Sour Beer
Sour has an intentionally acidic, tart or sour taste. The most common sour beer styles are Belgian: lambics, gueuze and Flanders red ale.
At one time, all beers were sour to some degree. As pure yeast cultures were not available, the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria. Unlike modern brewing, which is done in a sterile environment to guard against the intrusion of wild yeast, sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew. Traditionally, Belgian brewers allowed wild yeast to enter the brew naturally through the barrels or during the cooling of the wort in a Koelschip open to the outside air – an unpredictable process that many modern brewers avoid.
The most common agents used to intentionally sour beer are Lactobacillus, Brettanomyces and Pediococcus. Another method for achieving a tart flavor is adding fruit during the aging process to spur a secondary fermentation or contribute microbes present on the fruit's skin.
Because of the uncertainty involved in using wild yeast, the sour beer brewing process is extremely unpredictable. The beer takes months to ferment and can take years to mature.
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Bridge Road Brewers$34.99
The latest from our ongoing Mayday Hills project is here; and it’s a barrel-aged, Wild Red Ale. Burnt amber in colour, it combines the flint-like ...
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Jester King$84.99
More Dots is barrel-aged wild beer refermented with black currants. We brew the base beer with well water, local barley and wheat, fresh and aged h...
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Bellwoods Brewery$35.99
Barn Owl is a series of one-off creations that are released sporadically throughout the year, just as soon as we deem the barrels ripe for the pick...
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Bellwoods Brewery$35.99
As years passed and our oak aged beer became more robust, we discovered many unique, interesting, single barrels deserving of a special release. Ba...
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Bellwoods Brewery$37.50
At its roots it's a rich, dark ale, but the time it spends in barrels with brett and bacteria harmonizes the ingredients, yielding bright levels of...
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Future Mountain Brewing And Blending$33.99
Barrel-aged golden sour beer with Yarra Valley feijoas. From orchard to barrel on the same morning, these ripe feijoas were refermented on a select...
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Future Mountain Brewing And Blending$33.99
Barrel Aged Golden Sour Beer w/Spent Raspberries, Hibiscus & Shiraz LeesAfter racking beer off the raspberries from our Raspberry Golden Sour, ...
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Future Mountain Brewing And Blending$33.99
Barrel Aged Amber Beer with Blackberries.After spending 9 months in oak puncheons on our house culture this amber sour beer was transferred onto Ya...
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Holgate Brewhouse$14.99
This is a purely yeast driven beer with no late kettle or dry hopping. The simple malt bill has created a hazy, burnished gold beer that is redolen...
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Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers$17.99
Since 2013 we have been working with wild yeasts and barrels to develop own unique culture that provides complexity, funk and most importantly - de...
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Bellwoods Brewery$35.99
A special edition of our classic Farmhouse Saison, this version is a blend of young and old barrels ranging in age from 6 months to 1.5 years. Beca...
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Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers$22.99
Zappa dry hopped 100 year old Foeder Australian Wild Ale… Wow! That was a mouthful! This beer is inspired by the great musician Frank Zappa and a g...
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Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers$22.99
Elderflower 100 year old foeder Australian Wild Ale. The story behind the foeder is an amazing one… Originally from the old Stonyfell Winery in the...
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Future Mountain Brewing And Blending$21.99
Making this beer is just as rewarding as drinking it. On fruiting day, one our brewers drives out to Rayners Orchards in the Yarra Valley to pick u...
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Stomping Ground Brewing Cofrom $8.50
Our Flanders Red Ale was aged in Hanging Rock shiraz and pinot noir barrels giving it a vinous quality, while intertwining its cherry and balsamic ...
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Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.$54.99
For this limited offering we pushed beyond the typical barrel-aged beer theory. We got our hands on some Reposado Tequila oak barrels and then aged...
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Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers$16.99
Since 2013 we have been working with wild yeasts and barrels to develop own unique culture that provides complexity, funk and most importantly - de...
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Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers$22.99
And now for something completely different. We had a gorgeous barrel aged Brett Berliner Weisse sitting in barrel, and 100kg of amazing Kensington ...
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