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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Crooked Stave$38.99
Surreal spontaneous sour ale aged in oak barrels Spontaneously fermented in oak barrels, L'Brett d'Or's fermentation is kicked off with the h...
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Almanac Beer Company$22.99
This sour beer is inspired by the Santa Clara Valley’s agricultural roots, before it was known as Silicon Valley, it was called “The Valley of the ...
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Almanac Beer Company$25.99
SOUR BLONDE ALE AGED IN OAK BARRELS WITH NECTARINES, PEACHES & SPICES Nectarine Cobbler is our version of dessert in a glass. We started with y...
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SixPointfrom $6.99
...the Mad Scientists kept tweakin’ that Jammer till it rocked so hard. Bygone brewers, repping the Sixpoint star, provided the concept and our fri...
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Jester King$74.99
2016 SPON Mourvedre & Sangiovese is our 100% spontaneously fermented beer, refermented with Mourvedre and Sangiovese grapes. We took three barr...
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Jester King$74.99
2016 SPON flor represents a curious case in our spontaneous fermentation program. The "flor" found in our sherry barrels migrated to some adjacent ...
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Jolly Pumpkin$39.99
These blends are the continuation of our Last Gypsy Blender series with Chef Celina Tio. Forgotten Tales of the Last Gypsy Blender Series II, Volum...
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Jolly Pumpkin$37.99
La Roja, an artisan amber ale brewed in the Flanders tradition. Deep amber with earthy caramel, spice and sour fruit notes developed through natura...
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Stone Brewing (Arrogant Consortia)$48.99
Have guitar, will travel. Check. Have mash paddle, will travel. Check. Have invitation to Berlin to brew, will travel. Hell yeah. Cue our friend To...
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New Belgium$16.99
The roommate to Felix aged in Apple whiskey barrels this, 100% foeder-aged dark sour was additionally aged and freshly decanted Rocky Mountain Blac...
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Jester King$48.99
Boxer�s Revenge is inspired by the hearty �stock ales� or �provision ales� produced by some of iconic farmhouse breweries located along the Franco-...
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Jester King$43.99
We�re excited to introduce our lastest beer � Jester King Bi�re de Miel. Named after the classic style (honey beer), Jester King Bi�re de Miel was ...
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Anchorage$23.99
Fermented in French oak foudres with a Belgian yeast. Aged one year in French oak foudres with mixed culture. Finished on wild Alaskan blueberries....
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Against the Grain$34.99
A solid dose of light pilsner malt along with a variety of similarly undermodified German-style malts gave us a crisp, clean base to work with. The...
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Prairie Artisan Ales$24.99
Funky Gold Mosaic is a dry-hopped sour ale. We took Prairie Gold and dry-hopped it with a huge amount of Mosaic hops. The end results are tropical,...
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The Bruery$34.99
Welcome to Frucht, our land of fruited Berliner Weisse-style beers. Known for a tart flavor profile and traditionally low ABV, our German-style whe...
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The Bruery$39.99
Beret is as artistic as those who wear its namesake cap. Our brewers developed a silky, full-bodied wheat ale which we began fermenting with our ho...
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