WILK Friday BeerBuzz–6 Apr 2012 Lost Abbey Red Poppy

On the Friday BeerBuzz we are constantly asking our listeners to keep and open mind and try different styles of craft beers. And while not everyone needs to love (or even like) every beer, we do preach keeping an open mind. So this week I decided to extend that request into the studio.

I always like pushing taste boundaries, and I myself will admit there are many styles I now love, that I could not even drink just a few years ago. I believe I have been successful at introducing our BeerBuzz team to the world of great hoppy beers, so what boundary is next? SOURS!

You may ask what specifically a Sour Beer is…well first off it is not a beer gone bad. A Sour is a beer style characterized by an intentionally tart, sour or acidic taste. Sour beers, by design reject the sterile practices of a traditional beer, and actually encourage the wild yeast strains to enter the fermentation process….using mostly Brettanomyces yeast, or Lactobacillus bacteria. Many breweries also use fruit to achieve the sour, and some use both. Sours are typically unpredictable because of the wild yeast and most take months or years to ferment & mature.

Today I chose what I consider one of the best Sours available in the form of Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale. This is a rare beer, only released in 2009 by Tomme Arthur, and a classic sour ale. Using a Belgian-Style brown ale as a starting point, this classic sour adds sour cherries & poppy seeds and is then aged in French oak barrels for 6-12 months.

Based on the reactions I got when I served Dogfish Head Festina Peche (an admittedly tart beer), I knew Red Poppy would challenge everyone’s taste buds. This is a style you need to taste many times to let your tongue adjust, but again keep an open mind. I think you’ll see in the video what everyone’s reaction was. If you can’t find Red Poppy, you can check out other sours like Ommegang Rouge, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Bullfrog The Jaspers, or even Duchesse de Bourgonoe…but do try this style.

Thanks

to my buddy Steve for providing the rare Red Poppy for today’s show, Nancy, John, & Joe for yet another fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.