BEER

Despite the early warning cries that they were a passing trend, sour beers—those fermented with wild yeasts and bacteria—aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. So here we are again, taking yet another walk on the wild side.

While sour beers aren’t new—in fact, they are rooted in European brewing traditions that date back hundreds of years—they’ve become surprisingly popular, appealing to beer- and wine-lovers as well as cross drinkers who are fond of an acidic twang in their glass.

To make sours, “wild” yeasts or bacteria—like, , and —are added during fermentation. This can be done somewhat naturally, including through the use of a coolship, a broad, open-top vessel, to encourage spontaneous fermentation, or through measured dosing.