I will never forget my first sour beer. I was a beer geek living in Portland, OR circa 2010, a simpler time for craft beer, or “microbrew” as it was often called, when the geeking out was over Pale, Amber, Brown, and Red Ales, as well as the budding Cascadian Dark Ale. The concept of sour beer was foreign to me until I had the chance to visit Cascade Brewing Barrel House , a sour and barrel-aged brewery that happens to be local to me. My first sip on that day was no doubt organoleptically electrifying, caus
As sour beer continued to receive more attention over the following couple of years, I eventually developed a deep appreciation for them, ultimately inspiring me to brew my own versions. I read American Sour Beers by Michael Tonsmeier, joined the incredible Milk The Funk Facebook group , and dove headfirst into the world of sour beer. Like many, my initial focus was on fruited sours inoculated with lab-sourced cultures, which the BJCP categorizes as Wild Specialty Beer and describes as:
A sour and/or funky version of a fruit, herb, or spice beer, or a wild beer aged in wood. If wood-aged, the wood should not be the primary or dominant character.
Five Blades Brewing - F' Everything, We're Doing Five Blades