Quick Sips: Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Ale

Before every other brewery in the American craft scene was pushing out half-hearted sours, there was Monk's.

Sours have been surging the last few years, but let’s be honest: Sour isn’t for everyone. The acidic, tart bite of a sour beer is heaven in a glass for those who enjoy the style, but can be puckeringly off-putting for those who don’t.

This beer, though, this is a sour for the masses. Brewed for the legendary Monk’s Café in Philadelphia, this Flemish red ale is only mildly sour, with a nice, fruity sweetness that does a fine job of balancing the beer’s acidity and gentle vinegar qualities. It’s a brew that goes especially well with a meal (a salad, spicy fish, or chocolate make great pairings), but that also stands up nicely on its own. There are few traditional sours as approachable as this one. It drinks so smooth and easy even your finicky friends will find themselves enjoying it. If you’ve never had a sour beer before, this is a great place to start.

The beer is widely available in bottles, and of course can always be found on draft at Monk's Cafe. 

NOTE: Portions of the preceding originally appeared in The Philadelphia Weekly.