June 20, 2019

History and Characteristics of Sour Beers

Sour Beers - Summer Beer Recipes

History of Sour Beers

Sour. The mouth puckering punch that pinches your mouth into a grimace. We have Belgium to thank for the creation of sour beers with their Lambic. Germany also made some additions to the style with the Berliner Weisse, Gose, & Lichtenhainer. This style braves the chances of fate by inoculating the wort with wild yeasts & bacteria caught from open air. Today’s brewers felt it was necessary to notify beer drinkers exactly what it is they were getting into before taking a sip. A strategic move that either excited the adventurous or warned the more faint of heart, either way it definitely spread the beer’s popularity.

Characteristics of Sour Beer

Sours arrive in a spectrum of colors. The flavor is of course mouth puckering tart or sour, & aromas are often very potent. A wild yeast mixture of saccharomyces, brettanomyces, pediococcus, & lactobacillus is ideal. This killer combo will develop a wine-like profile that ends in a dry finish. To achieve the most face contorting sour possible age them.

Beer Kit: Funktional Fruit Sour

If you’re looking for a sour partner that will pucker your cheeks this summer hang tight with our Funktional Fruit Sour. This sour is a forward stepping Belgian-style wheat that effortlessly leads into a tart fruity finish & it reads like a literal choose your own adventure. Make your decision from a cornucopia of choices that include Raspberry, Blackberry, Apricot, Cherry, Peach, Mango, & Passionfruit. Spoiler alert: The ending is going to be delicious. Don’t wait months or years for those tangy bites of sour to develop, get them in days with kettle souring procedures. This technique will allay any worries you have about cross contamination with other batches you may have brewing. It’s time to get funky this summer!

Shop Funktional Fruit Sour Beer Recipe Kit: