Lost Abbey Saint's Devotion with Brettanomyces

Sour beer is interesting. Some people absolutely hate it. I think it can be pretty good, under the right circumstances. In a nutshell, brewers take ordinary beer, and add brettanomyces or other fungal or bacterial agents to add extra funkiness to the beer. These agents are normally things that they'd want to keep out because the tastes that they can develop are considered "off" but when things go just right, they get the sourness they are looking for, which is nice for people who like that sort of thing. Russian River Brewing Co, who I've mentioned before, makes some terrific sour beers. Because of the time it takes for the beer to get soured, and the uncertainty about what exactly flavor profile they're going to get, sour beer tends to be relatively expensive. I picked up this Saint's Devotion with Brett because I hadn't had it before, and it was one of the less expensive that the beer store had, $5.99 for a 12-oz bottle.

This is a Belgian golden ale with brett to add the sour dimension. On the nose it's got a sour element going on that reminds me of lemon juice. Promising. But the taste is actually pretty moderate. This tastes like a golden ale that's just got a hint of sourness. It's refreshing. A lot of sour beers I've had, it's hard to drink more than a couple of ounces, but I didn't have any problem finishing off this whole bottle. I've never had the same beer without the brettanomyces, so I can't really compare the two just now.

I've read a few articles talking about how sour beers are trendy, but given the expense and fact that a lot of people just don't like them, I'm not sure how big they're going to get. I think they're a fun way for brewers to experiment with what flavors they can get out of their beer, and they can be a treat for sour beer fans when they happen to find one. I wouldn't expect to see most breweries having one or more available all the time. But if you do see one, definitely give it a try. It's very different from what beer usually tastes like.