As sour beers proliferate in the market, the search for a quantitative yardstick to determine acidity has intensified. Could Titratable Acidity, or TA, a measurement borrowed from the wine industry, be the answer?
There’s a growing wine-beer movement across the country, from the coasts of Oregon to Midwestern prairies and even Texas hill country. Brewhouses stacked high with barrels are increasingly looking and acting like wineries.
When Saffell and Walters had the idea for Foeder Crafters of America, they didn’t really know much about foeders, large oak tanks built for wineries but coveted by breweries such as Rodenbach in Belgium, New Belgium in Colorado, and now a growing number of smaller American breweries intent on making sour beers.
While terroir is certainly popular, one of the other trademarks of today’s Wild Ale makers is collaborating with distant brewers who float in and out of host breweries like microflora in the breeze.
The craft beer industry might wring its hands over the bubble bursting, trademark wars and dilution of quality. But intrepid brewers are bringing craft beer culture to even the most remote pockets of the country. From medal-clad hombrewers to old-school pros looking to get back to basics, the folks behind these new operations are a diverse bunch.
