Sour beers: Just a fad?

I think it's a fad in the sense that there are very few American breweries actually making good sours, and eventually, people's palates will catch on, and many of those currently on the market will go the way of the dodo. Well-made sours, on the other hand, are certainly not a fad.

 

No

So many of the newer breweries taling about starting sour programs. The issues is being able to have two facilities, one for "regular" beers and one for sours.

 

I for one hope for the amount of breweries making sours grows. I love the style, but most sours that are worth having are hard to get and cost alot compared to other styles.

 

Why do you need two facilities?

 

Saying wild ales are a fad is very misguided I think. Better yet, saying any style of beer is a fad is misguided. They are all representations of classic styles, or new styles molded from classic styles. Wild ales come from the Belgium tradition, have been brewed for centuries and will continue to be brewed for centuries long after we are gone. Is the resurgence of this style new and exciting? Yes. Does that mean it is a fad that will fade away after it's 15 minutes of fame? Hell no. Beer has been fermented, whether on purpose or accident, with Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus for thousands of years... this is nothing new.

 

Pretty sure there is concern of cross contamination so separate facilities takes this risk out of the picture.

 

A fairly recent fad here in the US, perhaps. But sours have been alive and well in Europe for hundreds and hundreds of years.

 

don't want to infect the regular beer with the wild yeast

 

The full answer to this is quite complex, but it boils down to making sure the bugs don't come into contact with other styles that aren't meant to be infected.

 

Hmm being arond for 114 years..is that still considered a fad?

 

Well they have been making sour beer in Belgium and Germany for hundreds of years so if it is a fad this is the longest fad in the history of the world.

 

I don't think so. Mainly because it has been more of a slow upswell that has grown steadily for the last 5-6 years. They've long been beloved by geeks and brewers, but I think the recent explosion actually relates to pricing. Back when Cantillon was fairly common, it languished on many shelves because it was $15-30 per bottle. Now it flies off of shelves at that price. Now that beers priced over $15 are no longer that unusual, more brewers are likely to take a chance and make one.

 

I don't generally care for sours yet but I have had some I thought were very good that I would definitely buy again. So I don't think they are a fad, especially as mentioned above the number of breweries that have already started or will start a sour program. They wouldn't do that if it was a fad IMO.

 

I think the guy probably just doesn't like sours and is biased in his opinions about them.

 

Beers are stupid. On to the next!

 

Saying "sour beers" are a fad is sort of akin to saying "dark beers" are a fad. Plus there is historical context that suggests that some of the oldest instances of beer (grain fermented beverage) were, in fact, sour. So really, it's not a fad so much as a re-awakening.

For example, here's an article about a collaboration between Great Lakes and some archaeologists from University of Chicago trying to authentically re-create a 5,500 year old beer from Mesopotamia:

http://io9.com/recreation-of-ancient-beer-suggests-it-was-sour-and-ful-572664886

From the article:

"The batch, spiced with cardamom and coriander, fermented for two days, but it was ultimately too sour for the modern tongue, [Nate] Gibbon said. Next time, he will sweeten it with honey or dates.


Without sophisticated cleaning systems to rid the vessels of natural bacteria, Mesopotamian imbibers might have been more familiar with the brew’s unwanted vinegar flavor, archaeologists said. Yet even with the most educated guesswork, they said, the Sumerian palate might never be fully uncovered.“We’re working with questions that are not going to have a final answer,” Mr. Paulette said. “It’s just back and forth, trying to move toward a better understanding. We’re pretty comfortable with that.”

 

Decidedly not a fad - more like a renaissance of a variety of styles/processes that have a notable history - at least in Europe. I've been a fan well-before people fought over Cantillon on the shelves, and am delighted to see Berliner weiss, gose and similiar styles enjoy newfound attention. Am enjoying many of the domestic versions as well.

 

I agree sour beers are just a fad. The fad started 12,000 years ago, I bet it doesn't make it another 12,000.

 

Thanks for the responses. That's what my gut said, but I guess I just didn't think that bacteria was such a pain in the ass to deal with. Ha.