Hop Talk

Sour and Funky

Dive into sour and funky beers.

Some people enjoy the sourness of sourdough bread and buttermilk, the acidity of artisanal vinegars, or the leathery, earthy flavors of Bordeaux. These people might enjoy those same organisms and flavoring in their beer. If you’re game to try these sour and funky beers, there are several great choices that I think you’ll enjoy.

A German sour beer, Berliner Weisse, is a wheat beer fermented with both a typical beer yeast and a lactic acid producing yeast, Lactobacillus delbruckii, producing a beer with a tart, refreshing acidity and flavors reminiscent of lemon, wheat, and honey. Since the acidity is so pronounced, it is often served with either raspberry syrup or essence of woodruff (an herb located around Berlin). The raspberry syrup makes the beer mixture red whereas the woodruff makes it green, but both add a sweetness and counter the acidity of the beer.

There are many sour and/or funky beers that originate in Belgium. In particular I recommend a Lambic and several beers blended from it, the Gueze, Kriek, and Framboise. Lambic is made from at least 30% unmalted wheat with the remainder made up mostly of barley malt and sometimes corn, rice or rye. The beer must be fermented spontaneously, meaning that the windows remain open in the brewery as the natural yeasts in the area ferment the beer. Lambic was probably one of the first beers brewed since all you needed were warm water, crushed grains, and the natural yeast in the air, providing you were located in a certain region of Belgium. An unblended Lambic is an intensely flavored beer that is sour, acidic, and funky, all at once, while still remaining balanced and drinkable. It is not a beer for the meek nor is it a good initial foray into spontaneously fermented Belgian beers, but it is a wonderful bottle to share with those that enjoy the intense flavor.

Gueze is a combination of two or more Lambics for the purpose of creating a second fermentation that gives the beer carbonation. Carbonation is an essential part of most beers and it is welcomed with the Gueze. The combination of carbonic acid and the acidity and tartness of the base Lambic makes for a very refreshing beer, one that will easily pair with mussels steamed in an acidic liquid (Lambic or white wine), butter, and aromatic vegetables.

Kriek is Lambic further fermented with cherries while Framboise is fermented with raspberries. The fruit added to the beer is fermented out, so you get the essence, but not the sweetness. Do not confuse this beer with cherry pie; there is no sweetness evident except in the most commercial varieties. There is at least one beer made with both cherries and raspberries and blended by one of the best Lambic makers, Cantillon. Their beer, Rose de Gambrinus, is fragrant, complex, intriguing, and refreshing. It also sports a racy label that, at one time, was not allowed on bottles sent to the U.S.

One of the beers most recently available in the state of Kansas is Cantillon’s Saint Lamvinus. Saint Lamvinus is merlot and cabernet-franc grape varieties that are soaked in Bordeaux barrels containing two to three year old Lambic. The infused Lambic is then made into a beer. This might be the most expensive bottle of "beer" you have ever tried, but possibly the best combination of beer and wine available on the market.

Commercial Selections of Note

Berliner Weisse
1809 Berliner Style Weisse

Unblended Lambic
Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru Cantillon Iris

Kriek
3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek Oud Beersel Oude Kriek

Framboise Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise