The “Wild Beer” and the “Sour Beer” are catch-all styles for any golden to amber colored beer where the implementation of a microorganism other than traditional brewer’s yeasts ensures a drier, thinner, sour and/or funkier product. Such microorganisms includes Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces. Younger versions are brighter and fruitier, while older ones possess more depth of funk and may lose more of the base style character. The base beer style becomes less relevant because the various yeast and bacteria tend to dominate the profile. They are non-traditional beer interpretations or experimentations inspired by Belgian classic sour / wild ales. The "Traditional Wild / Sour Beers” are often the result of a Mixed-Fermentation Blend of beers aged in barrels and tend to have a complex funky taste acquired from the microbial flora. Wood or barrel aging is very common in this type of beers, but not required. The “Kettle Sour Beers” or “Quick Soured Beers” are generally soured using a Kettle Souring technique in a stainless steel mash tun and have a tartness taste similar of an unsweetened yogurt.
Premium members can view the top 50 in each style category. Nonpremium members will be able to see the top 25.
Name | Ratings | Score | | |
1 | Russian River Deviation (Bottleworks IX) R
Russian River Brewing Company Santa Rosa, California | 264 | 4.17 | Find | |
2 | Russian River Beatification (Batch 001) R
Russian River Brewing Company Santa Rosa, California | 226 | 4.15 | Find | |
3 | Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience (Release 14) R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 75 | 4.11 | Find | |
4 | Hill Farmstead Being & Time R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 33 | 4.11 | Find | |
5 | Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience (Release 11) R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 66 | 4.11 | Find | |
6 | Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience (Release 13) R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 17 | 4.09 | Find | |
7 | Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience (Release 7) R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 51 | 4.03 | Find | |
8 | Side Project Blended 2017 R
Side Project Brewing Maplewood, Missouri | 43 | 4.03 | Find | |
9 | New Glarus R & D Sour Ale R
New Glarus Brewing Company New Glarus, Wisconsin | 118 | 4.02 | Find | |
10 | Allagash Cuvée d'Industrial (- 2016) R
Allagash Brewing Company Portland, Maine | 95 | 4.01 | Find | |
11 | Ithaca Excelsior! Brute R
Ithaca Beer Co. Ithaca, New York | 388 | 4 | Find | |
12 | Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience (Release 17) R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 82 | 4 | Find | |
13 | Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience (Release 18) R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 36 | 3.99 | Find | |
14 | Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience (Release 15) R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 107 | 3.99 | Find | |
15 | Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Gold (2012) R
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Elmsford, New York | 35 | 3.99 | Find | |
16 | De Garde / Jester King / Sante Adairius Elements of Composition R
De Garde Brewing Tillamook, Oregon | 33 | 3.99 | Find | |
17 | New Belgium Love - Felix-Oscar Blend - Blackberry Whiskey Barrel R
New Belgium Brewing Company (Lion Co. - Kirin Holdings) Fort Collins, Colorado | 58 | 3.98 | Find | |
18 | Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience (Release 27) R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 27 | 3.98 | Find | |
19 | Bullfrog Beekeeper R
Bullfrog Brewery Williamsport, Pennsylvania | 90 | 3.98 | Find | |
20 | New Belgium Bottleworks 10th Anniversary Wild Ale R
New Belgium Brewing Company (Lion Co. - Kirin Holdings) Fort Collins, Colorado | 134 | 3.97 | Find | |
21 | Hill Farmstead / Jackie O's / Virtue Elaborative #2 R
Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont | 70 | 3.96 | Find | |
22 | Freigeist / h.ertie Lambik Ohrwal R
Freigeist Bierkultur Stolberg, Germany | 41 | 3.96 | Find | |
23 | Jolly Pumpkin Perseguidor (Batch 4) R
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Dexter, Michigan | 125 | 3.96 | Find | |
24 | Valley Brew Decadence Grand Cru 2007 R
Valley Brewing Company Stockton, California | 58 | 3.95 | Find | |
25 | Side Project Unblended - Barrel #40 R
Side Project Brewing Maplewood, Missouri | 40 | 3.95 | Find | |