Like Manna from New Belgium

Le Terroir Dry-Hopped Sour Ale
Sampled: April 8, 2011 and throughout Summer 2011

When New Belgium drops a new Lips of Faith entry, I cannot hide my glee. Not all are perfect. All sound interesting on paper. Most challenge and massage the taste buds. A few make you want to drink nothing else for the rest of your life.

That’s where Le Terroir comes in. Coming on the heels of Eric’s Ale (fun sour brewed with peach juice) and Le Folie (luxuriantly sour), this sour recipe comes with a major twist – excessive dry-hopping with Amarillo hops. The extra ingredients made it my favorite my a country mile.

The sour patches are more concentrated than with Eric’s Ale, but it takes a few seconds to reach them. Le Terroir opens with the bone-dry citrus of the hops, which cruise along momentarily.

I have grown to embrace Amarillo as one of the best choices for dry hopping. That setting amplifies its strengths in the finished beer. By letting those hops work their magic, the fruit tones are more natural and complex than if Le Terroir had been made with fruit juice.*

*(Don't take that as a knock on Eric's Ale - I don't have any left to compare, and still love its peach-sour bliss)

After the hoppy introduction, the sour flavors lower the boom and pursue the pucker. Le Terroir solves the problem these ales often encounter – the infinite sour aftertaste.

While it performs the same trick as find Burgundy – activating the salivary glands – it can pummel the palate. Le Terroir’s Amarillo dry hops snap some citrus into the finish, mellowing the immense sour wave while leaving the mouth watering for more.

Get yourself a summer supply. This is serious sour for a muggy July evening.

Le Terroir won’t be the last word in sour ales, but it could be a perfect exclamation point.