New Belgium Love

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

Foedre 3, Sampled at the Falling Rock, GABF week 2008
The beer arrives with a hazy, orange tinged, amber hue and is topped by a light tan colored head. The aroma is very fruity and has a big, appetizing, backdrop of fruit vinegar; this last a sort of melange of apricot, rich grape, cherry and balsamic vinegars all tempered by a bracing oak character that adds lots of spiciness and a tannic wood character. The aroma is exactly what my nose was hoping for at this point.

The flavor is quite tart, with a substantial sourness to it that definitely leans towards vinegar, though the lactic character is still dominant. There is a fruity backdrop to the acidity that adds notes of apricots and sour cherries. I really am enjoying the acidity in this beer, it is a fantastic integration of softer lactic notes with a light, but sharp and expressive acetic acid character. I also really like the soft oak component that sneaks in towards the finish as well as the massive fruit character; really seems quite fruity for a beer that doesn’t have any fruit in it. The acetic character in this beer is about as much as I have ever had in a beer; the fact that I have been sipping sour beers for a couple hours prior to this, really almost required something of this level of acetic character, it really helps to cut through to my palate and is very enjoyable.

This was simply a fantastic experience, I definitely am at a loss to describe this beer, but it was incredibly enjoyable and I was sad to see the last drop drain from my glass. I would love to get more of this to sample in a more singular setting, but have a feeling that if I get the chance it will be a completely different beer anyway.

Tap @ falling rock’s love fest. Damn. The nose is amazing. The distillation of all that is great in rodenbach and la folie! I’ve been here 20 minutes and have yet to do more than sniff. A clear lightly carbonated gold. Incredibly sour body. Slighly sweet with hints of brown sugar but with a biting sourness that dominates the tongue. A smooth finish that lingers.

I mean seriously. What an appropriately named beer. The bracing wood soaked tart aroma makes me smile and proud to have such a moment. Really. Sublime complexity, fresh and pure with each new sip. I want to get a growler and see if I can ever get tired of it. Sharp powerful citrus, pain in my jaw, rush of endorphins. Magical.

On tap at Firkin Fest 2009 ~ Golden hazy in color with a little white head. The nose has fruit & oak notes. Comes across the palate as apple, and pear notes; very malty. Sweet tasting. Medium bodied. Tart finish. Very drinkable. Very enjoyable. I could sip this for day.

Strange aroma of sour apricots. Coloration is intersting - almost a ruby red grapefruit color. Flavor is sweet in the nose but with a deeper middle. Finish is tart as is appropriate for a sour ale. Excellent mouthfeel with a complicated palate. I might also recommend New Belgium's La Folie as an even better yet different representation of this style.

This beer is friggin’ delicious. Just tart, not super sour. Resplendent with fruits and super drinkable.

On tap at Falling Rock, GABF 2008, Foedre 3 version. Slightly hazy, golden amber color with a tight bubbled head of fizzy off white. The appearance seems substantially lighter in color than bottles of La Folie I have enjoyed. Notes of apple, pear, and under ripe fruit lay on top of an oaky vanilla background. The acetic nature of the beer rares its head right away in the nose, coming across with an acetone, nail polish note. Light bodied, briskly carbonated mouthfeel with a tingling acidity. Wonderful fruit flavors leap out on the palate right away, bringing forth visions of baked apple pie, rhubarb, and crab apple skins. Some milder under ripe strawberry also adds some complexity. While certainly acetic, the vinegar nature of the beer is not nearly as offensive as I feared from the aroma of the beer. There even seems to be some lactic acidity to add some complexity to the funk. Impressive amount of under ripe fruits, but the acetic nature of the beer does not seem to integrate as smoothly into the beer as it does with La Folie.

Updated based on several samples at the 2009 Stone Sourfest, same foedre. The acetic note appears to have really tamed down from my original sample of this beer. While still there, it’s now balanced by a funky, gueuze-like lactic quality, which seems to have eliminated any of the unpleasant nail polish and acetone aromas. This gueuze-like lactic quality has intensified on the palate as well, driving the pleasant fruity characters into a long, lingering, well developed palate. This easily makes my top 5 list of best American made sour ales, and stole the show of this particular fest.

Stone Sour Fest barrel #3. Cloudy golden orange. Really big nose, big funk, horse blanket. Citrus fruit up front, big funky presence, finishes earthy/dirty/musty. There’s also a sweetness to this brew that adds some complexity, making it a really great sour.