Sour beers are the new thing this summer and perfect for a hot day, says Ralph Bungard of Three Boys Brewery.

There are five basic flavours that we detect on our tongue: salt, sweet, bitter, sour and umami (savoury). Not all of them, however, have been using the same PR firm! Sweetness has had it all over the opposition and for good reason, because at an evolutionary level, sweetness tells us we are on to something packed full of energy – exactly the food you need when running away from lions on the Savanna, less important when sitting on the sofa!

Sour taste, on the other hand, sends us an important signal that we are about to swallow some acid. Sounds bad when you say it like that, but it can indicate that we are getting some essential nutrients such as ascorbic acid, otherwise known as vitamin C. Recently, however, sour has got a new PR team and they are using fermented beverages such as kombucha and beer to win back lovers of tart.

Sour beers are not new but their popularity has increased dramatically thanks to the crafty boutique brewers looking for an angle that differentiates them from the mainstream multinationals.

There are two common ways to make sour beer. One uses yeasts such as Brettanomyces (Brett to its best friends!), which naturally produce acids during fermentation. You might be familiar with beer styles such as Lambic and Saison that rely on Brett-like yeasts. The second uses bacteria, the same types used to make yoghurt, such as Lactobacillus for example.

In the business of brewing, using bacteria is called “kettle souring” (for reasons I won’t bore you with), and it is the method most favoured by brewers because it’s quick and it’s easy to control the tartness.

The main kettle-soured styles about town are the Berliner and the Gose (pronounced “goes-uh” as in Rosa). Often you will find them with a fruit addition, which is quite traditional, the fruit flavours working so well with the acidic punch of the underlying beer.

At Three Boys, we have a Gose in its pure unadulterated form – tart and slightly salty with a lovely bready, herbal character, and the same beer with a dash of passionfruit pulp. Both are gorgeous, award-winning beauties! Sour can be a bit of a leap but take your time and I’m sure you will be rewarded.

Sour beers are great thirst-quenchers and are well worth searching out on a hot day. How about this Kiwi summer we make “sour as” our new “sweet as, bro”?

threeboysbrewery.co.nz