sour beer

File:Norwegian sour beer.jpg microbes]]

Sour beer is beer which has an intentionally acidic, tart, or sour taste. Sour beer styles include Belgian lambics and Flanders red ale and German Gose and Berliner Weisse.

Brewing

Unlike modern brewing, which is done in a sanitary environment to guard against the intrusion of wild yeast, historically the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria.{{cite news|last1=Zhang|first1=Sarah|title=Using Yeast DNA To Unlock a Better Beer|url=https://gizmodo.com/using-yeast-dna-to-unlock-a-better-brew-1593466606|access-date=17 March 2015|agency=Gizmodo|publisher=Gawker|date=27 June 2014}} Sours are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew, traditionally through the barrels or during the cooling of the wort in a coolship open to the outside air.{{Cite web|url=http://tablematters.com/2014/02/14/the-coolships-have-landed/|title=The Coolships Have Landed|date=2014-02-14|website=Table Matters|access-date=2017-05-17|archive-date=2017-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409215108/http://tablematters.com/2014/02/14/the-coolships-have-landed/|url-status=dead}}

The most common microbes used to intentionally sour beer are the bacteria Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, while the fungus Brettanomyces can also add some acidity.{{cite book|author1=Greg Koch|author2=Matt Allyn|title=The Brewer's Apprentice: An Insider's Guide to the Art and Craft of Beer Brewing, Taught by the Masters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jGevsGvo9MC&pg=PA91|access-date=11 September 2011|date=1 October 2011|publisher=Rockport Publishers|isbn=978-1-59253-731-0|pages=91–93}} Another method for achieving a tart flavor is adding fruit, which directly contributes organic acids such as citric acid.{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-sourbeer1-2009jul01-story.html | title=Sour beer? Pucker up | work=Los Angeles Times | date=July 1, 2009 | access-date=September 11, 2011 | author=Lurie, Joshua}}{{cite book|author=Charlie Papazian|title=The complete joy of homebrewing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=errBZJY1KdIC&pg=PA346|access-date=11 September 2011|date=11 September 2003|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-053105-8|pages=346}} Additionally, acid can be directly added to beer or added by the use of unusually large amounts of acidulated malt.

Depending on the process employed, the uncertainty involved in using wild yeast may cause the beer to take months to ferment and potentially years to mature. However, modern kettle souring methods allow sour beer to be created within a typical timeframe for ales, usually several days.{{Cite web|title=Fast Souring - Modern Methods|url=https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/fast-souring-modern-methods.670176/|access-date=2021-06-15|website=Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum|language=en-US}}[https://members.camra.org.uk/learn-discover/learn-more/learn-more-about-beer/kettle-souring/ Campaign for Real Ale. Kettle Souring.] Retrieved 15 February 2025.

Sour beer styles

While any type of beer may be soured, most follow traditional or standardized guidelines.

=American wild ale=

Beers brewed in the United States utilize yeast and bacteria strains instead of or in addition to standard brewers yeasts. These microflora may be cultured or acquired spontaneously, and the beer may be fermented in a number of different types of brewing vessels. American wild ales tend not to have specific parameters or guidelines stylistically, but instead simply refer to the use of unusual yeasts.

=Berliner Weisse=

At one time the most popular alcoholic beverage in Berlin, this is a somewhat weaker (usually around 3% abv) beer made sour by use of Lactobacillus bacteria. This type of beer is usually served with flavored syrups to balance the tart flavor.The World Guide to Beer, Michael Jackson, Mitchell Beazley, {{ISBN|0-85533-126-7}}

=Flanders red ale=

Flanders red ales are fermented with brewers yeast, then placed into oak barrels to age and mature. Usually, the mature beer is blended with younger beer to adjust the taste for consistency. This is also sometimes referred to as "flemish red".{{Cite web|url=https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/best-sour-beers|title=Everything You Need To Know About Sour Beer|date=2018-08-23}}

=Gose=

Gose is a top-fermenting beer that originated in Goslar, Germany. This style is characterized by the use of coriander and salt and is made sour by inoculating the wort with lactic acid bacteria before primary fermentation.

=Lambic=

Lambic is a spontaneously fermented beer made in the Pajottenland region around Brussels, Belgium. Wort is left to cool overnight in the koelschip where it is exposed to the open air during the winter and spring, and placed into barrels to ferment and mature. Most lambics are blends of several seasons’ batches, such as gueuze, or are secondarily fermented with fruits, such as kriek and framboise. As such, pure unblended lambic is quite rare, and few bottled examples exist.

=Oud bruin=

Originating from the Flemish region of Belgium, oud bruins are differentiated from the Flanders red ale in that they are darker in color and not aged on wood. As such this style tends to use cultured yeasts to impart its sour notes.

Gallery of European sour beer styles

File:Berliner Weisse.jpg|{{center|Berliner Weisse
Schultheiss
Berlin, Germany}}

File:Rodenbach - belgisches Bier der Brauerei Palm.jpg|{{center|Flanders red ale
Rodenbach
Roeselare, Belgium}}

File:GoseLeipzig.jpg|{{center|Gose
Bayerischer Bahnhof
Leipzig, Germany}}

File:Geuzemegablend2011.jpg|{{center|Oude Geuze
Horal's Mega Blend
Belgium}}

File:Cantillon Kriek Lambic.jpg|{{center|Kriek lambic
Cantillon
Anderlecht, Belgium}}

File:LiefmansOudbruin.jpg|{{center|Oud bruin
Liefmans
Oudenaarde, Belgium}}