Kettle sours are tart and refreshing beers. To brew a beer like this one, we start the brew day just as we would any other, steeping crushed grain and other fermentables in a large stainless tank before running off the sugary grain tea (known as wort) into our kettle. Instead of firing on the kettle right away, however, beers like this one undergo a 24-48 hour lactic fermentation at this midway point in the brewing process using a healthy pitch of lactobacillus; the same bacteria that makes yogurt tart. Once soured in the kettle, we boil (killing the lactobacillus) and ferment the beer just like we would any other. 

While completely delicious and fun to brew, we take great pains to distinguish between kettle-souring (a relatively quick and predictable process) and wood-aged sour beer which generally takes anywhere between a period of many months to years to develop in wood vessels. Brewers of wood-aged sour beer use a cocktail of wild yeasts and bacteria and do battle with all manner of unpredictability. These beers tend to produce more nuanced, sour, fruity and funky flavours and are among our favourite styles. We have tremendous respect for these beers and have plans to release our own when the time is right. In the meantime, you should seek them out!