Must try Wild Ales?

If your are in NC, a neat place is Haw River Ales in Saxapahaw. Definitely off the beaten path.

Another nod to Fonta Flora in Nebo. Amazing

 

One thing to understand is that most "wild" yeast/bacteria in use by brewers is anything but wild, it's propagated in a lab just like standard brewers yeast.

 

I thought I saw a FB post pop up from Neshaminy Creek, and they showed a tank exposed for the wild yeast for an ale they were brewing. Thanks for the info it makes sense to cultivate it so you have duplicity.

 

It is a wild card for sure. You can get various yeast and bacteria from a lab, but a number of breweries do employ spontaneous fermentation by using a coolship to harness wild, ambient yeast. With this method, there will be some batches that don't make the cut and get tossed, and frequently the batches that do make the cut are blended in various ways and/or re-fermented with heavy doses of fruit to achieve a desired taste profile. Another method is to employ large wood foeders where the "wild" yeast has taken residence and there is some level of consistency, as new wort is added after some amount of the beer is drawn out of the foeder for packaging.

 

Control the conditions and proper indentification of barrel charcteristics and blending to create the the profile you desire.

 

Another difficult thing about visiting places specifically for sour beers is that many of the beers these places are famous for won't be available when visiting on a random day. For example, if you visit Holy Mountain you can usually expect a few saisons on the menu but you'll almost never find a fruited sour. So recommendations may depend entirely on what other styles of beer you both like and other attractions.

The Ale Apothecary has limited hours, but on any given day they will do pours from four different bottles and have an on-site bottle list with a couple other options. However, there are a lot of reasons to recommend Bend to a beer lover in general and if you really want to make a trip of it you may want to consider a vacation in nearby Sunriver.

Jester King is a wonderful brewery to visit just because of how much land they have. It's nice having so much space that you can basically avoid all other human contact and have a quiet conversation while enjoying the fresh air. It's a completely different experience than the taprooms we have in Seattle.

 

Recently went to Jester King and enjoyed it very much. Austin is a great town with lots to do, eat and drink.

If you make the trek, I also suggest Banger Sausage House and Lazarus Brewing, not necessarily for sours, but I doubt you will be disappointed.

 

At least give Russian River, Lost Abby a try, so many out there now a days.

Cheers!

 

Not sure why they haven't been mentioned yet but I'd like to add to the California list...

- Casa Agria Specialty Ales (Oxnard, CA)

They were the best LA/surrounding brewery I've been to, with a facility that mirrored (was inspired by?) de Garde. Although I know de Garde has since moved in the last 10 months. When we went, CASA had maybe 12 - 13 sour beers on tap (BA Saisons, Grisettes, Goses, Weisses, fruited)