In the simplest terms, a sour beer is exactly what its name implies. This is a type of beer that was crafted to be tart, acidic, and sour. While there are different types of sour beers, the main difference between the style and your favorite lager is the sour, acidity, tart, and sometimes wild flavor as opposed to sweet, bready malts and flora, piney hop bitterness.
Sour beers are made this way by fermenting them with specific yeast strains as well as acid-creating bacteria. Brettanomyces is a popular yeast used in sour beer production. Pediococcus and lactobacillus are the most often used bacteria.
Now that you have learned a little bit about the flavor and makeup of sour beers, it’s time to take a deeper dive into the beer genre. Keep reading to learn everything you ever want to know about sour beers.
How is sour beer created?
There are a few different ways in which sour beers are created. They include kettle souring, spontaneous fermentation, and barrel aging. Keep scrolling to learn a little bit about each of these brewing techniques.
Kettle souring
This brewing style consists of lactobacillus bacteria being added to unfermented beer in the kettle before boiling. This bacteria will then eat the sugar and create lactic acid. This is a very popular process when creating sour beer because the brewer can have a better gauge of the overall sour flavor.
Spontaneous fermentation
Spontaneous fermentation is another fairly self-explanatory term. This process consists of the use of natural bacteria and yeast. This means that sour beer is made by letting the fermenting beer be impacted by naturally occurring yeast and bacteria from the air or in fruit.
Barrel aging
The last process is barrel aging. This is when the beer is added to a barrel or oak foeder (a large wooden tank) for one or more years. Bacteria and yeasts that either naturally occur in the wood because it previously held wine or added by brewing will add to the beer’s souring.
Different types of sour beers
Like with many beer styles, there are different kinds of sour beers. These include wild ales, goses, Berliner weisses, and more. Keep scrolling to learn about some popular styles.
Gose
A popular style among craft brewings in the last decade, this style originated in Goslar, Germany. A type of wheat beer, it’s known for its sour, salty, refreshing flavor profile thanks to the use of wheat, coriander, sea salt, and lactobacillus bacteria.
Berliner Weiss
Another beer with its origins in Germany, the Berliner Weiss is a wheat beer known for its mix of sour and tart flavors. Brewed with lactic acid, this usually low-ABV beer is also well-known for its fruit aroma and flavor.
Lambic
This Belgian beer style is made with spontaneous fermentation by exposing the beer to natural bacteria and yeast. This is opposed to the usual use of brewer’s yeast. The result is a fruit, tart, acidic beer with some funky, wild, barnyard flavors and aromas. Many brewers also add specific fruits (like raspberry) to give the beer added flavor.
Wild Ale
As the name suggests, a wild ale is made using spontaneous fermentation. Wild bacteria and yeast (as well as brewer’s yeasts) give the beer fruity, funky, barnyard, sour, and acidic flavors.
Oud Bruin
This traditional Belgian sour ale is a brown ale that gets matured in oak barrels for one to two years. While in the barrels, it ferments and ages and acquires its well-known sour acidity. The result is a malty, fruit, tart, acidic beer.
Flanders Red Ale
This red-hued Belgian beer is aged in oak barrels with the addition of lactobacillus and other bacteria. After maturation, the aged batches are blended with younger beers and bottled conditioned. The result is a complex, sour, acidic beer with a ton of fruity, oaky, and wine-like flavors.
American-style sour beers
While there are many traditional sour beers from Germany and Belgium rooted in history, American-style sour beers are like the wild cards of the sour beer world. Some brewers stick to the traditional styles while putting their spin on the style. There’s a lot of experimentation in the American sour ale world. You’ll even find dry-hopped sour ales.
Bottom line
The sour beer category might seem a little overwhelming. Even if you’re normally an IPA, stout, or pilsner-drinker, we implore you to try one or more of the styles to find which beers you enjoy. There’s a whole world of sour beers just waiting to be discovered. We’re just glad to be along for the ride.
