Brownish amber, with a thin white head. Really funky, earthy, horseblanket aroma. Hops barely evident in the aroma. flavor is malty, earthy and very tart. I found this more tart and sour than La Folie, and somehow even more enjoyable. Definitely the highlight of a very strong lineup of beers.

On tap at the Liar’s Club. I’ll admit it; I was a bit disappointed at first when the keg of La Folie got tapped, and this one was put in its place. I was thoroughly enjoying my afternoon of sipping La Folie in the hot sun, but after switching to this, I quickly realized there was nothing to be disappointed about. Hazy, honey amber colored pour with a nice thin head of fine bubbled white. Light vanilla in the nose, along with some gentle cinnimon spiced apple cider. A bit of fruity, floral character that reminds me of orange blossoms and juicy peach flesh. A smidgen of the nail-polishy, acetonish character found in La Folie, but less so. Hmm... sour canteloupes... exquisite. Light to medium bodied, tingly mouthfeel. Crisp, cidery flavors with dustings of musty pomegranites. Loads of light, sour under-ripe fruits abound; perhaps bartlett pears and crispy jimaca served with a pinch of ground green peppercorns. Lemony hops are left lingering in the final smack, giving it a clean, refreshing finish. Outstanding, and I love how the hoppy finish a.) works remarkably well with the beer and b.) is restrained enough to let the magic of the sourness run the show. Hats off!

Sampled at the O-Town Throwdown. Pours a cloudy copper with an off-white head. Sweet hoppy aroma has hints of lemons and berries. Flavor fills your mouth with a tartiness but escapes in time to a refreshing dry finish.

Sampled at the O-Town throwdown. This beer has a big sour aroma with tart sourness and hints of tart berries. Behind that is a hint of mustiness. The flavor has a load of tartness that threatens to overwhelm my taste buds. But it just stops short of doing so. I find it tough to pick out any other flavors behind the tartness except some sourness mixed with a very light funkiness.

Lifting this glass I can already smell the sourness.Pours a nice amber color.Lots of sour flavor.i am not a fan of flemish sours, but I have to say this was pretty good.besides the sourness there definately was some citrus and some hoppiness trying to pop up.A sour but clean finish.

Bottle... O-Town Throwdown... This beer rocks!... Murky golden ale with a small, white head. The aroma is a sour, earthy swirl of lemon, leather, cheddar and horse blanket. The only real way (for me) to describe the flavor is Super Sour!... it’s everything acidic and acetic. Beautiful! Medium-bodied and tannic with average carbonation. Finishes super sour and dry. Thanks to Tom from Unique Beers for bringing this bottle to the Throwdown!