austin beer week 2012 - jester king funk'n sour fest

What happens when you take world class beer and add a dash of tart and a dash of funk? You get the Jester King Funk'n Sour Fest. With 15 different sour and funky ales to choose from (six of which were guest beers), I felt like I was in Belgium. I know many people have been to Belgium and rave on their authentic lambics and other sours, but I truly believe that Jester King is also creating some world class beer rivaling those from Belgium.

One of the guest beers I tried was a Cantillon with elderberry. It was absolutely phenomenal. It was light, tart  and enough funky earthiness to give it some depth and complexity while still being thirst quenching. Another guest beer was the Mikkeller Funk(e)* (Funky Star). I didn't get a chance to try this because Meggie loved it so much it was gone before she knew it.

As far as house beers went, all the usual suspects were there including Funk Metal, Bonnie the Rare and two new Flemish sours (brown and red). Standouts for me included the two Flemish sours. The red (RU-55) especially had that vinegar and buttery sourness while the brown (Ol' Oi) was more earthy and complex. Both were phenomenal beers in my opinion. Boxer's Revenge, as always, was a standout. It didn't seem as funky as it usually is, even a little 'hot,' but it was still tasty. My favorite of the day was the Bhudda's Brew, their collaboration with Bhudda's Brew Kombucha. It makes total sense for them to collaborate with them since Kombucha already has some of the same qualities as sour beers with bacteria such as Brett and Lacto. It was light, tart and had a bit of that Kombucha tea flavor that everyone is familiar with.

The one beer I was not a big fan of was Bonnie the Rare, their take on a Berliner Weisse. For me, it had way too much Lactobacillus, which can give off goaty, sweaty aromas and flavors. I tend to go for the more tart and refreshing Berliner Weisses, so this one was a bit too earthy for me (completely subjective opinion here).

Overall, this was another amazing event put on by the jokers at Jester King. Kudos to them for always pushing the envelope and challenging people's palates. Cheers!