I owe Whiskeyjack some reviews of sour ales, so I will be posting a couple over the next few days.
First up is Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale (though it is really brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge and the technical name for the beer is Flanders Oud Bruin) 5.5% in to a tullip glass.
N: I get prunes, raisins, slightly sour cherries and apples. Definite smell of acid and funk. Also some yeast and malt. After a minute or two the fruit smells are mostly gone leaving the funk, acid, yeast and malt.
P: Starts rather sweet with raisins, malt and some prunes. Then some of the sour cherries followed by the raisins again. Very interesting mouthfeel, very carbonated and coats the mouth quickly but leaves just as fast.
F: raisins and apple peel with a good malt backbone that quickly overtakes the fruit. Some tart and slightly sour cherry as well. Fades rather quickly with just a slight lingering of malt, cherry and raisin.
Overall an interesting beer but it is not very sour. It would work as a great intro to someone wanting to try sours. Overall I might buy again but not something I feel a need to rush out and rebuy. Rating is 83-86 (I prefer ranges not exact ratings).
