diomedeh2

And just to reiterate a previous post of mine...if anyone in the La Crosse area is up for a beer tasting event the weekend of June 19th (Saturday), we'll be getting a decent sized group of people together to share some bottles of whatever we come up with at the House of Hops downtown. Starts at around 330 - 4 and goes until we say uncle. Should be a good time and a good way to meet some fellow beer enthusiasts!

Don't let one sour persuade your taste buds...it's actually a really traditional Belgian style. There are the classics, like Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen, Girardin, Boon, Lindeman's (though avoid any of the fruit flavored lambics), etc, which are all fabulous purveyors of the lambic/gueuze style. More close to home, the American Wilds (as they have come to be known) are similar in nature, though they have significantly less "boundaries" than the traditional Belgians. I'd still try the Juliet as it's a blackberry sour that comes across pretty clean with only a small dose of sourness. A good intro. Definitely do NOT start with a heavy hitting gueuze as they tend to crush taste buds the first time you experience one. And just an FYI, The Pere Jacques is more in the vein of an abbey ale, with more sweet and malty flavors going on than anything (a bit too sweet and malty, in my opinion). Not a sour beer, just to avoid confusion.

Bummer. Thanks for the info though...I'll give a quick review after I give one a go. If you do have any interest in venturing into the rather expensive but ultimately satisfying world of sours, there are a ton of significantly better examples out there. Not sure what's reasonably attainable for you, but I know I've seen the Lindeman's Cuvee Rene around the La Crosse and Milwaukee areas and I think that Goose Island's Juliet has made its way into WI as well. Most of Jolly Pumpkin's stuff will be soured as well, so they're worth trying.

Are you generally a fan of sours, out of curiosity? They tend to be a polarizing category of beer, so it's always good to have a little bit of background! I will say I had Cran-bic multiple times and it was definitely just an ok beer, in my opinion. A bit too light, generally sweeter than sour, almost like a soda. Dan Carey seems to have an idea when it comes to sour-ish beer though, so I'm still holding judgment until I try the Enigma for myself.

Agreed. Anyone tried Enigma yet? I'll be heading back to WI in a few weeks and will definitely be looking to get my hands on a bottle or two.

As for the Blue Moon Grand Cru, I always see it on shelves and have yet to be tempted enough to pick one up. That said, I still give Blue Moon some props for introducing me, a few years back now, to the world of Belgian wits. Granted there are far superior offerings out there, it was a fine intro back in the day.

Enjoy. I was able to try their double dry hopped Gordon at an event a few months back and it was absolutely fantastic. I think it might be the strongest Oscar Blues offering, personally.

As far as IPA's go, especially for Dogfish, the 90 Minute is a very strong offering. I've had all three (60, 90, 120) and I'd say the 90 left the best impression on me. Just watch out for that abv, it'll catch up on ya.

Far too long since this thread was updated... Anyway...was able to get my hands on a glass of 2004 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot the other night...crazy crazy beer. The hops have mellowed out completely and given way to a much smoother, almost spicy barleywine. At $5 a glass it was hard to argue that price.

Thanks for the link! Hadn't even heard of this brewery yet...hopefully I can get my hands on the Matacabras when I'm back in June.

While I tend to agree that NB is not really a great brewery, and far be it from a really good one even, La Folie truly is an outstanding beer, if you're one for the sours. Their other Lips of Faith offerings that I've had (Transatlantic Kriek, Dandelion, Biere de Mars, Le Fleur Misseur) do leave a bit to be desired, unfortunately. And I definitely agree on Pranqster...it's one of my staple beers. Northcoast kicks out some quality beverages. The Old Rasputin XII is really a (high priced) treat.

While it's some time away from now, I'll be flying back to SW Wisconsin in June for a week or so and was hoping to get some people together for a beer tasting one afternoon / evening. I'll be in the greater La Crosse area and should be able to bring back a few bottles of Russian River stuff (probably the sours like Temptation or Consecration). Any of you guys think you'd be interested in attending something like that?

It's a pretty solid offering from New Belgium, a brewery that I've found to be hit or miss overall. Nice and clean hop flavors, nothing too overwhelming, and it packs a solid punch at 6.5% abv. I think it's a pretty good beer to have around. My latest New Belgium want is Eric's Ale. I can't get enough of the sours.

Beerambassador - I actually live in CA, so that explains my ability to get those beers. I was in Milwaukee this weekend and spoke with the beer buyer at Discount Liquor who said that Allagash won't distribute in WI anymore, which is a darn shame. He did have some JP there though (La Roja and Bam Biere).

Top 5: 1) Russian River Brewing - just an amazing brewery with incredible selection. From Pliny the Elder to Temptation, their beer really goes to all extremes. 2) Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V. - A limited selection available in America (Rodenbach, Rodenbach Grand Cru), but both are amazing beers that really changed my beer drinking world. For that, I give thanks. 3) Brasserie Dupont - Another beer revelation when I began drinking...gotta recognize those breweries that really changed your perception of beer. The Saison is still one of my favorite safety nets when I go out for a beer with friends. 4) Allagash Brewing - For a long time Allagash was a solid brewery with ok beers, but their recent additions (Interlude, Confluence, Odyssey, Fluxus, Curieux) have really vaulted them up in my mind's eye. Still holding out hope that I can wrangle some of their new barrel aged stuff (Gargamel, Vagabond) away from someone on the east coast...wink wink. 5) Jolly Pumpkin - A relatively new find for me, but man are there beers amazing. Oro de Calabaza, La Roja, Noel de Calabaza, etc...those crazy wild fermentation flavors are totally my thing. It's tough putting together a definitive top 5 though...ask me again in a few weeks and, while #1 wouldn't have changed, #'s 2-5 could be completely different. Founders, Victory, Deschutes, Boulevard, New Glarus, Three Floyds, Bell's...all great breweries that could easily slot somewhere in the top 5.