#34 New Belgium "La Folie"
I have dubbed this the Spring (and Summer) of Sours. I have thrown caution into the wind, and have offered myself as a sacrifice to the Sour Gods. Today's bottle is from New Belgium's Lips of Faith series, "La Folie," a Flanders Oud Bruin style. Or...a sour. I picked up this bottle for close to $16, so you know, it better be goddamned good.
Bring on the sour beer, sourpuss.
La Folie was a beer that sat in my fridge for a couple months before I manned up and popped the top. I sat outside in the chilly weather, and stared this bottle down. Eventually I poured it out, and looked at it for a moment. I took in the La Folie, I noted the coffee table brown, with ruby highlights. Seriously, it looks like my coffee table. I paid special attention the the fluffy head, that decided to stick around much longer than I cared. But when It decided to leave, it left behind a trail of happiness, and a nice bit of lacing.
I went in already expecting the nose to smell a certain way. I was a little off. For some reason I was expecting a more of a"beginners" sour nose. A mellow sweet, with some cherry, a little bit of oak. NOPE! I got friggin walloped in the nose holes with hardcore tart, a bunch of vinegar, all topped off with a bit of saccharine sweetness. I was a bit taken back. All of a sudden, all of my preconceived notions about what i was getting into, went right out the window. Because of the amazing thing where the sense of smell can transport you back to another time, I kind of immediately knew what I was about to get into, and I was a little let down. I love sours, but...I'm not a huge fan of vinegar bombs.
But the show must go on.
WOW, that is fucking tart. The nose does not betray the taste. It's pretty intense. Lots of green apples and sour cherry. This flavor is VERY intense. Very tart, very acidic, very vinegar-like. The best comparison I can make right now, with beers in my recent memory is "My Blueberry Nightmare" or "Tart of Darkness" just not as good. It finishes with some juicy pear on the back end. It was relatively thin, not a ton of carbonation. But it felt good. It felt right. But overall, the intensity of this beer took away from it, if that makes any sense at all.
La Folie is for the adventurous, or for those who already have a longstanding relationship with sours. I would never dream of starting off with something like this if sours are new to you. I knew as soon as I smelled it, this would be a brave beer to tackle on a school night. I tried finishing this on my own, and that idea was pure madness. So is the idea of buying this beer again...
You can hunt them down online:
Bring on the sour beer, sourpuss.
La Folie was a beer that sat in my fridge for a couple months before I manned up and popped the top. I sat outside in the chilly weather, and stared this bottle down. Eventually I poured it out, and looked at it for a moment. I took in the La Folie, I noted the coffee table brown, with ruby highlights. Seriously, it looks like my coffee table. I paid special attention the the fluffy head, that decided to stick around much longer than I cared. But when It decided to leave, it left behind a trail of happiness, and a nice bit of lacing.
I went in already expecting the nose to smell a certain way. I was a little off. For some reason I was expecting a more of a"beginners" sour nose. A mellow sweet, with some cherry, a little bit of oak. NOPE! I got friggin walloped in the nose holes with hardcore tart, a bunch of vinegar, all topped off with a bit of saccharine sweetness. I was a bit taken back. All of a sudden, all of my preconceived notions about what i was getting into, went right out the window. Because of the amazing thing where the sense of smell can transport you back to another time, I kind of immediately knew what I was about to get into, and I was a little let down. I love sours, but...I'm not a huge fan of vinegar bombs.
But the show must go on.
WOW, that is fucking tart. The nose does not betray the taste. It's pretty intense. Lots of green apples and sour cherry. This flavor is VERY intense. Very tart, very acidic, very vinegar-like. The best comparison I can make right now, with beers in my recent memory is "My Blueberry Nightmare" or "Tart of Darkness" just not as good. It finishes with some juicy pear on the back end. It was relatively thin, not a ton of carbonation. But it felt good. It felt right. But overall, the intensity of this beer took away from it, if that makes any sense at all.
La Folie is for the adventurous, or for those who already have a longstanding relationship with sours. I would never dream of starting off with something like this if sours are new to you. I knew as soon as I smelled it, this would be a brave beer to tackle on a school night. I tried finishing this on my own, and that idea was pure madness. So is the idea of buying this beer again...
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| Looks good, though. |
You can hunt them down online:
Website: http://www.newbelgium.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newbelgium
Twitter: https://twitter.com/newbelgium
Instagram: http://instagram.com/newbelgium
New Belgium "La Folie"
Smell: 2/5
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 2.5/5
Feel: 3/5
Overall: 2.625/5
This beer pairs well with: At The Drive-In - Lopsided
And don't forget about my giveaway! You can enter here or on my facebook (just hit the "giveaway" tab)!
New Belgium "La Folie"
Smell: 2/5
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 2.5/5
Feel: 3/5
Overall: 2.625/5
This beer pairs well with: At The Drive-In - Lopsided
And don't forget about my giveaway! You can enter here or on my facebook (just hit the "giveaway" tab)!
American sour beers are taking off like craaazy.
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