Beer Man: Ommegang adds flavorful complexity to sour ale style

Ommegang Pale Sour Ale
Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York
www.ommegang.com
6.9 percent ABV

A lot of American-made sour ales are just that — a vinegary sour, with no other character to them. Ommegang’s Pale Sour Ale takes its cue from the traditional Belgian sours that offer some enticing flavors beyond the pucker.

Pale Sour Ale is a new year-round offering and was made in collaboration with the Liefmans brewery in Oudenaarde, Belgium, which has been producing sour beers since the 1600s.

Both Liefmans and Ommegang are part of Duvel Moortgat of Belgium, which also owns Boulevard Brewing Co. of Kansas City and is invested in Firestone Walker of Paso Robles, California. In Europe, besides Liefmans, it also owns the Chouffe, Maredsous and De Koninck brands.

MORE:Samuel Adams has a taste for variety

MORE:Change Order provides needed kick

It’s easy to forget that Duvel itself produces one of the world’s finest beers — its golden ale — and the company is respected for allowing its other owned breweries to operate fairly independently.

Ommegang’s Pale Sour Ale is not wood aged and is a blend of aged and new beer. It's unfiltered and poured a cloudy yellow that formed a fluffy white head. The aromas were an intoxicating blend of earthy Belgian yeast, grapey white wine, pear, orange, lemon and fresh grain. There was no indication on the nose this was to be a soured beer.

There was no mistaking that, however, on the first sip. The sourness was on par with what you would find in a Berliner weisse, and there was an overall dryness and carbonated crispness to the ale. The aromas came through in background flavor, although lemon was predominant. A pleasant surprise was a bit of sugar in the aftertaste.

MORE:Sly Fox hits all the summer notes

MORE:Watermelon beer sets tone for summer

So, what would you rather have, a sour beer that mostly tastes of vinegar, or a sour beer that still has the flavor and aroma notes of fruit and grain?

This is what American breweries should be striving for when attempting this type of beer — it takes much more than the taste of vinegar to make a truly inspiring sour. 

Ommegang has distribution throughout the U.S.; its Find a Beer link is at the top of its home page. 

Beer Man sez: Ommegang’s Pale Sour Ale adds flavorful complexity to the style. 

Todd Haefer of Scandinavia, Wisconsin, gets paid to drink beer and write about it for Weekend. He can be reached at beerman@postcrescent.com. Read past reviews at www.postcrescent.com/go-920/beer.