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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Garage Projectfrom $6.50
Willkommen to the cabaret! This delicious tart fruited berliner weisse is loaded with raspberry and aromatic hibiscus flowers creating a stunningly...
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Duncan's Brewingfrom $10.99
We're sending it, with this purple prince of beers, 250gm/l of sour cherries, raspberries and boysenberries, make this sour a touch tart, a bit swe...
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Urbanaut Brewing Co$9.99
This refreshing Gose is infused with Horopito and Kawakawa, two of Aotearoa's most beautiful and sought after native herbs. Widely used in Rongoa o...
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Urbanaut Brewing Co$10.50
Charge your glass - this beer is a toast to hot days and late sunsets, with sweet notes of tropical fruit punch followed by a juicy, citrus tartnes...
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Duncan's Brewing$12.99
A classic Tiki inspired sorbet sour. Lime juice, tangerine, blood orange, molasses, and orgeat almond syrup. All gently dry hopped with Cascade. *...
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8 Wired Brewing Co.from $11.50
A tasty blend of hops and ripe blackcurrants deliver juicy and tart notes, while live cultures create a natural sour pop, we then dry hop with a he...
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Garage Project$33.99
The latest release in our ongoing series of foraged flower and fruit beers. The concept is simple. Freshly picked Feijoa flowers are plunged into a...
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Deep Creek Brewing Co.from $9.99
Feijoa is an iconic NZ fruit. Originally from South America and known as the pineapple guava, we blend this with sweet pear to balance the feijoa a...
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Garage Project$32.99
Literally ‘forest bathing’ in Japanese, Shinrin-yoku is the calming and rejuvenative act of walking slowly through a forest, allowing the senses to...
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Duncan's Brewingfrom $11.50
Part of our dessert style sour beer range. This ripple edition hits you with a double helping of boysenberries, followed up with a light chocolate ...
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8 Wired Brewing Co.from $10.50
A tasty blend of hops and ripe blackberrys deliver juicy dark fruit flavours, while live cultures create a natural thirst quenching sour pop which ...
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Deep Creek Brewing Co.from $5.99
Beer meets margarita! We've enhanced the natural zesty flavours of a traditional Gose style beer with additions of crushed dehydrated limes, bringi...
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Urbanaut Brewing Co$10.99
Beer Blender Tangelo Hazy IPA 6.2% x Champagne IPA 7.5% - 2 x 250ml Cans A cocktail-inspired Beer Blender! 1 x 250ml can of juicy Tangelo Hazy IP...
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Urbanaut Brewing Co$10.99
Beer Blender Coconut Hazy IPA x Queen Pineapple Sour - 2 x 250ml Cans A cocktail-inspired Beer Blender! 1 x 250ml can of creamy Coconut Hazy IPA w...
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Urbanaut Brewing Co$10.99
Beer Blender Strawberry Hazy IPA 6% x Cucumber and Mint Sour 5% - 2 x 250ml Cans A cocktail-inspired Beer Blender! 1 x 250ml can of juicy Strawberr...
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8 Wired Brewing Co.from $9.99
8 Wired have remixed the love child of a Berliner Weisse and an IPA with a crate load of local, organically grown tangelos and limes. American and ...
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Garage Project$33.99
The latest release in our ongoing series of foraged flower and fruit beers. The concept is simple. Freshly foraged wild blackberry flowers are plun...
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Garage Project$59.99
The ultimate expression of Wild Workshop’s inner city terroir. An artful blend of three years’ worth of 100% spontaneously fermented beer, brewed w...
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