Brasserie Cantillon, Iris

Far be it from me to think I can do justice to the taste of this drink in words, so here are a bunch of over the top images of an empty bottle instead.

Brouwerij Lindemans, Blossom Gueuze

I think I drank this relatively fresh, purchased from Beer Gonzo after it'd been on other Belgian sites for only a month or so. Very pungent elderflower nose along with some sharp vinegar. The taste was basically Bottle Green with a very mild sharpness to it. Minimal funk, no oak. Medium dry finish. This was ok at the start, but I quickly got a bit bored to be honest. Would've been great shared on a pub terrace by the river in the sun. £13. I've never had the pleasure of Mamouche so I don't really have anything to compare this to, but I don't think I'll go back to it.

Brouwerij Lindemans, Oude Kriek Cuveé René

Bottled 20.3.14 ("2013 Vintage"), drank 11.12.15. Another pop, no gush. Sweet nose, sharp cherry, small nut. As with the gueuze, very sharp indeed. Zero sweetness. Fruit/citric/lemon. Minor fustiness/barnyard/funk up front, then almost immediately overpowered by the acidity. Some small woodiness towards the end. Very astringent. Again, fantastic price at sub £6 for a 750ml. My first glass was cellar temperature, the 2nd out of the fridge, I actually think the chill suited it better.

Brouwerij Lindemans, Oude Gueuze Cuveé René

Bottled date of 22.4.15. Cork pop and a small gush. A wafting aroma thereafter of plasters and funk. Very sharp indeed - the sharpness is almost overwhelming and mutes any other nuances. Possibly a bit indistinct or maybe one dimensional as a result. Definite oak though, finish is very dry and enamel stripping. Not my favourite gueuze but at the price poin, you simply cannot argue: £4.49 for 750ml from Beers Of Europe.

Crooked Stave, St. Bretta Autumn

I feel like American Wild Ales (AWAs apparently) are a bit of a can of worms - there are alot more of them (it seems) than there are of the Belgian equivalents and given that the majority of the rating sites are populated by Americans, the hype levels for Casey's, Side Project's and Hill Farmstead's beers are pretty feverish, sometimes bordering on the hysterical. (That DDB guy is probably to blame too.)

Crooked Stave are in the anti-kettle souring camp and by staying close to the lambic brewing ethos, their bottles are valued at more than controlled sour brews (i.e. £10 for a 355ml bottle).

How do they hold up to their Belgian inspirations? I hope I have the pleasure to find out with more AWAs. I'd imagine most US sour/wild brewers would be the first to admit that their offerings mightn't quite reach the same depths as some of the older Belgian breweries, but who's to say how that might change in a generation or two? The consolidation/maturation of US house yeasts perhaps remains a work in progress.

This AWA from Crooked Stave was, I think, my first experience with native American yeasts. A good beer. Blossomed when it reached room temperature, funky cheese/citrus nose. Sharp tang to mild sour citrus taste, minimal barnyard/funk. Dry finish. No overt presence of hops or oak in this for me unfortunately, but I enjoyed it and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to try it again. (Although I'd have to be pretty flush to warrant spending the above mentioned price when I could get 750ml of a Cantillon gueuze for the same or less.)

Siren, Calypso

Noteless for this as I changed phones and lost a chunk of my notes. From what I remember: quite a tropical nose, taste was a big citrus sour (grapefruit), high carbonation and dry-ish in the after. Refreshing and morish. (Green cap meant it was dry-hopped with amarillo I think.)

Buxton and Omnipollo, Stolen Fruit

My second bottled sour at home I think (I had the Kernel's London Sour a long while back iirc). I'm afraid I turned my nose up at sours a while back - I remember the Beavertown/Wild Beer Co collab Rubus Maximus not really doing it for me and sort of (totally unfairly) dismissing all sour beers out of hand. However, since the Zwanze micro-hype and the Kernel flashing pornographic images of their taking delivery of their new foeders, I figured I'd be damned if I wasn't going to try to ride this next beer trend wave (that Fou'Foune sounds well sophisticated bruv). Anyway, so far, I've had a go at the Brodie's + Brewdog Clapham collab Southside Zester and the Wild Beer Schnoodlepip (not a trad. sour I suppose).

(I read this: apparently IPAs are mainstream now. Obviously I'll come off as some sort of fickle hipster about this 'new' sour beer thing, so without wanting to protest too much, I'll just hold my hands up and admit to being a new fad whore. But it's always good to try new things (except incest and barn dancing, apparently) and push yourself right?)

So with the caveat that I know next to nothing about sour beer....I liked this one (the German version of the Belgian equivalent: Berliner Weisse) from Buxton and Omnipollo. Grapefruit and lime massively evident off the nose and in the taste. Minor 'beer elements' it seemed to me. Obviously puckering, sharp and sour yet moresish and quite mellow and drinkable once I'd acclimatised to that. Massive thanks to my brother Konrad for this as a spot on birthday present!