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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The Rare Barrel$42.99
Golden Sour Beer Aged in Oak Barrels with Pineapple, Strawberry, Cherry, Blood Orange, Raspberry, Peach, and Nectarine Monday through Friday sure ...
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The Rare Barrel$42.99
Golden Sour Beer Aged in Oak Barrels with Pineapple, Strawberry, Cherry, Blood Orange, Raspberry, Peach, and Nectarine Monday through Friday sure ...
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The Rare Barrel$46.99
Loaded with literal tons of Elephant Heart Plums from Blossom Bluff Orchards, Lotsa Heart is jam-packed with fruit character straight from the farm...
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The Rare Barrel$47.99
Golden Sour Beer Aged in Oak Barrels with Hachiya and Fuyu Persimmons A Tale of Two Persimmons is a golden sour beer aged in oak barrels with Hach...
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The Rare Barrel$42.99
Golden Sour Beer Aged in Oak Barrels with Pomegranate and Earl Grey Tea Earl of Granate is a tart beverage packed with a multitude of flavors. Mix...
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The Rare Barrel$37.99
Golden sour beer aged in oak barrels with hibiscus Cosmic Dust is an interstellar adventure through the never-ending void that is space and time. ...
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The Rare Barrel$33.99
Forces Unseen is a blend of three different golden sour beers aged in oak barrels. Each batch of Forces Unseen highlight a unique mix of yeast and ...
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Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales$17.50
SHADOW FACTORY is a standard offering with rotating fruits. The base is 100% wheat, fermented with unisolated coolship-caught microbes. It is light...
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Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales$17.50
Roams the expanse of your mind, casting spells of honeydew and pineapple with every step. These are two distinct flavors that somehow magically mel...
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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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Firestone Walker$34.99
A new wild child in collaboration with Sante Adairius Rustic Ale’s, co-fermented with Blenheim apricots grown in Hollister CA, along with Santa Yne...
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Firestone Walker$34.99
Starting with a selection of our Lil Opal Saison barrels that had been ageing for 18 to 31 months, we then blended in over 10,000 pounds of "Blue C...
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Anderson Valleyfrom $6.50
The beer is brewed to be pleasingly tart and refreshing using a traditional kettle souring method, similar to our renowned and award-winning Gose s...
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Modern Times Beer$15.99
Fruitlands is tart, fruity, & frighteningly delicious. The sour, salty base beer lays down a stellar foundation for heavy doses of orange, lime...
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Brooklyn Breweryfrom $4.99
Brooklyn Bel Air Sour is full of surprises. Our sour ale starts up with bright notes of tropical fruit yet finishes crisp and gently tart. It's a t...
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Parish Brewing Co.$11.99
The heat and sweat are creeping up but luckily Grenache grapes and Raspberries are an absolute summer-crusher. Zzzippy and lush with notes of raspb...
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Parish Brewing Co.$11.50
Rich, dark wine grapes with bright fruit tones overlap with complex black currant, and a sweet sour base. Intense and flavorful, this juicy sour ha...
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Firestone Walker$27.99
Imagine yourself in Berlin’s Tiergarten enjoying this refreshing Berliner Weisse inspired beer on a warm summer’s day. Bretta Weisse honors the tra...
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Firestone Walker$23.99
Collaboration with Liefmans An unmistakable family of aromas are present; toasted brown sugar and soft textures of red fruit characteristic of the...
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Cascade Brewing$34.99
Vitis Noble, meaning noble vine, features sour wheat and blond ales aged in oaks barrels for up to 16 months with Willamette Valley grown chardonna...
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Cascade Brewing$33.99
To celebrate the harvest season, we are excited to offer our interpretation of “graff,” a relatively obscure beer-cider hyrbrid. Harvest Graff is a...
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Cascade Brewing$33.99
Made in collaboration with our friends at Burial Beer Company in Asheville, NC, Chêne des Fous (shen de-FOO), meaning “Oak of the Fools,” is a blen...
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Cascade Brewing$32.99
Pear Mary is a blend of sour blond ales aged in oak wine barrels then fermented with juice from Northwest-grown pears and infused with fresh rosema...
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Cascade Brewing$36.99
Framblanc is a blend of sour blond ales aged for up to 14 months in oak wine barrels with more than 3,500 pounds of white raspberries. Fresh aromas...
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Cascade Brewing$37.99
Primordial Noir is a blend of imperial red ales aged in bourbon and wine barrels for up to two years with Northwest-grown Bing cherries and spices....
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Cascade Brewing$36.99
A careful blending of select barrels of Flanders Reds and soured Belgian Triples aged in oak for up to 18 months. Then blended with fresh 25° Plat...
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Cascade Brewing$37.99
Behold the return of Vlad the Imp Aler, one of the most iconic projects in our 20-year history of brewing and blending sour beer. A combination of ...
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