Sour Beers

[ktmoomau]

Ok, so I knew nothing about sour beers until I tried one at Veil Brewing in Richmond.  And I really liked it.  I am not a huge beer person, but I tend to really like sour things.  I went to the Dept of Wine and Beer to see what they had and bought the Old Bust Head Pink Lemonade which was good, but not super sour.  Anyone have any other sours they like? Especially ones that can be acquired in cans (that is what fits in the beer/wine fridge).

[JBag57]

SeaQuench Ale, by one of Don's "favorite" breweries, Dogfish Head, is a great, refreshing, summer sour (lime, lemon), and is only available in cans (IIRC).  It is also very affordable, in the realm of sours, being priced like a "normal" 6-pack of craft beer.  (Sours can get to be almost prohibitively expensive.)  Any sours by Veil, Vasen (which just started canning and distributing to Northern Virginia), or Commonwealth, is likely to be good to very good.  Three Notch'd also cans a passionfruit gose that is pretty darned good.  Aside from Dogfish Head, the other breweries are Virginia-based.  Old Pro gose by Union Craft of Baltimore is a great example of an unfruited gose, with just the tartness and a bit of saltiness, also in cans and generally available at craft brew shops locally.  At the higher end (price-wise), The Bruery out of California is turning out some really good sours, but around here they will mostly be in large-format (750 mL) bottles.  They are fairly widely available, but they also have their own shop with a huge selection in the Union Market area, quite close to St. Anselm (closed Sundays at present).

ETA: minor nit to pick, it is the "Department of Beer and Wine" (not "wine and beer") over there in Potomac Yards, with the appropriate (IMHO) ordering of their liquid offerings.

[pras]

For some of the best sour beers around, head to the Bruery Store at Union Market.  If you have any questions, the knowledgeable staff is there to answer and offer suggestions.

[pras]

I was up at Flying Dog in Frederick last night for my monthly beer club meeting last night.  Recently, they have had several draft only tap house only selections (available for growler or crowler fills).  This typically includes two sour fruited beers.  The base beer is a kettle sour (think Berliner Weisse) with an addition of fruit puree.  Last night they had a tart cherry and a pineapple.  Both were really good and refreshing.  A bit on the sweet side, but not too much, and pretty in balance for the style.  I was more partial to the cherry, which was a natural flavor (the pineapple was too).  Worth checking out if you are in the hood.  For anyone who thinks this is strange, in Germany, Berliner Weisse is traditionally served with a syrup to add to the beer.  

[ktmoomau]

So- they are now carrying two types of Vassen sours at the Belle Haven Beer and Wine store- Lime Otter, and Triple Berry Sour.  I like them both, Triple Berry is much more sour, Lime Otter more balanced in my view, but still sour.  I also had a Gose from Trader Joes, that was in an dark orange can that was delightful, I went back and they didn't have it, I will recheck and stock up before it all goes away and pumpkin takes over- I need to see if I have a can left, I can't google it easily.  The SeaQuench is a really interesting, briny flavor that I kind of dig, it really makes me think of being on the water while drinking.  I also like the Super8 Gose by Dogfish too.  There is a Passionfruit New Belgium which isn't I think in their terms a sour, but on the line in my book.  

A friend gave me a couple cans from Seven Oaks I am excited about trying.

In the BAD category the sour Gose at District Atlas was not to my liking at all, nor anyone else that I went with, we all disliked it.

I hope sour beers stay in style for a little time.  I am a huge lover of sour flavor.  I used to eat those super sour candies as a child, or just whole lemon pieces (while my Mom was not looking as I got yelled at because it would hurt my teeth enamel).  

[Rovers2000]

Rocket Frog (full disclosure, one of the owners is my neighbor) makes a Gose (Kai Gose to the Beach, named after the brewers son) with pink guava that in my opinion is a perfect summer sour.  Crisp with the fruit used to accentuate the tartness of the beer vs. turning it into "juice".

I believe Arrowine stocks it.

[JBag57]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 3:26 PM, pras said:

I was up at Flying Dog in Frederick last night for my monthly beer club meeting last night.  Recently, they have had several draft only tap house only selections (available for growler or crowler fills).  This typically includes two sour fruited beers.  The base beer is a kettle sour (think Berliner Weisse) with an addition of fruit puree.  Last night they had a tart cherry and a pineapple.  Both were really good and refreshing.  A bit on the sweet side, but not too much, and pretty in balance for the style.  I was more partial to the cherry, which was a natural flavor (the pineapple was too).  Worth checking out if you are in the hood.  For anyone who thinks this is strange, in Germany, Berliner Weisse is traditionally served with a syrup to add to the beer.  

Even more strange is that one of the syrups (raspberry being the other) traditionally used is fairly bright green in color, and is referred to as "Woodruff", which is some sort of herbaceous plant.  I am not sure I have seen anyone trying to replicate that (unless maybe with hibiscus?) in the Berliner Weisses and Goses currently on the market.

ETA-In the "good old days" when Greg Engert had his attention more focused on Rustico, and actually tended bar there, they usually had a Berliner Weisse on tap, and he had the requisite raspberry and woodruff syrups on hand to serve with it.

[pras]

On 8/15/2019 at 1:52 PM, JBag57 said:

Even more strange is that one of the syrups (raspberry being the other) traditionally used is fairly bright green in color, and is referred to as "Woodruff", which is some sort of herbaceous plant.  I am not sure I have seen anyone trying to replicate that (unless maybe with hibiscus?) in the Berliner Weisses and Goses currently on the market.

ETA-In the "good old days" when Greg Engert had his attention more focused on Rustico, and actually tended bar there, they usually had a Berliner Weisse on tap, and he had the requisite raspberry and woodruff syrups on hand to serve with it.

I have always wanted to give woodruff a try.