Celebrating Sour Beer Day in Style

Those who follow me regularly know that I spent this year’s Sour Beer Day/Zwanze Day at the 15th Anniversary Party of Dieu du Ciel, but like many more traditional holidays, the friendly gatherings stretched on and the festivities continued!  Thus, a few days later, a visiting sour beer-loving pal, Rob, and Noah, the mastermind behind beerism.ca, joined me for an epic tasting following the festivities.

The Lineup (Note the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guidelines in the background, brought to the table when my less than two-year old ran in with it excitedly shouting, "Daddio, Daddio" before he went to bed and we cracked the first bottle!)

The night began with Quebec marvel Brasserie Dunham’s excellent Saison Réserve (a 6.5% ABV blend of their Saison Rustique [82% of the blend] and their Leo’s Early Breakfast IPA [the remaining 18%] which was then bottle re-fermented with wild yeast).  The result is something to behold regardless.

My comment that this had such a mountainous rocky head that ants would deem the peaks akin to Everest brought my wife to chuckles (as it should - #shitbeergeekssay), but my first impression was true wonder at this marvel of heady peaks that are unparallelled in my beer drinking experience.  The nose offered some excellent earthy hops notes alongside some barnyard funk, while the taste was lightly sour with a more prevalent barnyard funk, merely negligible traces of the guava and tea, with a more substantial dry lingering earthy hops that blended well with the funkiness.  The carbonation was bold, but not overpowering and I was thrilled to drink this delightful brew.  Grade: A/A+

We then turned to Jolly Pumpkin’s Oro de Calabaza (8% ABV American version of a Biere de Garde). Presenting a moderately cloudy yellow with a fair fizzy white head, this beer didn't immediately appear as noteworthy as the Réserve and, though the least sour of the night, was still a wonderful treat. Moderate barnyard funk notes complemented some floral hops in the aroma, while the taste had some oak noes and a bit of faintly fruity funk, but with an easy drinkability. There was a substantial amount of funk here, but not so much in the way of acidic tart sourness, which showed well with decent prickly carbonation. Sourness isn't the criteria for excellence, however, and this (like all beers that night) was excellent! Grade: A-/A

The Bruery's Sour in the Rye (7.8% ABV American Wild Ale) came next, pouring a decent, if-quickly dwindling head atop an orangish-reddish body. The nose was nicely tart with some woody notes present underlining the balsamic sort of vinegar aroma. It was quite tart with sour candy-ish notes without any of the sweetness. Just a hint of the rye spiciness propped up the tartness adding a decent complexity (to what was already quite nicely complex). This was supported by a fair body and a decent carbonation. Grade: A

Finally, we side-by-sided Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label and Tilquin Oude Gueuze a l’Ancienne.

Separately, these high quality Belgian gueuzes would seem quite similar, but together we could go back and forth highlighting the differences in contrast.

The Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label (5% ABV) poured a lightly cloudy yellow without much head. The nose smelled like a "dusty barnyard" according to Noah, and I couldn't agree more wafting hugely funky aromas from cobwebs, dust, and horse blanket - the whole gamut. Tastewise, it was equally funky and though the Tilquin was too, its funk paled in direct comparison, even if it was probably slightly more acidic. The Girardin, however, offered a very tingly feel with an expressively barnyard-y and leathery lingering finish of noteworthy complexity, with a light-ish body. Grade: A/A+

In juxtaposition Tilquin Oude Gueuze a l’Ancienne (6% ABV) poured an ever-so-slightly darker light amber than the Black Label Girardin and had a slightly more sour nose with just mild fermenting fruity notes discernible. It was very tart and fairly funky, perhaps a touch more tart and a touch less funky than the girardin, with just slight hints of wood and fruit underneath. Medium bodied, with a full tingly carbonation, this was a delicious delight for fans of the funk! Grade: A/A+

All in all, the single best tasting I have ever sat down for in terms of high standard all along! You know when you rank Oro de Calabaza as the lowest of the night, you are in for a real treat!

Mondial Review #5: Strange & Sour Oddities

Some of the gems of Mondial de la Bière fell into odd categories, the first comprising two Flanders Red Ales, a Gueuze, an American Wild and a Bière de Garde, the latter being made up of a Brut, a Chilean spiced beer, and a fruit/spiced beer made with the rare Amazonian fruit called bacuri.  Let's dissect them further.

Sours

Personal Best of the Fest: Brouwerij Rodenbach Grand Cru (6% ABV), a Flanders Red Ale is simply fantastic - if you dig sour!  It pours a light brown with a fine, creamy-beige head of solid retention and lacing.  Aromas are primarily of sour cherries with hints of yeasty spice, and a touch of apple cider vinegar.  It tastes wonderfully sour - like everything that is good about a maraschino cherry without any of the artificially sweet additive notes!  Very sour, but just perfect for the style!  Medium bodied with fair carbonation, it floats smoothly across the tongue and is easy drinking for the style.  Grade: A+


Brouwerij Van Honsenbrouk's St. Louis Geueze Fond Tradition (5% ABV) is also quite pleasant if not legendary.  It pours a beautiful, dark amber with excellent tan head, retention, and lacing.  The aroma is faint and mostly of mildly-spiced yeast, though it is possible my sample came from a long-opened bottle.  The flavour was also fairly mild, sour but not excessively so (or seemingly not at all immediately after the above!) appearing at first mild and tea-like before some sweetly sour traces of a light lemony tartness.  Smooth despite fair carbonation, but perhaps thanks to a light-ish body.  Nice, just mild - perhaps a good intro to the sour for some?  Grade: B+


Jolly Pumpkin's Oro de Calabaza (8% ABV) was my first Bière de Garde with little frame of reference except what I have read in some books and on websites.  It pours a faintly cloudy golden in colour with little head but nice surface spotting.  There is a fine balance between sweetness and sourness, sort of like a dry wine or champagne, with a sweeter nose that has a touch of sour and a more sour, tart, acidic taste with just a touch of balancing sweetness.  There is a touch of coriander spice and a fairly drying floral hoppy finish.  It is smooth, creamy, and essentially lacks carbonation.  Very interesting and not bad, but just not as desirable for me personally as a true Belgian sour.  Grade: B/B+


Vermont Pub & Brewery's Tulach Leis (6.1% ABV) didn't impress around my crew.  Appearing with a nice amber colour and moderate off-white head of fair retention and lacing, it offered only a faint aroma with only faintly sour notes.  It was far too sour without the complexity of the Rodenbach alongside an unappealing funkiness.  Grade: C+/B-


Jolly Pumpkin's La Roja (7.2% ABV), an American wild ale allegedly in the Flanders tradition, didn't impress as much as those truly Belgian sour offerings.  I can get the appeal here, but also think the style (or this beer) goes a bit far, though with wild yeast who knows what can happen!  It pours a lightly cloudy dark amber that has negligible head (perhaps due to the pouring) at the event.  It offered funky, sweaty, and pear notes predominantly, though funky earthiness is easily the most evident and apt description.  It offers a bitter-sweetness (in that sour candy sort of way) with a peaty and earthy/sweaty flavour of unfiltered wild yeast.  It is tingly and pop-like on the tongue and I didn't find this very fitting with the funkiness, though I could get the appeal of it if it were what you were into.  It isn't the sourness that turns me off, rather it is the funk!  Grade: C+/B-

The Miscellaneous, Unique, and Bizarre

Yes, most of these beers can be categorized in some way, but rather than having three categories of one, I thought I'd go through them here, and rather than listing a 'best of the fest,'  all three deserve a medal type of honour in this catch-all category as all are very noteworthy for a reason!

The Golden Oddity: New Belgium's Lips of Faith Cocoa Molé (9% ABV) is simply amazing - but not if you can't stand a little spicy chili in your beer!  It's a good thing this was my last beer on day one or I might have drank it all day and tried no others (though I started the day with Allagash Curieux and ended just as strongly!).  It pours a golden-tinged dark brown with a nice creamy mocha head, though of negligible retention or lace.  Up front it tastes slightly sweet in chocolate molé way, but just after swallowing a fair chili spiciness kicks back through the palate in a very pleasant manner (unless you're my mother!)  It leaves a nice warming dryness from the chili that just smooths out the sweetness and leaves you me wanting more... and more.  I devoured this glass and tried to get a second only to discover I had finished their selection.  Best spicy beer I have ever tasted!  Grade: A+

The Silver Oddity: Okay, a Bière Brut (Champagne Beer) is not that odd to beer folks, if it is to the public, but they are fairly uncommon and it was the only one I consumed at the fest.  Yet, Microbrasserie Charlevoix graces the review pages again with their Dominus Vobiscum Brut (11% ABV) which I thoroughly enjoyed!  It offers a cloudy golden body beneath a gorgeous foamy, fizzy, white head that settles down fairly quickly leaving a decent lace.  Aromas are of lemon zest and rind as well as some sweeter citrus notes.  Flavourwise, there is a predominance of sweet pear/apple fruitiness with a lightly drying peppery/yeasty spiciness.  Simply delicious - champagne but better!  Grade: A/A+

The Bronze Oddity: Take a wild, rare Amazonian fruit, put it in a Brazilian beer without Canadian distribution and watch me try something I may never taste again.  Make it good and hear me rave about it!  Cervejaria Amazônia was able to do both with their Bacuri Forest (3.8% ABV) which pours a standard pale yellow with a fizzy white head that settles down quickly with just slight lace.  Orange scented hops greets the nose with fainter hints of rind and pine, like a mild IPA.  The citrus notes continue in the mouth but with a sweet lemon presentation that is quite enjoyable indeed and dried out with the citrusy hops.  With low carbonation, light body, and low alcohol, this beer is a smooth-drinking session beer if ever there was one... now to find myself a case for that session...  Grade: A-/A

Well, that's it for beer reviews, stay tuned for my final Mondial wrap-up!

Mondial Beer Review #2: Pale and Brown Ales

In this second review of beers I tasted at Mondial, I will cover Pale Ales, IPAs, Old Ales, Vintage Ales, Scotch Ales, Barley Wines, Amber/Red Ales, and Brown Ales.  For the sake of categorization, I will be lumping together: 1) Bitters, Pale Ales, IPAs and Rye IPAs; 2) Imperial/Double IPAs and Black IPAs; 3) Old Ales, Scotch Ales and Barley Wines; and 4) Brown Ales and Amber/Red Ales.  I am lumping some (slightly) diverse categories together just for organizing my 55 or so ratings from the fest and do realize I am not fully comparing apples to apples.  Now, without further ado:

Bitters, Pale Ales, India Pale Ales, and Rye IPAs

Personal Best of the Fest: Lagunitas IPA (6.2%).  This well respected brewery here offers a very well balanced American IPA that pours a dark golden colour.  The head was lacking, but was poorly poured, so I won't comment on its usual head.  Aromawise, this beers presents a toasty grapefruit primacy with some faint floral piney notes.  Tasting notes are similar, but the up front grapefruit is somewhat sweet with a more orange citrus-ness, before a finely drying estery finish.  It seemed only lightly carbonated (had the bottle sat a while?) with a medium body and was quite pleasant to drink.  Not my favourite American IPA, but a very good one!  Grade: A-


Microbrasserie Charlevoix's just launched La Vache Folle RyePA (6%) was a very close second in this category.  As I tasted this beer at the media launch, the poured glasses had been sitting for a short while and the aroma was faint and had mostly dissipated, so my assessment here may be slightly off, but it seemed to be more dominated by malty fruitiness with a VERY faint hint of smokiness that was primarily sweet.  Though it didn't smell bad, I would have presumed greater hops and will have to try this again after a fresh pour to be certain.  Despite sitting for a short while, though, the rocky white head was excellently retained with a thick, foamy lacing that looked simply gorgeous.  Flavorwise, the hops characteristic is predominantly piney and it is well (im)balanced, by which I mean it is fairly dominated by the imbalance of the style, yet without going over the top.  Only very faint traces of bready, smoky, peaty rye are present, but enough to add to the enjoyment of this fine brew.  With a medium body and a light-medium carbonation, there is ample 'crispness' to this beer and it is quite enjoyable indeed!  Grade: A-  (A promotional release photo follows with more reviews after the shot)

Central City Red Racer ESB (5.6%) is a bit of an oddity in this category that otherwise includes IPAs, but this isn't a traditional English ESB and is a bit more of an American styled Pale Ale, or at best a hybrid as it offers scents of mild-to-moderate grapefruit with a dominant bitterness present beyond what an English ESB would exude.  It is light amber in colour with a nice head and retention, though no lacing to speak of.  It is only malty sweet up front for a brief moment, before a nicely drying finish of toasty citrus and rind.  With a medium body and medium carbonation, this is a decent and enjoyable, if not exemplary offering, but a unique one and gets some marks for that, even if pushing the style boundary.  Grade: B/B+


For the last in this category, I had Swiss brewer, Birrificio Ticinese's Bad Attitude Hobo IPA (6% ABV) (which came highly recommended by "Beer Hunter" Phillippe who has rated 7600 beers at http://www.bov.ch/) yet failed to overly impress.  It had a great piney nose and a fine deep amber colour, with an excellent faintly off-white head that had great retention but poor lacing.  The bitter nose led to to think this would be hop-head heaven, but though dry it was almost equally bready sweet (almost like french toast) and a bit of almost yeasty spice with equal parts grapefruit.  It was more balanced than it smelled like it would be, but didn't really work for me perhaps due to bordering on the style characteristics of many divergent styles.  Some might call it complex, but besides the nose it just didn't work for me.  It was crisp and tingly, yet probably excessively carbonated perhaps muting the hoppiness of the style for me.  Grade: C+/B-

Double/Imperial IPAs and Black IPAs

Personal Best of the Fest: Dogfish Head Burton Baton (10% ABV) is actually made by blending an English Old Ale and a Double IPA and then aging the blend in oak barrels.  The nose is dominated by oaky vanilla notes, while traces of pine are muted by this sweetness if still present.  It is clear and golden amber in colour with only slight head and retention, but nice glass-trailing lacing.  Though the flavour is quite dry as it finishes with a quite bitter citrus, the excessive dryness doesn't linger as it is tempered from beginning through end by the vanilla-citrus combined sweetness of the oak.  No it is not sweet, but it is complex, nuanced, and pleasant beyond what a 'normal' imperial IPA might offer.  The carbonation is fairly substantial making it crisp and tingly to the tongue, though with a lighter body than is characteristic for the style.  Grade: A-/A

In a close second is Dieu du Ciel's Chaman (9% ABV) which is cloudy amber in colour with just a slight creamy white head, though with good retention.  On the nose, the flavour is predominantly citrus hops with a touch of bread, though the taste is nicely nuanced characterized by both grapefruit bitterness and a peaty/earthy dryness that, despite also drying, adds a pleasant complexity.  Fairly full bodied with moderate carbonation, yet fairly smooth on the tongue.  Grade: A-


In a close third is Founders Double Trouble (9.4% ABV) which presents aromas of fruity esters, predominantly citrus, but also floral and with hints of rind.  It pours a golden colour that seems a bit light for the style, but offers a nice frothy white head with good retention and lacing.  Floral and citrus hops dominate the tongue and leave a substantive bitterness yet one without any lengthy lingering.  Medium bodied with only low carbonation makes this beer feel smooth - which to me detracts slightly from a bitter IPA which I, personally, find benefits from some crispy, tingly carbonation, but I am well aware this is an opinion open to much debate!  Still, a fine beer!  Grade: B+


Yet again, there isn't a huge distance between third and fourth in this category, but next is Le Saint Bock's Black Jesus (9.3% ABV) which pours a dark, dark brown with a fine mocha head, good retention, lace, and surface spotting.  Oddly, this beer smells like mocha, chocolate, and sweetened coffee much like a milk stout and without any style characteristics - but it smells nice!  Conversely, as there is nothing on the nose suggesting black IPA, there is nothing on the tongue resembling this sweetness, as the flavour is bitterly piney with hints of pepper and rind.  With a medium body and fair carbonation, this beer otherwise feels style appropriate.  I actually love the sweet stout aroma even if it is inappropriate, but though good, the taste isn't quite enough for me, but it is still enjoyable enough.  Grade: B/B+

Next, I come to Black Moon from Vermont's Rock Art Brewery (10% ABV), which pours jet black with a good frothy white head and solid retention, though negligible lacing.  It smells of pine up front with a trace of floral esters.  It is quite piney/earthy bitter and borders on astringency in flavour - which is certainly style appropriate - but it is a bit much for me and lingers a bit too long, though hop-heads are sure to love it!  It is full bodied with slightly low carbonation levels and doesn't tingle the tongue as it dries its way down!  Good, very stylistically quintessential, yet perhaps a bit too bold in that regard at the same time!  Grade: B


Finally, for this category, I come to the Black Rye IPA offering from Brazil's Cervejaria Bodebrown (7% ABV) which pours a gorgeous jet black, with a lightly cream-coloured thick, rocky head with good retention and lacing.  Aromas are slightly smoky and peaty, as well as offering faintly fruity hints, but are not very dominant and are faint at best and not exactly conforming to the style.  Flavourwise, it is more approrpiate as it is but faintly sweet up front in a citrusy way that dries out quickly with grapefruit, pine, and spice notes that linger excessively.  It is light-to-medium bodied and equally carbonated.  Aside from the aroma, it well fits the style descriptors, but pushes to the point of astringency.  Grade: C+/B-


Old Ales, Scotch Ales, and Barley Wines


Yes, there is fair disparity in this category, though strength, malt, body, and (rough) geographic origin offer some useful categorization and, since I only had one of each, perhaps we can lump these together into an arbitrary category!

Personal Best of the Fest: St. Ambroise Vintage Age Millésimée 2010 (10% ABV).  This aged ale (called both a Barley Wine and an Old Ale depending on the source) certainly ages well though I have never had a fresh one!  It shows unfiltered cloudiness with a dark red colour, while the head is fair, off-white, frothy and offers decent retention and trailing lace.  It smells quite boozy, yet also offers nice aromas of plums, brown sugar, and molasses.  To the tongue, the booziness remains present but is tempered by sweet caramel maltiness that makes it nicely drinkable, with only a slight-to-moderate drying finish (tempered by age perhaps?).  It is warming and fairly full bodied, but with a creamy, low carbonation that makes this fit the Barley Wine tradition and 'wine' inspiration quite well.  Grade: A


Next best for me would be the oddity of the grouping: Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale (8.5% ABV) from Founders Brewing.  This strong Scotch Ale pours a dark brown with quite nice head and retention, though with no lacing to speak of.  Faintly smoky earthy aromas meet the nose while the flavour is similar yet the peaty illusion is sweet in its toasty/woods maltiness.  With medium carbonation and a light-to-medium body, this beer is also fairly warming but not boozy.  Nice, but despite its commanded level of respect, I actual found it to be sweeter than desired and good, but perhaps not as good as many find it, though you should try it for yourself!  I'd like to try it again alongside the Dieu du Ciel Scotch Ale that I so thoroughly adored on draft.  Grade: B+/A-

Finally, I come to the Vermonster (10% ABV), a Barley Wine from Rock Art Brewery that meets the nose with piney/floral hops.  It pours a nice brown with excellent off-white frothy head and noteworthy retention.  There is some malty fruit up front, with very faint notes of raisins, plums, and caramel, but it is wiped out promptly by a very drying floral estery finish with a lingering aftertaste.  As typical of the style, it is fairly full bodied with negligible carbonation, such that it would likely show well on cask.  It was decent, but there wasn't enough barley for me... as the hops shut it down and I would have liked a few more malty aromas and or tastes.  Though I understand that hop heads love it - as one would expect.  Grade: B+

Browns, Reds and Ambers

Personal Best of the Fest: The winner for me is a rare hybrid oddity that almost shouldn't qualify: Beau's 2011/2012 incarnation of Winterbrewed (5% ABV) which is infused with brewed coffee and changes slightly year to year.  This Winter's batch had Guatemalan coffee rather than last year's Nicaraguan and was as delicious as I recall!  Pouring a dark amber-to-light brown with nice rocky mocha head full of lacing with remarkable retention.  Just gorgeous and then you smell it: freshly brewed gourmet coffee (and, with fair-trade Bridgehead organic coffee, it truly is quality!).  The nose has faint hints of earthy hops and caramel malts, but trying to smell anything other than the coffee seemingly brewing beneath your nose is difficult!  The flavour is toasty and nutty, but primarily offers a thick and lingering coffee goodness that is met with just enough hops to dry out the finish that maintains that lingering coffee for quite some time (though not long enough!)  Medium bodied, with slight carbonation, this is fairly oily (as per the coffee) but just a delight to drink!  Grade: A+


It may be somewhat unfair to let my coffee love name the Personal Best of the Fest for one whose "Amber" qualities are nearly indiscernible, so I offer the Backup Best of the Fest here as Wilco Tango Foxtrot (7.8% ABV) a so-called "Imperial Brown Ale" from Lagunitas.  This beer is golden brown in colour and a bit lighter than anticipated with a nice off-white head and decent retention and lace.  Oranges and drier citrusy hops aromas meet the nose while the taste is simply complex and remarkably balanced.  At times, I felt like it began with malty toasted grains before a piney drying finish that didn't last, yet on other sips felt the inverse, being met by floral citrus hops before the malty sweetness and drying end (without any lingering bitterness).  The complex balance is very, very good.  It is very creamy, nearly chewy, and medium to full bodied with medium carbonation.  Not boozy at all.  Very drinkable.  Grade: A-/A


Beau's Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale (6.7% ABV) comes in next, though I would love to try this again and offer more.  I adore good Irish Reds, but they must be consumed before Barley Wines and such and, for various reasons, this didn't happen and its subtleness was lost a bit on me at the time.  It was easy drinking for it's ABV, had nice caramel and toasty notes on the nose and tongue and finished with the lingering sweetness one expects from an Irish Red.  Saying more than that will require a second tasting, but I did enjoy it and I am sure I would again!  Grade: B+/A-


Next, is Maracaibo Especial (a 7.5% ABV American Brown) from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales.  It pours a deep amber with a decent, creamy, whiter-than-expected head of moderate retention and pacing.  There was also a remaining brown yeast sediment visible in the glass.  It has two-part aroma beginning with sweet-and-sour dark malty fruits and finishing with a slight citrus hoppiness.  Tastes like slightly smoky camp toast with a rindy/citrus finish.  It is good, but not exactly like expected in aroma or taste for the style.  It had a nicely drying finish, but more in an American Pale Ale manner than that of a Brown.  Good, but not legendary to me.  Grade: B/B+


Finally, I come to BarbaRoja Barrel-Aged Red Ale (9% ABV) which pours a gorgeous deep amber with an excellent frothy beige head with thick bubbles that remain and leave a fair trace.  It has but a faint aroma merely of sweet citrus and lightly toasted malts.  Tastes are of spicy fruit with a piney finish and they somehow seem to clash rather than complement each other.  Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, though a bit oily and fairly warming.  Good, enjoyable, but not something I'd go back to often.  Grade: B


Well, that's it for now.  Remaining posts about Mondial: Stouts/Porters, Lagers and Wheat Beers, Sours and Unique Oddities, and finally a wrap up post with some concluding remarks - stay tuned as I keep re-living this phenomenal event!