Sour beers are all the rage
By Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR
Move over, bitter IPAs and chocolaty stouts. There’s a new kid on the craft brewing block, and it’s going to knock your salivary glands into action.
They’re called “sour beers.” When you take a sip, it’s like biting into a Granny Smith apple that’s soaked in a French red wine: crisp, refreshing and a bit odd.
The Sam Adams brewery outside Boston. Photo/LTN file
Sour beers are probably the oldest style of brewski in the world, but they’re just starting to get popular in the States. They were all the buzz at this year’s Great American Brew Festival. And with hundreds of brewers now dabbling in sours, it’s easier than ever to find them at a local bar or grocery store.
Most sour beers have little or no hops. So they’re a good option to try if you don’t like bitter beers or you’re a wine lover who prefers a pinot to a Pilsner, says New Belgium’s CEO, Kim Jordan of Fort Collins, Colo.
New Belgium, which produces the ubiquitous Fat Tire Ale, has started a whole series of sour beers, called Lips of Faith — one of the most widely available lines of sour.
So what in the heck are these strange brews?
Sours beers are to the adult beverage world what yogurt is to dairy. Its beer that’s been intentionally spoiled by bacteria — the good bacteria.