I have to admit that I’ve only tasted a few sours in my past and find them to be rather refreshing when enjoyed during a hot Texas summer day.
But since we’ve been so focused on IPAs and other #craftbeer at this juncture, I thought it would be fair to dedicate some air time to other styles that are of interest to our audience such as fruited sours. As I am compiling the content for this post, I’m enjoying a Schwarzbier-style black lager (that is not a fruited sour) from Great Raft Brewing, in Shreveport, LA., as an example.
Every writer/journalist/blogger who is worth his/her salt, takes time to research their subject matter.
Case in point (I wanted to say “Case in pint), when I queried “Martin House Brewing” via Google, clicked on Martin’s website, clicked on their “Beer” link, then re-directed to their stable of brews and then clicked on the “True Love” link, you will note that I was re-directed to Untappd.
As most of you know, “Untappd is a social networking site designed for beer enthusiasts to check in, rate, and review beverages“, to name just some of the platform’s offerings, it’s not the brewer’s website.
I find that odd re-directing your visitors to an unrelated site.
So let’s move on, and spend some time on this “brew” and its processes.
About Fruited Sours
If you’re not familiar with fruited sours, here is a brief overview of how they are made and why they taste like they do when you crack one open.
Fruited sours are made by producing a tart base beer-usually via “kettle souring” with Lactobacillus bacteria to lower pH—followed by fermentation with yeast and the addition of fruit puree or whole fruit. Popular methods include adding fruit in secondary fermentation to preserve flavor, with popular fruit additions like raspberries, passionfruit, and mango.
If you washed out of chemistry or biology, but love beer and the brewing process, this makes little to no sense at all. Yet I digress.
I’m not trying to dump on Martin or Untappd but why would Martin re-direct to a second-party website?
Back to the brewing process and more importantly “kettle sourcing”. I home brew and I don’t recall ever hearing or reading about this term so it must be indigenous to sours.
According to the Home Brewers Association, “Kettle souring” is a modern, fast, and controlled brewing technique used to produce sour beers, such as Gose or Berliner Weisse, by adding Lactobacillus bacteria directly to the unfermented wort inside the brew kettle. Unlike traditional, long-term aging methods, this process creates a clean, tart flavor in 1–2 days before the liquid is boiled and fermented.” This method is ideal for producing modern styles like sour IPAs, fruited sours, and kettle-soured Gose.
According to Hopculture.com, Fruited sours are immensely popular, ranking as one of the top five beer styles in the US and often viewed as a leading “non-IPA” choice. Driven by a demand for refreshing, tangy flavors, these beers saw a surge in popularity. They are particularly popular among younger, craft-conscious drinkers and have become staples for many breweries, sometimes even creating, long lines for releases.
I’ll be damned.
Their popularity stems from being approachable, fruit-forward, and often lower in alcohol. This fruited sour was a 5.2% ABVer.
So what is Hopinionated’s Rating?
We’re not well versed enough in this subset to render an opinion.
Explore Similar Fruited Sours to True Love
- Prairie Slush (Strawberry, Raspberry, Lemon, Lime): A popular sour ale that offers a similar fruit-forward, tart, and refreshing profile, often featuring berry and citrus combinations reminiscent of True Love.
- Victory Sour Monkey: A high-ABV (9.5%) sour tripel, it is often cited as a go-to for those who like “tangy” and fruity, yet complex, sours.
- Untitled Art Raspberry Lemon Crumble: For a slightly more indulgent experience, this 6.5% sour features sweet/tart raspberry, lemon juice, and dessert-like notes of cinnamon and graham cracker.
- Destihl Brewery Wild Sour Series: These are well-regarded, widely distributed kettle sours, particularly the Peach Cobbler or Flanders Red.
- Urban Artifact Gadget: A Midwest favorite, this is a popular, tart fruit-based “fruit tart” ale known for its vibrant, jammy flavor.
Have you tried a fruited sour and what is your opinion on this class of beverage?
Send us an email at justabeerblogger@gmail.com.
Cheers!
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