As a beer writer, I try to have my hand on the pulse of craft beer, and though I really enjoy the history of it, I am also very interested in what is popular at the given moment. Since I wrote my piece on fruited sours, my travels have taken me all over the state of Indiana, and I’ve seen just how really popular it all is. I’ve made a few fans of sours, including my little brother who is now planning to hit breweries with sours on his vacation. No matter what you think about the style, this beer is exciting and the trend is just blowing up!
If you don’t believe me, just listen to what I experienced over this weekend. Hoosier Brewing released two amazing sours including a peanut butter and jelly one to much fanfare on Thursday. They had sold out their pre-orders, and I watched the rest fly out of the brewery. On Friday I visited 450 North who released 13 different sours that day, including two collaborations with Mortalis from Avon, New York. People were buying these beers by the pallet! Just just yesterday I got to spend time at the Guggman Haus Biergarten in Indianapolis where sours were being consumed left and right. Over the last month it’s the same story wherever I go. Fruited Sours are just that popular!
And though I mostly write about the Indiana breweries that are focusing on the style, there is much fanfare for sour beer across the country. According to Craft Beer & Brewing, sours are the sixth most popular style in the country. With so many breweries now brewing fruited sours, I see the style moving up in popularity even more. And just for researching these articles, I have had a sour from well over three dozen different breweries representing all corners of the country. But it is the town of Waunakee in Wisconsin I feel is the current fruited sour capital of the brewing world.
Located just north of Madison, Wisconsin, Waunakee is home to Humble Forager, Untitled Art, Octopi, Lone Girl, and Canada’s Collective Arts. While all of these breweries make at least one fruited sour, it is Untitled Art, and Humble Forager who are producing some of the best sours on the market. I am sitting on a lot of beer from these breweries, and I’m looking forward to enjoying them. I’ve already raved about the Mixed Berry Sour A La Mode from Untitled Art, but that beer and their Florida Weisse are two of the best sours I have had the pleasure to try.
It doesn’t stop there. I’m very excited about the fruited sours from the East Coast. I mentioned Skygazer in the last article, and I was able to try two more sours from them last weekend. They are excelling at the flavor profiles, and I would love to get my hands on another Watercolors Replay. I have told a lot of people about this brewery from North Haven Connecticut, and if you like sours, be on the lookout for their beer!
Two other breweries that you should watch for include California’s King’s whose Frose Grape Pineapple Upside Down is amazing, as well as RAR, from Cambridge Maryland. I look forward to trying more of their beer, and I cannot say enough about their Out of Order Coconut Cream Pie. It bridges the gap between sours and desert beer, and is just plain amazing. I’ve talked to a few other people who have had beer from them, and they only say good things.
So I am reiterating a lot of things I’ve said already, but as the summer approaches, I think sour beers are only going to get more popular. Cigar City, Urban Artifact, Braxton, and DuClaw also make great sours, and they are pretty easy to find. Along with good liquor stores, you can find a lot of canned sours at Taprooms which is where I’ve got to try many other sours lately. And as I’ve already said, they are even better on tap which is one reason you should always visit these breweries if you can! As I was finishing up this article, I was researching the Kentucky beer scene, and I plan on visiting the Hopkinsville Brewing Company, and Country Boy in the near future to try some of their sours.
And so with lots of breweries making so many releases, I understand that this is one style of beer I am never going to get to try most of the beers that are made. I’m OK with that because a lot of the different beers seem to be very similar. Since I really enjoy sours, I am glad there seems to be a new one coming out every week. My advice is to enjoy what you can get your hands on, and don’t worry about the others. But do try the beer from the breweries I have mentioned because they are doing some of the best jobs in this style. The weather is getting nice and no matter what you drink, be responsible, and enjoy your time!
So Much Beer So Little Time 