The Rare Barrel

Microbrewery in Berkeley, California, United States 🇺🇸
Owned by Cellarmaker Brewing Company
Associated Venue: The Rare Barrel

Established in 2012

Contact
940 Parker St, Berkeley, CA, CA 94710, United States
Description
Picture yourself eating a handful of red raspberries, drinking a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade, or sipping on a glass of fine wine. Those sour, tart, and acidic flavors you are currently imagining are what makes sour beer taste quite different from traditional beers. These flavors, which are unique to sour beers, are the product of time and the right mix of microorganisms. While our sour beers age in oak barrels for an average of one year, a blend of microorganisms will shape the sour, tart, and acidic flavors that we’ve come to desire. Yes, sour beers take an exceptionally long time to develop, but we think that sour beers are well worth the wait.

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Beer tick image

7.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Oransje uklar med flyktig hvitt skum. Lukter plommer, bringebær og jordbær. Sur og fruktig. Smaker sure bær, rips, bringebær og noe kirsebær. Middels lang.

Tried on 14 Oct 2025 at 14:59


7.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Pours gold with a small white head.
Nose shows elderflower, horse blanket, heavy funk, lemon rind. Crazy heavy funk. Slight oaky notes too.
Flavours include oaky notes, funk, lemon, elderflower, and a soft astringency.

Tried from Bottle on 12 Sep 2025 at 11:02


7.8
Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 7

Bottle. Pours clear golden yellow, small white head, good lacing. Aroma is oak, peach, lemon, bugs. Flavor is light plus sweet, light plus funk. Medium body. Xolid

Tried from Bottle on 20 Jun 2025 at 02:29


7

Bottled. Poured an orange to yellow. Sour but not too acidic, some tropical fruits melange their way in

Tried from Bottle on 20 May 2025 at 01:59


7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Bottled. Pours yellowish. Hits with huge ginger notes with a Sour finish. Pretty good

Tried from Bottle on 20 May 2025 at 01:43


7.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

Draft. Lightly hazy amber beer with a cream head. Orange and tropical fruit aroma. With light tartness. Orange and tropical fruit flavor with light sourness. Medium bodied. Orange and tropical fruit linger with light sourness.

Tried on 02 May 2025 at 17:33


7

Tried on 26 Mar 2025 at 12:35


7

Tried on 26 Mar 2025 at 12:35


7

Tried from Draft on 26 Mar 2025 at 07:37


8

Tried from Draft on 26 Mar 2025 at 07:37