Sour Beer


Video Tip: Opening Up to Smoothie Sours

Sometimes, the least “beer-like” beer can be the fun one that wins friends and influences people. In this clip from his video course, Sapwood Cellars cofounder Michael Tonsmeire makes the case for smoothie-style fruit beers.

Video Tip: Considering Purees and Juices for Simpler Fruit Beers

Sapwood Cellars cofounder and ”Mad Fermentationist” Michael Tonsmeire discusses practical aspects of adding aseptic purees and fruit juices to the tank, including volume and pulp.

Video Course: The Mad Fermentationist’s Practical Guide to Brewing with Fruit

Sapwood Cellars cofounder, brewer, and ”Mad Fermentationist” Michael Tonsmeire shares his expertise in all things fruit—sourcing, selecting, processing, blending, brewing, barrel-aging, and more.

Recipe: Sapwood Cellars Neologism

This highly complex yet super-drinkable, dry-hopped, mixed-culture, gin barrel–aged golden ale combines the expertise of the two authors and cofounders at Sapwood Cellars—and it went on to become one of our Best 20 Beers in 2022.

Breakout Brewer: Two Authors Are Writing the Story of Sapwood Cellars

For brewers who read and sponge all the info they can find, it may be hard to believe: The authors of two of the most influential brewing books of the past decade run a brewery together. In suburban Baltimore, Scott Janish and Michael Tonsmeire are experimenting at Sapwood Cellars.

Cooking with Beer: Cranberry Cobbler with Lemon Ice Cream

In recent years, brewers have been packing more and more fruit into their fruited beers, often evoking familiar and festive desserts. Now, let’s complete the circle and put a splash of that beer into this cobbler, ideal for sharing over the holidays.

Brewer’s Perspective: Explorations in Acidification

Brewers who want to build an enjoyable level of acidity into a beer have a growing number of options. Gordon Schuck, who cofounded Funkwerks as well as Jessup Farm Barrel House in Colorado, digs into those techniques and explains the pros and cons.

Let Fruit Beer Be Fruit Beer

Long dismissed as gimmicky and relegated to a bit part, fruit beer has never gotten the respect it deserves. Yet the craft of brewing with fruit is poised to enter a golden age, with a bag full of tricks and seeds planted to grow much wider appeal.

Podcast Episode 212: Primitive Beer’s Lisa and Brandon Boldt Apply Science to the Romance of Spontaneous Fermentation

In Longmont, Colorado, this small passion project devoted solely to spontaneously fermented beers trusts in data and science to better understand and guide their fermentation, aging, and blending.

Cooking With Sour Beer: Shrimp Salad in a Jar

From fresh catch to fridge favorite, this bright and flavorful warm-weather dish is a perfect foil for the refreshingly tart beer—your choice—with which it’s made.