Sour beer is becoming increasingly popular in the beer world. There are many different types of sour beer but generally they consist of tart complex flavours and are packed with fruit. This is the category of beer we often see most experimentation within, brewers love to get creative with sour beers creating all types of flavours and ingredient combinations.
There are 8 types of sour beer generally offering a different brewing style and different flavour combination.
- Lambic
Origin: Belgium
Lambic beers are spontaneously fermented using wild yeasts native to the Zenne Valley near Brussels. This process results in complex, tart, and funky flavours often described as earthy or barnyard-like. Lambics can be enjoyed straight or used as a base for fruit-infused beers like cherry and raspberry.
- Gueuze
Origin: Belgium
Gueuze is a blend of young and old Lambics, aged together to develop a balanced and effervescent beer. The young Lambic provides sugars for further fermentation, while the older Lambic contributes depth and complexity. The result is a bright, bubbly beer with a pronounced sourness and a dry finish.
- Flanders Red Ale
Origin: Belgium
Flanders Red Ales are known for their deep red colour and rich, vinous character. These beers are aged in oak barrels, which introduce acetic acid bacteria, leading to a tangy, fruity, and sometimes balsamic vinegar-like sourness. They often have flavours of dark fruits, such as cherries and plums.
- Flanders Brown Ale (Oud Bruin)
Origin: Belgium
Oud Bruins are darker and maltier compared to Flanders Red Ales, featuring flavours of caramel, toffee, and dark fruit, balanced by a gentle sourness. These beers undergo a longer aging process, which helps develop their complex flavour profile.
- Berliner Weisse
Origin: Germany
Berliner Weisse is a low-alcohol, wheat-based sour beer characterized by its tart, refreshing taste. Traditionally served with flavoured syrups like raspberry or woodruff to balance the sourness, Berliner Weisse is highly carbonated and light-bodied.
- Gose
Origin: Germany
Gose is a historical German beer style originating from Goslar. It’s brewed with coriander and salt, offering a unique flavour profile that combines tartness with a hint of spice and salinity. Gose is usually unfiltered, resulting in a hazy appearance and a refreshing, slightly sour taste.
- American Wild Ale
Origin: United States
American Wild Ales are characterized by the use of wild yeasts and bacteria for fermentation, similar to Belgian Lambics, but without strict adherence to traditional methods. This results in a wide range of flavours, from fruity and funky to intensely sour. Many American craft breweries experiment with this style, including The Lost Abbey, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, and Crooked Stave.
- Kettle Sour
Origin: Various
Kettle sours are a modern method of souring beer, where the wort is soured in the brew kettle using lactobacillus before boiling. This process allows for more control over the level of sourness and reduces the risk of contaminating other brewing equipment. Kettle sours can range from mildly tart to intensely sour and are often fruited.
Sour Beers in the UK
Most breweries these days will offer a sour beer as part of their selection. This gives them the opportunity to work with new ingredients and experiment with different flavour profiles and combinations. As well as this there are also a few breweries which specialise in sour beers and brew this type of beer almost exclusively. The most well-known brewery specialising in sour beer in the UK is Vault City from Portobello in Edinburgh. The Vault City sour beers are incredible and truly on of the best sour beer brewers out there. Other popular sour beer brewers in the UK are Pastore, Wild Beer and Yonder Brewing.
If you are a sour beer lover or fancy checking out a selection of the best sours in the UK sign up to our special sour beer subscription box. You’ll get 8 different sour beers delivered to you each month from the best small batch breweries in the UK!
