Funky, Non-Sour Beers

Look for Brett beers... Some will say brett and if they've been in a barrel or something, chances are, they could have more than brett. Brett will not make a beer sour, it's lacto/pedio that will do that.

Orval is a brett beer, it'l funky, without being sour.

Some Crooked Stave stuff says it's brett, but it's been in barrels or foeders and will have some lacto/bugs in it that make it tart/sour in some cases.

 

Essentially any wild saison will fulfill your need. Saison-Brett by Boulevard is the obvious contender here.

There is another beer that I find really funky with little to no sourness:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3521/9630/

 

Great resource, but I don't think pH tells the whole story. Residual sugar doesn't directly affect pH, but it can dramatically affect perceived sourness. Also, different acids are perceived differently (citric, acetic, lactic). Descriptions vary from hard, prickly to soft and these perceptions also vary with amount of a given acid.

Hansenn's Oudbeitje Lambic (3.1 pH) is one of the most horrifying teeth-strippingly sour beers I've ever tasted. But I attribute that in part to lack of any residual sugar plus large amount of citric acid from the strawberries.

 

Grassroots Wheat is the New Hops is also an excellent choice for funky and not sour beer. Its an IPA with Brett. Its not very bitter, but it is very complex and has a great mouthfeel/body thanks to the brett. Also, the citrusy hop profile will remain for a long time because brett acts as a hop preservative. It almost reminds me of a lightly hopped saison.

It sounds like you need to try a bunch of saisons. That is the beer style that I would concentrate on... A lot of great shelf saisons out there that are easy to get your hands on.

 

that embracethefunk pH readings might be flawed. I didn't see any mention that he degased the beers first. Dissolved CO2 is carbonic acid, which lowers the pH and gives false readings. You would need a sonicator or something similar to do the job.

 

Goose Island Sophie

 

Jackie O's Orange Oak is a great example of a super funky non sour beer. (a wheat ipa aged in oak barrels with brett with oranges added) lacto and pedio HATE ibu's its an awesome beer!

 

Word on that. My god was my bottle of this awful.

 

Victory Wild Devil
Prairie Funky Galaxy

 

Logsdon Saizoen Bretta
Anchorage - Galaxy IPA / Bitter Monk
Jolly Pumpkin - Calabaza Blanca
Boulevard - White IPA
Goose Island - Sofie

I find Crooked Stave's stuff pretty sour.

 

Bitter Monk is by Anchorage (which has been mentioned already in this thread as a brewery with lots of funky beers), not Alaskan.

 

We didn't use any brettanomyces in the fermentation of Reboot White IPA.

 

You know I've heard that many sour beers get more sour with age. I've found this not to be the case. I had a 2 year old Oude Tart the other day and the sourness and fruit got pretty muted. Enjoyable overall though.

 

Lost Abbey Carnevale. Funky brett. Not sour.