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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Brouwerij Boon$18.99Kriek Mariage Parfait is an Old Style Kriek of exceptional excellence. 400 g of wild cherries per litre are fermented together with a strong Lambic...
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Anderson Valleyfrom $6.99Born from our passion for experimentation, our Briney Melon Gose boasts a thirst-quenching tartness that is perfectly balanced by subtle watermelon...
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Anderson Valleyfrom $6.99Our Blood Orange Gose is a tart, refreshing wheat ale that is kettle-soured with lactobacillus and brewed with sea salt and coriander. However, unl...
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8 Wired Brewing Co.from $10.50Our Hippy Berliner was such a success that we ebbed to consumer demand and brewed a special edition with the addition of cooling cucumber. Bursting...
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Brouwerij Boon$12.99Oude Geuze Boon is one of the finest examples of the traditional 100% spontaneous fermentation Lambic style. To moderate the sourness, Boon Brewery...
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Brouwerij Boon$11.99Kriek Boon is a traditional Belgian Lambic fruit-beer. It is brewed according to the traditional Lambic style of spontaneous fermentation. Only fre...
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Brouwerij Boon$18.00Raspberry lambic was once a rarity and only produced for a few weeks during the summer. Frank Boon was the first brewer to again prepare a raspberr...
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Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers$29.99A blend of 18 to 24 month old lambic style ales aged for a further two months on whole raspberries.Deliciously funky with bright acidity and raspbe...
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Almanac Beer Company$22.99Tangerine de Brettaville celebrates the flavors of citrus in beer. We start by brewing a funky brettanomyces fermented base beer in large oak foed...
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Almanac Beer Company$21.50We love Mosaic hops. Originating from the Pacific Northwest, these American-grown hops explode with aromas of ripe mango, pineapple, and tangerine....
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8 Wired Brewing Co.$23.99Aged on currants and cascara with brettanomyces and pediococcus in Pinot Noir barrels. Then blended into a red wine foedre for further aging.
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3 Fonteinen$48.99Oude Kriek 3 Fonteinen is produced by ripening of cherries (both the flesh and the seeds) in young Lambic. This process takes between 6 to 8 months...
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3 Fonteinen$39.99Blend of 1, 2, and 3 year old lambics.A true Geuze - a blend of 1, 2, and 3 year-old lambic, unfiltered and unpasteurized, and aged in the bottle f...
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