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Sour beers are made by either “spontaneous fermentation” using wild yeast, by aging a beer in a wooden barrel for up to three years, or both. In the case of barrel aging, bacteria and wild yeast that live in the barrel then begin to do their thing to the aging brew, imparting a sour quality, but also adding something wonderful. That “something wonderful” varies from barrel type to barrel type, by location and likely by other factors (there is still a fair amount of guess-work here), but generally fruity notes are most apparent. In addition to what the bacteria and wild yeast add, the beer picks up characteristics from the barrel itself, much like a whiskey or rum.
These aged beers are then often blended with new beer, which both mellows the sourness and helps produce a more consistent product. Some “sour” beers are hardly sour at all, having either been aged minimally or blended with a lot of unaged beer (or both), while others will make you sit up and take notice.
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Featured Beers -
Sour Ales
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Lakefront Brewery
Milwaukee, WI - USA
They Say: “Roeselare Style Oak Aged Sour Ale Fermented and Aged with Wisconsin Cherries”
We Say: Lakefront’s take on a Belgian sour style poured a burnt orange color under a quickly diminishing, pale white head. The aroma was of tart cherries (no surprise there, as it is both fermented and aged with Wisconsin cherries), and had a slight, medicinal character to the nose as well. A strong tartness with lingering cherry flavor gives way to a sweet aftertaste. Light bready undertones merge with the cherry flavor to create an almost cherry pie-like flavor. Swirling the glass really helps this beer and ensures an excellent flavor balance. |
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Featured Beers -
Sour Ales
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Brouwerij Bavik-De Brabandere
Harelbeke-Bavikhove, Belgium
They Say: “Our Petrus Aged Pale is an undiluted old beer, only to be exported to the US.”
We Say: Poured a light, pale gold with an effervescent head. The aroma was reminiscent of champagne, or perhaps of sparkling white grape juice. It had a sour forefront of lemon and grapefruit with very little hop character. The crisp tartness makes your mouth water. When we think of sour beer, this is what we think of. This is an excellent beverage with incredible, but not overwhelming, tartness!
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Featured Beers -
Sour Ales
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Castle Brewery
Ingelmunster, Belgium
They Say: “A typical Flemish beer with a pleasant wine-like taste and a rich past. This dark brown beer, which is matured in oak casks, has a slightly acid aftertaste.”
We Say: Bacchus poured an amber, garnet color with a thick, tight head that diminished quickly. The nose was yeasty and grain-like with raspberry and currant undertones. The flavor was far more beer like than some of the others we sampled, but also carried tart cherry and raspberry flavors. It had a dry finish with a lingering, tart fruit flavor.
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Featured Beers -
Sour Ales
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Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Ertvelde, Belgium
They Say: “We blend young and old beers to make this mildy tart sour ale. Light bodied with a lactic/sour nose and a bit of sweet and sour in the finish. Very refreshing!”
We Say: A ruby, root beer-like body poured under a thick, tight, off white head. The nose was decidedly sour, with plum notes carrying through. Apple and pear emerge in the flavor, carried by a crisp, tart mouth. There are also hints of lemon and stone fruit. All around a great beer! It’s fruity, robust and complex. The sweet fruitiness is balanced by the tart (or perhaps vice-versa). Either way, the tartness is not overwhelming.
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