What is a Sour Beer?

What is a Sour Beer?

Sour beer is a distinctive style of beer known for its tart, tangy, and often fruity flavors. This unique beer is crafted using wild yeast strains and bacteria, which set it apart from traditional beer styles. Common microorganisms used in sour beer production include Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Brettanomyces. These contribute to the beer's characteristic sourness and complex flavor profile. 

Sour beer is beer which has an acidic and/or tart taste. While sanitization is prioritized when brewing traditional beer, sours are often brewed in environments that intentionally allow wild yeast or bacteria into the brew. By introducing this acid-producing bacteria and other ingredients like fruit to the wort before and during fermentation, brewers are able to achieve a desired level of tartness.


Is Sour Beer Actually Beer?

Yes. Sours are indeed consider beer. Just like IPA and porter are types of beer, sour is also a type of beer. Despite its unique flavor profile and brewing techniques, it meets the essential criteria that define beer. Here’s a closer look at why sour beer is authentically beer. While sours follow a similar brewing process as traditional beer, the main difference is usually found in the fermentation process.


Example of a Sour Beer

An example of a sour beer is Flanders Red from Destihl Brewery. This 5.9% ABV is a sour ale that tastes like tart cherry candy. This Belgian Flanders Red Ale is renowned for its complex flavor profile, which includes notes of tart cherries, balsamic vinegar, and oak.

As part of their Wild Sour series, Destihl Brewery also brews Peach Cobbler, Leipzig-Style Gose Ale, Dragon Fruit Mango Sour Ale, and quite a few other sours. 

Types of Sour Beer

Here are some prominent types of sour beer.
  • American Wild Ale
  • Berliner Weisse
  • Flanders Red Ale
  • Gose
  • Lambic
  • Old Bruin


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