Feature Beer Friday! - New Belgium La Folie

And we're back... I ran out of new reviews right before the Beer Bloggers Conference, and just had the opportunity to get back on the radio with the Me And My Big Mouth radio show, which took over for Raise A Glass... so of course we did what I do best, drank some beers.  And we reviewed some beers, so Feature Beer Friday! is back!  

Up first is one that should be in Louisiana soon, the New Belgium La Folie, a sour brown ale that's part of their Lips Of Faith series. It was actually part of their initial Louisiana release, but supplies didn't last long at all.  The good news is that it should be on its way back, to replace the Pluot and Paardebloem in the Lips Of Faith lineup. The last I heard it was "in transit" so there's a good sign.  

Here's what they have to say about the 6.0% abv brew: "La Folie Wood Aged Beer is our original wood-conditioned beer, resting in French Oak barrels between one and three years before being bottled. Peter Bouckaert came to us from Rodenbach, home of the fabled sour red. Our La Folie emulates the spontaneous fermentation beers of Peter's beloved Flanders with sour apple notes, a dry effervescence, and earthy undertones.

Beginning in 2013 we'll do a single bottling of La Folie for the year. Collect the 22-oz. unique-to-2013 designed bottle and start a yearly wood-aged collection of goodness."

Reviewers: Eric Ducote (BR Beer Scene), Jay Ducote (Bite And Booze), Brenton Day (The Ale Runner), and Kevin Cowan.

Serving: 22 oz. bottle, labeled 2013.

Appearance: Brenton described it as a "beautiful ruby red."

Aroma: Sour, tart, rich with a strong malt base too.  Brenton picked up a hint of oak, as well as fruits like cranberries and cherries.   

Taste: Puckering, like a "plum that's gone sour" as Jay described it. The rich malt base is still here, no hops at all, but that's not what this beer is about.   

Mouthfeel: Puckering, that's all you need to know here.

Overall: An awesome beer, and maybe my favorite of the Lips Of Faith series.  This will be one of the go-to sour beers for the beer geeks out there once it arrives in Louisiana.  Jay said this beer "is as if Tinkerbell's pixie dust was a sour fun dip."  I don't think you want to miss out on that.


Overall Rating: 87.75
My Rating: 88