Beer of the Week: Raspberry Sour Ale

From the Beer Writer: I still remember the first time I tried a Berliner weisse. I was taken aback by the spritzy acidity, light body, wheaty flavor and refreshing nature of the style, which, at the time, was impossible to find in San Diego. Over the past decade, this Germanic answer to sunny recreational imbibing has become extremely popular, spawning various spin-off kettle sours, most of which are fruited. In most cases, either the fruit or the lacto-borne tartness is overdone, making for a bracing, sweet-and-sour beer that, unlike a traditional Berliner weisse, can’t be enjoyed glass after glass. So, it’s nice to see a local take on the style that, while fruited, gets most of its flavor profile from the base beer. That Berliner weisse is the clinically named Raspberry Sour Ale from Sorrento Valley’s New English Brewing. The namesake berries provide a nice accent to the beer without making it taste like Kool Aid or Crystal Light. That light-handed approach allows the wheatiness of the beer to come through along with a tartness that takes me back to that very first Berliner. It’s a good memory brought about by a good beer.

From the Brewer: “Raspberry Sour Ale is our take on a Berliner weisse-style kettle sour ale. After the initial brew day, the wort spends a couple of days souring in the kettle with our secret blend of lactobacillus bacteria. Once soured, the wort is boiled to kill the bacteria and then goes on to fermentation, where we add the real raspberry purée. The raspberry adds a subtle fruit flavor and a hint of pink color to the finished beer. The resulting brew is perfectly tart and refreshing, light and balanced with an ABV (alcohol-by-volume) of 5.5%. It’s a great option for summer time when you want an alternative to yet another manufactured hard seltzer. A first-ever sour beer from New English, we continue to evolve and offer our fans authentic options to round out our broad range of styles.”—Simon Lacey, Co-owner & Head Brewer, New English Brewing