Sour beers, once a niche corner of the brewing world, have surged into the spotlight, captivating beer enthusiasts with their tart, complex flavors. The 2023 Tasting Alliance World Beer Competition celebrated the finest in sour brews, highlighting the craftsmanship and innovation within this genre. This article unveils the champions and finalists, showcasing the evolving landscape and significance of sour beers in today’s brewing industry.
Best Flavored Sour Beer: Rodenbach Alexander
A blend of 1/3 young and 2/3 two-year-old ale matured in oak foeders, that is macerated with sour cherries.
Best Sour Ale: Rodenbach Grand Cru
An aged Belgian red ale, which is ‘ripened quietly in oak barrels for two years’. It has an extremely pungent aroma of rich fruit, with acidic notes. It is slightly sweet, extremely acidic, and fruity.
Best Sour & Wild Framboise Beer: Boon Framboise
Framboise Boon is a spontaneously fermented beer made from old and young Lambic that matured in oak barrels. The secret of its high quality and authentic taste lies in the use of real fresh raspberries without any concentrates. Framboise Boon is made with as many as 300 grams of fresh raspberries per liter. The brewery also adds some 50 grams of cherries per liter to make the beer milder. They allow the raspberries to ferment together with the young Lambic beer to give Framboise Boon its fine authentic taste. This beer is completely natural: no sweeteners are added.
BEST LAMBIC; BEST IN SHOW SOUR & WILD BEER: Timmermans Oude Gueuze
Timmermans Oude Gueuze’s special flavor derives from its time-honored method of preparation. It is a blend of old lambic, which has been aged for three years in wooden barrels, and young lambic which ensures spontaneous fermentation in the bottle. The different lambics are carefully selected by the brewer to obtain a perfect flavor. After it has been produced, Timmermans Oude Gueuze, which is fermented again for four months in the bottle, continues to improve for 20 years.
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