New Belgium Le Terroir

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

FoBAB 2008 offering: #814 "Vieux Terroir" - Puts on a touch of Belgian yeastiness. Tart. Golden orange hazed, yellowish head. Sweet tarts, sour white winey characteristics and bretty funk. Amarillo hops shine through in the nose and and give a very interesting hoppy finish paired with the funk, sourness, and overall ecstasy this beer offers. "Hoppy Beast", my notes read. This beer was very special and I personally felt should have won the category.

Fobab VI. Listed as Vieux Terrior (sic). One of the better sours and original ones I’ve had. Nice nose of tart fruits, a bit funky and oaky. Some distinct amarillo notes and a clean bitterness. Very fruity and soft. It’s a nice orange color, soft mouthfeel. Overall, an excellent experience.

Draft @ Uber Tavern. Pours a hazy, amber-orange color; off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing. Loads of intense citrus, tart red fruits (cherries, esp.), and sour fruit punch in the aroma; nicely tart and funky. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: loads of intense citrus, tart / sour cherries and red fruits, and lots of complex funk and light barrel character; tartness, citrus, and funky red fruits; excellent sour beer. Lengthy finish: tart citrus, bing cherries, and lasting funk.

22oz unlabeled bottle. Wonderfully tart, punchy and acidic aroma. Balsamic, a hint of wet dog, apple cider vinegar, red grape skin and pit, musty basement with a touch of grassy and slightly earthy hops in the background. The malt base for this seems incredibly bold and thick (at least on the nose). Pours a thick, hazed dark copper. The tiniest hint of carbonation and a very thin ring of white around the edges. Not quite as acidic on the tongue as the nose would lead me to believe. Lots of apple cider vinegar, doughy and bready malt. A slight minerality and hint of gravel... similar to Sauvignon Blanc, but the malt body is a tad flabby and reminiscent of an overly oaked Cali. Chardonnay. There is plenty of funk and wet, mustiness, but after 2 years in a barrel, I was hoping for a stronger wood presence. Medium to full bodied. Sharp and tingly acidity up front with a burst of vinegar on the finish that drops off rather quickly. A few flaws (not enough barrel presence and a fat malt profile) but still well made and very drinkable sour ale. Thanks for the treat Patrick!

Generously shared by PWoods. Pretty nice move by PimpP! Light gold in color with ruby highlights in the glass. Little if no head at all. Smell is very sour/tart, with a good amount of light fruit. Taste is more tartness. But there are some insane, huge, juicy fruit flavors. Mango, peach, very nice and refreshing. Bittering in the mouth. A bit more vinegar in the flavor than I care for. Enjoyable, nice sipper.

Sampled at the Falling Rock, GABF week 2008
This beer smells quite fruity and is not nearly as tart / sour as the Love that I just drank. This seems to accentuated a fruity grape like aroma here and there is also a toasted, cracker like grain note towards the finish. The fruit character is light but there are touches of apricot, tart melon and some other tropical fruit like notes. A hint of woody / spicy oak character seems to mix in with the toasted grain aromas.

The taste is pretty tart, though much softer than the Love, which allows a touch more fruit character to come through than was in the aroma. The sourness is much more lactic in focus, but still provides an ample sourness; the acidity accentuates flavors of apricot, strawberry, an incredible sour plum note, tart no make that sour melon and an interesting citrus-vinegar component. This beer is somewhat light bodied, but it does have a certain light-viscous heft to it, though it is still very quaffable; the heft is just enough to be well balanced by the sourness (if that makes sense, the sourness cuts through, yet is tempered at the same time by the body of this brew). Some faint oak flavors towards the finish provide a nice, pepper-like spice / bite. There is some acetic character here, it is light (especially compared to the Love), but really helps to add another dimension to the sourness as well as a bit more balance. This is another phenomenal beer, if not for the Love this would have had a much bigger impact upon me.

love fest ’08. Hazy amber with nice carbonation. Mmmn. Sour bitter citrus hops on the aroma. Smooth with an incredibly biting fruity brown sugar cinnamon sourness. Citrus hope battles the Sourness in the lingering finish.

Draft. Thank you joey big times! Orange body citrus sour funk and apple vinegar. A really good sour pucker ale.