Beer Review: Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

I love sour beers. Oud Bruins, American Wild Ales, Lambics, etc. I love them. Not sure why but right now I'd say sours are my favorite style. Of course this could change at any moment so I reserve the right to change it but for now sours are where it's at!

In New Orleans there is a strange lack of American craft beer choices. Don't get me wrong we are getting better! We now have Stone, Brooklyn, Saint Arnolds and Harpoon to name a few but compared to other beer markets we are lacking. One thing I think the New Orleans market does well is imports. Thanks to Steins, Avenue Pub and Shelton Brothers the New Orleans market has a plethora of imports.

Now I'm sure you can tell if you are a dedicated reader of this blog I'm more of an American craft beer guy but I do enjoy some imports every once in awhile. Dare I say I feel imports are starter beers to the better stuff? I think so. (THAT oughta get a rise out of some people huh?)

Anyways, this post isn't about import vs American although that should be another post for another time for sure. Over at Cork & Bottle where I am a consultant I brought in some Monk's Cafe and it being a sour I bought a bottle to try. Here is the review!


Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

Beer: Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

Style: Flanders Oud Bruin

ABV: 5.5%

Louisiana Availability: Yes but can be difficult to find sometimes

Appearance: This beer poured a reddish brown with a huge fluffy tan head. Lacing present throughout

Smell: Wonderful smell of tart, dark cherries and wood.

Taste: Nice sweet, tart and sour taste of cherries. Starts off sweet and dives into a nice sourness. Has a nice oakiness which helps cut the sourness. Also has nice hints of citrus. The sweet and sour is balanced well.

Mouthfeel: Heavy mouthfeel with high carbonation.

Overall: Fantastic sour in my opinion. Nice too sour but rather well balanced with the sweetness.

Score: 4 out of 5 Buddhas

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha