Ask anyone when the best time is to plant a tree, and they’ll give you this answer: “20 years ago – or today.” It’s kind of the same with long-aging sour beers. Some are put off by them because of the time it takes for them to fully ferment and mature (at least six months, and up to two years), but if you get into the habit of brewing them twice a year, you’ll nearly always have a good one on hand! I rotate between my quicker Berliner Weisse and a Flanders Red or Brown.
STYLE
If you’ve never had a classic Flanders Red Ale, you really don’t know what you’re missing! They’re a real riot of flavors, from rich fruity notes of black currant and plum and berries, to bright acidity and dark funk, and even a raw-grain-and-biscuit malt background. Hops play only a limited role, which isn’t uncommon in sours (for a variety of stylistic and biological reasons), but there’s still more than enough to keep the palate entertained. They are nearly-fully attenuated, and they are also lightly carbonated. And, of course, they are also red.
A lot of beer folk pitch them as being “wine-like,” but I really don’t understand that mentality. What, because of the red fruit flavors? These are beers, with a modest 5-6% ABV range but still a noticeable amount of bitterness, and while they may be thinner and fruitier than other beers I think you’ll have a tough row to hoe if you try to sell these to your wine-loving friends as “wine-like!”