Sour Beer: Hipster Fad Or Here To Stay?

Sour beer is a little more sophisticated than your average ale. It can be brewed with fruit and aged in wine barrels for months and in some cases for years. The extensive brew process, along with a special form of fermenting yeast, adds sour and robust flavors, giving the ale a unique taste. The lengthy fermentation process allows for a larger amount of sugars to be processed by the yeast, creating a generally high (5-10%) alcohol content. This Belgian brew-style has grown far outside its European borders, making its way to American brewers’ recipe books. In the states, sours can be found classified as and shown on menus as: lambic, gose or sour ales. The long process of brewing and high demand for this new style of ale has created a low supply of them, hiking up prices closer to that of a bottle of wine or other fine craft brews. [Photo via @linzieb]