Craft Beer 101: Everything you need to know about Sours

If you like our Sours and have ever wondered what gives them that punch that you just can’t get enough of, you are in the right place my friend. Sours are definitely a fan favourite around here, but have you ever wondered about the difference between a Sour and any other craft beer? Is a Sour even considered a beer?! Today we’ve got a guide that’ll answer all those burnings questions and tell you everything you could possibly need to know and maybe even let you in on some of our best kept secrets…

WHAT MAKES THEM UNIQUE?

Sour beers typically have a higher acid content which gives them that TART puckering effect. Unlike yeast which produce alcohol when the sugars are broken down, various bacteria produce different acids which add to the crisp and complex finished product. Lactic acid is what gives them that lemony-goodness, yogurt-like aroma, as well as that tart-sour punch!

TRADITIONAL SOURS

Traditionally, Sours are made through the process of slow fermentation which takes anywhere from 6 months to THREE YEARS!! They have mixed culture (which just means multiple types of yeast, bacteria, and all that good stuff are present). This process is usually barrel/wood fermented, and produces highly complex flavours.

OUR SOURS

Any Sour that you get here at Old Yale Brewing will be a Kettle Sour. Which means – fast acid production, and a single strain of Lactobacillus (the same bacteria we use to make yogurt!) This produces lactic acid that is soured in the kettle overnight, then is boiled to kill all the bacteria…. which is what prevents cross contamination with all of our other (delicious) but non-sour beers.

Kettle sours go through a nearly identical process as our non-sour beers do, but once the wort is collected in the kettle, a lactobacillus bacterial culture is pitched and allowed to sour overnight. We then come in the following morning, and pick up where we left off in the normal process – boil, add our hops/spices, cool and then ferment brewers yeast in our stainless steel fermenters.

Our Sours then go through a secondary fermentation with the addition of different fruits, raspberries, black currants, lemon etc. to make all those classic Old Yale Sours that you all know and love. The acidity of the sour beer, blends with that of the fruit and helps further emphasize it’s flavor and refreshing qualities.

INSIDER PRO TIPS

Now for the part that y’all are really here for… the secret RECIPES! Okay.. maybe not quite SECRETTT recipes, but some of our pro-tips rather.

• Pink Lemonade (Gin Fizz with Raspberry Lemon) YUM!

• Mango Currant (Mango Wheat with Black Currant) YUM!

Both of these combos are sure to knock your socks off and leave you coming back for more ( or creating your own experiments at home).

FUN FACT – Hops are anti-microbial, so many traditional sour beers are either use very low amounts of hops, or leave them out all together to allow the bacteria to reproduce easier

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE SOURS

• Gin Fizz Citrus Sour

• Raspberry Lemon Berliner Weisse

• Black Currant Ginger Sour

PAST SOURS WE’VE DONE:

• Pink Grapefruit Rosemary Gose – (last Fall)

• Kettle Sour Plum Porter (Dark Sour Mixer with Dark Cherry Sour Stout – about 2 years ago)

• Dark Cherry Sour Stout (Dark Sour Mixer with Kettle Sour Plum Porter – 2 years ago)

• Juicy Tropical Hopped Sour – (3-4 years ago)

• Wet Hop Sour Weisse – ( 5 years ago)

There you have it - everything you need to know about our Sours, and some pro-tips!