Well, I’ve had a breakthrough of sorts when it comes to sours. I was hanging out with some fellow beer nerds Friday night recording a Beer Brawl podcast for Simply Beer. After we wrapped up, a few beers were popped open that weren’t part of the podcast. Consider it an after party of sorts, without all the annoying celebrity glamour and beautiful women (they’re so distracting!).
One of the beers was a Cantillon Rose de Gamrinus, a honest-to-goodness sour lambic. It poured a beautiful rosy red with a tinge of orange. The nose was tart raspberries with a hint of a yeasty funk smell as well. The first sip was exactly what I thought a sour should be – it was really sour, but fruity as well, that gave way to an earthiness, and then a little citrus in the finish, like a bit of lemon peel. It was all there – fruitiness, pucker-factor and a bit of the funk. This is what I’ve been looking for!
So I think I have a future with sours after all. Of the two I’ve tried before this, one was too sweet (Duchesse De Burgogne) and the other MUST have been infected, because it tasted like a band aid. Trying this Rose de Gambrinus has restored my faith that I can definitely enjoy sour beers. After all, they are intense and flavorful, which is exactly what I like best.
Where to go from here…hmmmm…
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
welcome to the dark side! Did you enjoy the New Glarus Cran-bic too?
Or perhaps that is the funky side?
Forgot about the Cranbic – it was quite tasty. Thank goodness for your Michigan connections, Peter. New Glarus is a tough get in these parts.
Hallelujah!
I’m glad you like the Cantillon, I find it delicious.
The interesting thing about sours, is that they vary even within a brand.
I think it’s cool that you are able to get together with Peter and do the beer brawl. Camaraderie should be the natural fruit of beer.
Yeah, it’s fun to get together and share knowledge. Mostly i listen and learn, and Peter really knows his stuff. Same goes for Kevin (Dark Lord of the Stout) and John from Hunterdon Distributing. Great guys, each of them.
Thanks for the kind words! I thought we all worked pretty well together.
Till next time Cheers!
CONGRATS Jim! I’ll have to see if we can get Cantillon in these parts and give it a swirl. Name and Label don’t look familiar, though. Perhaps Don knows.
It’s worth a look for sure-very tasty with an abv of 5%. A session sour if you will.
I need to find the big abv sours…
Chad:
I think Rick might be able to get this one if we ask him for it. I’m pretty sure it is belgian, and he seems to be able to get more foreign beers easier than some of the east coast ones.
Love this beer. What a sexy bottle, too. It’s been a while that I’ve had it but I simply love their beers.
They have four or five Castillons where I shop, and I’m excited to dive in.
OH, THERE WILL BE MORE TASTY SOUR TREATS COMING SOON! I just had the Pissonlet from Fantome that we didn’t open the other night… what a treat! It’s a Saison, but a wildly sour and tart one. Loads of citrus, candi sugar… think lemonade. I’m fiending for more…
Does rhis mean you’re going to say the name right from here on out? If I recall, you were calling it piss-on-let on Friday, much to John’s chagrin! But it sounds good. Can you set one aside!
HAHA!!! John could handle it. Now, imagine if I had really been drinking some of those high-octane beers? He would have really been ticked off! Peas-ON-lay! Is that better, Jim?
Perfect, Kevin. John would be happy. Reminds me of Count De-mo-nay from History of the World Part I.