BEER

SOUR BEERS ARE ALL THE RAGE BUT WHAT ARE THEY EXACTLY—AND DO THEY PAIR WELL WITH FOOD? HERE’S A PRIMER ON SOME OF THE STYLES TOGETHER WITH FOUR PERFECTLY MATCHED DISHES.

SWEET ON SOUR

By James Chatto & Tonia Wilson-Vuksanovic

Food-friendly sour beer is catching on—find out what it is, why it appeals to wine drinkers and how to serve it, including perfectly paired recipes.

Sour beer… It’s not the most appealing descriptor but it’s certainly accurate. The term refers to any beers that have an intentionally tart taste caused by lactobacillus bacteria and unruly yeasts. These are usually the enemies of brewing but there are some beer styles that deliberately encourage their involvement. In Europe, these beers have been made for centuries in traditional and well-defined ways; in North America, they are a recent enthusiasm, welcomed because they are so distinctive and unpredictable. Great beer is always about balance, and to me that’s also true of sour beers. Some take the acidity too far or let the earthy, funky flavour of Brettanomyces yeasts dominate; I prefer the approach described by Mark Horsley, head brewer at brand-new Bench Brewing in Niagara. “Our approach is to create sour beers with an acidity more like a wine than warhead candies,” he explains. “The acidity is more of a component than a defining characteristic, just as hop bitterness might be in other styles.” The comparison with wine is another clue to the surge in popularity these beers are enjoying: acidity makes them naturally good matches for food. In creating complementary recipes, Tonia Wilson Vuksanovic, who is also a beer sommelier, considered all the characteristics of our chosen brews—tartness, funkiness, earthiness and elevated carbonation, not to mention the salinity and spiciness in the gose. Lots to think about! But so delicious…