Category Archives: Euro Sour Ale

Reninge Bitter Blond à Lambiek

Brewery: Seizoensbrouwerij Vandewalle
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Euro Sour Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle paper wrap) High fermentation beer with a positive taste evolution because of the refermentation in the bottle. Handcraft beer based on natural ingredients: water, barley, malt, hop from Poperinge (40%), live yeast and lambic. This beer is brewed using three different flavours of bitter hop and has unmistakable fresh taste. After the main fermentation, this beer is blended with Lambic and matures for eight months in the bottle. Unfiltered and unpasteurised. Preserve this beer upright in a cool and dark place, preferably with a steady temperature of 4-6°C. Pour out slowly in a dry and neat glass.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.33
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 375ml paper wrapped, corked and caged bottle, bottled on 11th November 2013 and a statement that says it preserves up to 4 years after bottling. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.
Appearance: A hazy copper orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart citrus tangerine, funk, earthiness, oak and a herbal element.
Taste: There’s a light sweetness, followed by some bitter orange rind, sour lemon juice and a mix of dusty, funky and herbal elements.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was ok with interesting sweet, bitter and sour, but I wasn’t too fond of the herbal aspects that were there.

To Øl Nelson Survin

Brewery: To Øl
Country: Denmark
ABV: 9%
Style: Euro Sour Ale
Other Notes: Sour mashed Double India Pale Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Continuing the sour fling – this is our sour DIPA boasting with Nelson Sauvin hops. Crazy tropical sour notes, all in one beer. We call it Sourvin…

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 2nd June 2018. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A murky cloudy orange brown colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention and some lacing.
Aroma: White wine, grape, apple, lemon and orange.
Taste: Sour, tart, pineapple, apricot, white wine, grapes, apple cider vinegar, grapefruit zest and some light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation with some alcohol coming through.
Overall: This didn’t really come together for me. The sourness just felt like it was missing something and there was just a bit too much alcohol showing for the style… although granted, it is 9% ABV.

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To Øl Sur Simcoe

Brewery: To Øl
Country: Denmark
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Euro Sour Ale
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by To Øl at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour Simcoe Session Pale Ale. Seducingly subtle savoury pale ale brewed for everyone with a cling for sour beers.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 8th February 2018. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Sour, mango, passionfruit, white grape and grapefruit with some light funk and grass.
Taste: Sour white/green grapes with a touch of grapefruit and lemon. Reminds me of a sour version of those muscat gummy candies.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to high spritzy carbonation.
Overall: Refreshing and easy to drink. I preferred this over the Sur Amarillo. I’m just a sucker for those muscat gummy candies.

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To Øl Sur Amarillo

Brewery: To Øl
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.5%
Style: Euro Sour Ale
Other Notes: Brewed by To Øl at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Please welcome Sur Amarillo – a sour Pale Ale brewed with wheat and dry hopped over and over with Amarillo hop to give a flowerful tart Imperial Pale Ale.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.84
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 15th June 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark copper orange colour with a big three finger off white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sour and very fruit forward with lemon, orange, orange rind, grapefruit, passionfruit, lychee, peach and a touch of pepper spice.
Taste: Fruity, sour and tart throughout. A good mix of citrus and tropical with orange, lemon, mango, pineapple, lychee, peach and apricot. There’s a light citrus rind bitterness mixed in there with caramel and a spice pepper finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation and dry on the finish.
Overall: Enjoyable and refreshingly easy to drink despite it being 7.5% abv.

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Hof Ten Dormaal Zure Van Tildonk 2014

Brewery: Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Euro Sour Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Zure Van Tildonk is an original Belgian Sour Ale from the farm brewery Hof Ten Dormaal. With this beer, we strived to create a special, spontaneously-fermented beer via traditional methods using ambient yeast from our farm in Tildonk. Each batch of Zure Van Tildonk is carefully aged in our cellars at the Engelburcht Monastery for several months prior to release.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.14
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12.7 fl oz bottle with a best before date of July 2017. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a just over one finger white head with decent retention and great lacing.
Aroma: Sour, funky and bretty with some nice fruity lemon, apricot and a hint of vinegar.
Taste: Sour, tart and lemony. Light oak and sweetness on the finish with a touch of berries.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: It’s nice and refreshing.

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