Skip to content
Richmond Opening Hours: Monday CLOSED, Tuesday-Thursday MIDDAY - 7PM, Friday & Saturday 11AM-8PM, Sunday MIDDAY-7PM. Parcels dispatched Tues-Friday.
Richmond Opening Hours: Monday CLOSED, Tuesday-Thursday MIDDAY - 7PM, Friday & Saturday 11AM-8PM, Sunday MIDDAY-7PM. Parcels dispatched Tues-Friday.
Sour Beer

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.

  • RodenBach Grand Cru 330ml
    Rodenbach
    from $10.00

    A blend of 1/3 young beer and 2/3 of beer aged 2 years in large oak vats. The more important proportion of oak matured beer contributes to its frui...

    View full details
    from $10.00
  • Oud Beersel Oude Kriek 375ml
    Oud Beersel
    $16.99

    Oud Beersel Oude Kriek is an artisanal product, made from real cherries and Oud Beersel lambic matured in old barrels. They are slowly absorbed int...

    View full details
    $16.99
  • Lindemans Pecheresse 355ml
    Lindemans
    $14.00

    A golden peach lambic with a sparkling appearance and fruity taste.

    $14.00
  • Lindemans Kriek 355ml
    Lindemans
    $14.00

    A sparking cherry flavoured brew which is smooth and refreshing. Also sold as Foudroyante Kriek.Ingredients: Malt, wheat, 25% cherry juice, fructos...

    View full details
    $14.00
  • Lindemans Cassis 355ml
    Lindemans
    $14.99

    Lindemans Cassis is a lambic made from local barley, unmalted wheat, and wild yeast. After spontaneous fermentation the lambic is aged in oak. Blac...

    View full details
    $14.99
  • Hermitage Cherry Almond Sour 375ml
    Sold out
    Hermitage
    $21.99

    Sour ale brewed with cherry juice and almond bran aged in American and French oak wine barrels.

    $21.99
    Sold out
  • Hermitage Cranberry Peach Sour 375ml
    Sold out
    Hermitage
    $21.99

    Sour Ale brewed with Cranberry and Peach aged in American and French Oak wine bearrels. A blend of 18-36 month old blonde ale, fermented with Brett...

    View full details
    $21.99
    Sold out
  • Hermitage Flower Sour 375ml
    Sold out
    Hermitage
    $21.99

    Our Flower Sour is a funky blonde ale, aged for 18-24 months in our French oak barrels and flavored with an assortment of flowers including rose, h...

    View full details
    $21.99
    Sold out
  • La Sirène Paradoxe Sour Ale 375ml
    Sold out
    La Sirène Brewing
    $9.99

    La Sir�ne's Paradoxe is a lively and lifted beer that encompasses our in-house natural souring method combined with a lovely Farmhouse style ale an...

    View full details
    $9.99
    Sold out
  • Almanac White Label 375ml
    Sold out
    Almanac Beer Company
    $24.99

    This beer pairs two �blancs�: California-grown Muscat Blanc grapes and German Hallertau Blanc hops. Blended together in wine barrels and large oak ...

    View full details
    $24.99
    Sold out
  • Brasserie Trois Dames Sauvageonne 2016 750ml
    Sold out
    Brasserie Trois Dames
    $39.99

    Lambic inspired ale. 3 year old blend of sour ale. Solera ageing in Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels. Full of wild yeast & brettanomyces. Sauvag...

    View full details
    $39.99
    Sold out
  • 8 Wired Once Upon A Time In Blenheim 500ml
    Sold out
    8 Wired Brewing Co.
    $23.99

    This is the last barrel aged beer we brewed in Blenheim, before uprooting and setting up a new brewery in the North. A 100% spontaneous fermented a...

    View full details
    $23.99
    Sold out
  • Stomping Ground Guava Smash Gose 355ml Can
    Sold out
    Stomping Ground Brewing Co
    from $4.99

    Guava Smash is here! We know it's autumn, but the sunshine is still here and we want to make the most of it. This super fresh Gose is made with Col...

    View full details
    from $4.99
    Sold out
  • Tilquin Oude Mere a l'Ancienne 750ml
    Sold out
    Gueuzerie Tilquin
    $51.99

    Beer of spontaneous fermentation, the Oude M�re Tilquin � l�Ancienne is made from the fermentation of 350 gr of blackberries by liter of lambic. Un...

    View full details
    $51.99
    Sold out
  • Tilquin / Rulles Stout Rullquin 750ml
    Sold out
    Gueuzerie Tilquin
    $49.99

    Beer of mixed fermentation, the Stout Rullquin is obtained from a blending of 7/8 of Rulles Brune (Stout de Gaume) and 1/8 of a blend of 1 year old...

    View full details
    $49.99
    Sold out
  • Rodenbach Vintage 750ml
    Sold out
    Rodenbach
    $38.99

    Rodenbach Vintage is the unique result of selection by our Rodenbach brew masters, the barrel after two years of maturation has produced the best b...

    View full details
    $38.99
    Sold out
  • Rodenbach Caractere Rouge 750ml
    Sold out
    Rodenbach
    $41.99

    The brewer allow the beer to macerate with fresh cherries, raspberries and cranberries. After this maceration in oak, the beer re-ferments in the b...

    View full details
    $41.99
    Sold out
  • Petrus Aged Pale Ale 330ml
    Sold out
    Brouwerij De Brabandere
    from $11.99

    Aged? Many beers have a long maturation, but this one has only 24-36 months in oak barrels. Pale? This beer has an old gold to bronze color, rather...

    View full details
    from $11.99
    Sold out
  • Oud Beersel Oude Geuze 375ml
    Sold out
    Oud Beersel
    $15.99

    Geuze is a classic among the Belgian Ales, following spontaneous fermentation in wooden barrels (no yeast or sugar added), young and old Lambic are...

    View full details
    $15.99
    Sold out
  • Lindemans Framboise 355ml
    Sold out
    Lindemans
    $14.50

    A clean natural tasting brew with undertones of fresh raspberries and a wonderful aroma.

    $14.50
    Sold out
  • Lindemans Gueuze Cuvee Rene 375ml
    Sold out
    Lindemans
    $16.50

    Gueuze Cuv�e Ren� is one of the jewels of our brewery. With its golden colour, its sparkle and its beautiful sherry aromas, this is the queen of gu...

    View full details
    $16.50
    Sold out
  • Lindemans Gueuze 375ml
    Sold out
    Lindemans
    $8.99

    There are several stories to explain the origin of the term 'gueuze'. This name dates back to the Rue de Gueuze in Brussels where, for the first ti...

    View full details
    $8.99
    Sold out
  • Liefmans Kriek Brut 330ml
    Sold out
    Liefmans
    from $6.99

    This classy beer represents the perfect marriage between the fresh accents and slightly acidic flavour of the black cherries. Liefmans Kriek-Brut i...

    View full details
    from $6.99
    Sold out
  • Lindemans Blossom Gueuze 750ml
    Sold out
    Lindemans
    $36.99

    Breaking the mold among existing beer styles, Lindemans developed the Botanical Lambics, a collection of old gueuzes with a twist. Second in this s...

    View full details
    $36.99
    Sold out