The last month or so of summer is an interesting time of year. Will it be unseasonably cool and leave you craving a thick sweater and a creamy stout? Or will it be 88-degrees and sunny, when tank tops and citrus-driven IPAs are the name game?
While you might not know what clothing to wear every late summer day, you can be sure that there’s one beer style that works in all late summer/ early fall scenarios. We’re talking about sour beer.
Sour beer is a wide-ranging style that refers to a variety of beers, including the popular Gose, Lambic, Oud Bruin, Berliner Weisse, and American wild ales, to name only a few. These beers are typified by their tart, dry, sometimes rustic, or barnyard-funky flavors. Some even taste more like wine than beer. All of the varieties of sour beer are perfectly acceptable on a crisper fall pre-fall day or a hotter, more summery one — in short, this is their time to shine.
To find the best sour beers for the season, we went to the bar pros. We asked a handful of our favorite bartenders to tell us their picks for the best sour beers to drink as the season shifts from summer to fall. Check them all out below and click on the prices to try them yourself.
Revolution Freedom of Speech
Kristan Arnold, bartender at Elgin Public House in Elgin, Illinois
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Revolutions Freedom of Speach has a slightly tart but in-your-face peach flavor. It will put you in the mood for some sundresses and silliness. Support local — hence, the fact that I selected a beer from Chicago.
Duvel Belgian Ale
Austin Zimmer, bartender at Le Prive in New York City
ABV: 8.5%
Average Price: $13 for a 750ml bottle
Why This Beer?
I like the Duvel, it’s a Belgium beer. Technically not a “sour beer” but, it has a natural sour flavor that I like to light up with a squeeze of lemon.
Grimm Color Field American Wild Ale
Emily Lawson, bartender and owner of Foxhole Public House in Bentonville, Arkansas
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $11 for a 22-ounce bottle
Why This Beer?
Grimm Color Field American Wild Ale is an incredible sour beer with bright floral aromatics. It’s a fruity, sour explosion of summer in every sip.
Pryes Royal Raspberry Sour Ale
Joe Harvey, lead bartender of Thr3 Jack in Minneapolis
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $12 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
Why This Beer?
As someone who loves sour beer, picking just one was tough. I ended up choosing Pryes Royal Raspberry Sour Ale, brewed locally here in Minneapolis. As a fruited sour the flavor of raspberry, with notes of passion fruit makes for a crisp, and delicious beer, perfect for spring.
The Royal Raspberry offers enough “sourness” to appease those who prefer something more tart, while still being approachable by someone new to the realm of sour beers.
Burly Oak Sorry Chicky
Lauren Paylor, owner and co-founder of Focus on Health in New York City
ABV: 4.4%
Average Price: $17 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
My pick is Sorry Chicky Dry Hopped Sour Ale from Maryland’s Burly Oak. It’s perfect for late summer weather because this dry-hopped, lactobacillus beer is a perfect combination of floral hops, sweet fruit, and tangy, tart yeast.
Bruz Tart N Hoppy Sour Farmhouse
Jake Conover, general manager at Bruz Beers in Denver, Colorado
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
I’m totally biased but the Tart N Hoppy Sour Farmhouse from Bruz Beers is everything I want in a sour ale. This beer starts as a classic Belgian-style Saison but gets kettle soured before it’s heavily dry-hopped with Azacca, Galaxy, and Motueka hops.
So fruity and floral — with a tart kick that doesn’t overpower the beer and at 7 percent it’s got a kick.
Writer’s Picks:
Rodenbach Classic
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack of 16-ounce cans
Why This Beer?
They call this beer Rodenbach Classic because it’s one of the most iconic sour beers ever made. This Flemish brown ale is sweet, sour, tart, and has a nice oaky finish due to being matured in wooden casks. It’s fresh, crisp, and perfect for a chilly late summer/early fall day.
New Belgium Sour IPA
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
This 7 percent sour IPA was brewed with Citra and Amarillo hops. It’s then dropped hopped before being mixed with 25 percent of the brewery’s Foeder-Aged Golden Sour. The result is a hoppy, crisp, sour, tart brew that appeals to both IPA and sour beer fans.
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