WTN & BTN: Musar 2002 and a Swiss Sour Stout

Château Musar Rouge 2002
It has been a couple years since my last 2002. It seems to have shut down a bit - not so much that it would be criminal to open one now, but enough that I don't feel it quite showed all that it had to show a couple years ago even with extended decanting. But even so, it is a lovely wine in a quite rich style even by Musar's standards. Not as volatile as e.g. the 2003 seems to be, so tame for a Musar. But all the same, it does have lovely bite to the fleshy fruit. Though a bit shut down, I still think this is one the great Musars of recent years. Ideally, let it rest for at least five years more.

And everyone who likes Musar should start exploring sour beers. There are some lovely, funky, lifted elements in those as well!





Brasserie BFM Cuvée Alex Le Rouge
This is expensive: 10€ for a 0,33 l bottle. It is also a very strong beer at 10% abv. And it is a strange beer in being a sour imperial stout - all other sour beers I have had have been light colored. I am sure other sour porters or stouts are made. And if they are half as good as this one, I really want to try them.

It is slightly roasted as expected from an imperial stout, yet a sour fruitiness verging on the citric and floral is the most prominent aroma. For a beer that is 10% abv this is dangerously drinkable. No doubt the sourness coupled with quite heavy hops (68 EBU) makes this so light on its feet. Bracing. And pretty awesome so I'm almost tempted to say that even at 10€ it is worth the price.

Brasserie BFM Cuvée Alex Le Rouge
This is expensive: 10€ for a 0,33 l bottle. It is also a very strong beer at 10% abv. And it is a strange beer in being a sour imperial stout - all other sour beers I have had have been light colored. I am sure other sour porters or stouts are made. And if they are half as good as this one, I really want to try them.

It is slightly roasted as expected from an imperial stout, yet a sour fruitiness verging on the citric and floral is the most prominent aroma. For a beer that is 10% abv this is dangerously drinkable. No doubt the sourness coupled with quite heavy hops (68 EBU) makes this so light on its feet. Bracing. And pretty awesome so I'm almost tempted to say that even at 10€ it is worth the price.

Interesting. Not sure I would have described the Alex Le Rouge as a sour, but BFM's beers can change so much in bottle, that your tasting experience was likely quite different than mine.

Fantôme from Wallonia starts with a saison starting point, but I tend to think of them when I think of dark sours. US producers that come to mind for their dark sours include Russian River, Jolly Pumpkin, and Moonlight.

That's interesting - from the first sniff it seemed so obviously sour that I thought it had to be a stylistic choice on the part of the brewer! I'll have to do more research on this beer now...