IPA on the left, hefe on the right

Welcome to Tuesday, everyone! Today we’re going to talk about beers that have gone sour… intentionally. Sour Ales are becoming easier to find, and I scored a new arrival at the local Whole Foods just yesterday. They are created in a process by which the brewer introduces Lactobacillus (also found in the vagina!) in to the brew, intentionally souring the beer. These beers are often aged for a long time, then blended with newer batches until the desired level of sour is reached. Really, it is a pretty interesting process. This is one of the (many) areas where brewers are starting to learn more towards barrel aging beers, akin to how wineries have done it for years. The type of barrel used, along with any previous liquids it might have held, imparts a unique flavor to the beer. All it takes is some tiny bacteria and you can have a beer revolution on your hands. If you’re interested (and you should be) in them, check your local brewery, bar, or retailer for beer labeled as sour ale, lambic, or Flanders-style red ale.

In homebrew news, my first adventure with liquid yeast proved… interesting. The hefe was a liquid, and after dumping it in I should expect fermentation to start within 5-15 hours, according to the package.

The hefe went crazy in the middle of the night

Well, by the time I went to bed on Sunday it was still as a stone, and I was starting to see airlock action in the IPA, which was a dry yeast. It had only been about 5 hours, so I wasn’t too worried. The next morning before I left for work, nearly 13 hours after brewing, the IPA was going strong. The hefe… well, the surface was as smooth as glass and there had been no movement in the airlock overnight. At this point, I was ready to call the guys at The Brew Hut when I got off work and see what I had done wrong.

When I got home from work that day, I was a little relieved. The IPA was going strong, and there was a little activity visible in the Hefe. This meant that it wasn’t a false start, but I was still worried that so little activity was going on. I had done everything right, hadn’t I? Made sure it was out of the fridge 5 hours before use, shook it a little to get the yeast mixed in the liquid, made sure the wort was well oxygenated… what more could the little yeasties ask for?

Time, apparently they just needed some quiet time. Heading to bed last night I could hear a faint whistling sound, and upon checking the beers the hefe was going batshit crazy. Since last night it has gone crazy-go-nuts and even passed the IPA in fermentation, already starting to slow down. I really didn’t think a blowoff tube was needed if I was fermenting 5 gallons of beer in a 6 gallon carboy, but I’m really starting to consider it.

Drink of the Day Double Whammy

Of course, I can’t just leave you with that. I’ve got to tell you how sour beer tastes, right? Well, you’re in luck. Tonight is a special night; my lack of posting topics has driven me to resort to a double-dose of Drink of the Day. Not only do we have Monk’s Cafe’s Flemish Sour Ale, but Breckenridge Brewery’s Vanilla Porter.

Porter on the left, Sour on the right

The Sour won the coin toss, so it will be up first. The head is silky looking, composed of tiny bubbles that hang around for a while. They are surprisingly white, and the beer is a little darker than I expected. Against a stark white backdrop, such as my computer screen, it shows through as an amber color, with a lot of clarity. The aroma is… unique. It really does smell like it has spoiled, and you’d be best throwing it away. Not only does it smell sour, but the small amount of hops used leads to an almost sweet aroma as well. I can’t say it smells good; wet socks comes to mind on the nose. The taste really surprised me. They didn’t go too hard on the sour in it, and instead it lends to a really smooth drink. It has about the same amount of sour that you might find in a cranberry, with equal sweetness backing it up. The malty flavors really shine through while it is in your mouth, and the slight tart on the finish is awesome. This is a really great beer, and would be perfect for (not with!) desert. The body is silky, and the carbonation isn’t too strong. If you can find this beer, then buy this beer.

Up next is Breckenridge Brewery’s Vanilla Porter, since I’m such a sucker for porters. As evident in the photo, the head on this thing was glorious. That was a pretty controlled pour, too. To be fair, it didn’t do that the other day, but that’s what I got tonight, so that’s what you’re stuck with for a photo. However, the head does vanish rather quickly, but such is to be expected in dark beers. Color is super dark, but not quite black. Reminds me of a dark chocolate brown. The aroma is pretty weak, I nearly had to stick my nose in it to even start to pick up the roasted malt smells. The vanilla is pretty much absent from the smell, too. I like the big, rich smells of toasted woods and dark malts that are typically associated with porters, but this one lacks a little. However, the taste nearly makes up for it. The malt really shines through, and the vanilla is a nice undertone to the smokey flavors in the beer. Not the best porter I’ve had, but if you like porters (and really if you like vanilla porters) then you should pick it up. Also, without having the overpowering campfire flavors that some porters have, it might serve as a good introduction to porters if you haven’t had one. After all, Sam liked it and she typically doesn’t enjoy them.

UPDATE! Mike over at Mike’s Brew Review (just launched!) posted a review of the Vanilla Porter as well, so stop by and check out his new blog and see what he has to say about it.

UPDATE x2! Alex started a blog to chronicle his brand new homebrewing hobby as well, so give his blog, Alex Brews, an add if you need more homebrew stuff to read!

Tags: bacteria, Breckenridge Brewery, Drink of the Day, Flemsih Sour Ale, hefeweizen, IPA, lactobacillus, lambic, liquid yeast, Monk's Cafe, porter, sour ale, vanilla porter