Seeking sour IPAs

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Orca, Jun 20, 2014.

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  1. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Just out of curiosity. And I'm not talking about brett IPAs like Bitter Monk (which I love BTW); I'm talking about straight-up, puckeringly sour, probably wild-fermented IPAs, preferably also dry hopped. A cross between Cantillon Gueuze and Pliny. I did a search of the database and came up with a bunch of breweries I've never heard of.

    Have any of you had a beer that matches this description, and if so, how was it? I'm trying to decide if this would be delicious or disgusting, or maybe a little of both...

    Cheers!
     
    #1 Orca, Jun 20, 2014
  2. atpca

    atpca Pooh-Bah (1,652) Jun 10, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    You can't really sour an IPA, the hops do a very good job of keeping most of the sour bugs away. Souring and then dry hopping, or sour mash + hops... Brett doesn't care so much about the hops.
     
    #2 atpca, Jun 20, 2014
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  3. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    So even if you dry-hopped almost exclusively (which I imagine might keep the alpha acids lower than if you added hops during the boil), they still have the same effect? I guess then it might not be an IPA though...
     
    #3 Orca, Jun 20, 2014
  4. tjensen3618

    tjensen3618 Maven (1,391) Mar 23, 2008 California

    New Belgiums La Terrior, dry hopped sour, probably my favorite sour beer ever.
     
    #4 tjensen3618, Jun 20, 2014
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  5. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Good call, I forgot about that one. It's great.
     
    #5 Orca, Jun 20, 2014
  6. atpca

    atpca Pooh-Bah (1,652) Jun 10, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    You can get a big hop aroma from the dry hop but hop bitterness above ~10 IBU or so will keep most of the sour bugs at bay.
     
    #6 atpca, Jun 20, 2014
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  7. Spaceloaf

    Spaceloaf Initiate (0) Nov 27, 2008 Oregon

    Dry hopping doesn't contribute significantly to bitterness (you need to isomerize the alpha acids in the boil for that), so you definitely won't get an IPA just from dry-hopping. As atpca said, it's probably not possible (at least not without "unnatural" chemistry).

    That being said, De Garde made a dry-hopped sour called Hop Bu which is very good.
     
    #7 Spaceloaf, Jun 20, 2014
  8. atpca

    atpca Pooh-Bah (1,652) Jun 10, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    It's possible! You just have to be creative. If you sour the wort (berliner style) or blend a sour beer and an IPA... You just can't add lacto/pedio to hoppy wort and expect it to work.
     
    #8 atpca, Jun 20, 2014
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  9. SebD

    SebD Pooh-Bah (1,874) Nov 24, 2010 Canada (ON)
    Pooh-Bah

    #9 SebD, Jun 20, 2014
  10. Relik

    Relik Zealot (603) Apr 20, 2011 Canada (NS)

    the only thing ive had that was close to what you are talking about was:
    http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13307/48238/
    And i wouldn't even dare call it an IPA. You can dry hop big juicy hops in every beer you make but calling it an IPA after wouldn't be right.
     
    #10 Relik, Jun 20, 2014
  11. mklisz

    mklisz Pooh-Bah (1,923) Dec 31, 2010 New Hampshire
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    #11 mklisz, Jun 20, 2014
  12. gatornation

    gatornation Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,388) Apr 18, 2007 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Anchorage Bitter Monk is very good not sour per say but musty and dank
     
    #12 gatornation, Jun 20, 2014
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