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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7/10
Tried on 30 Jan 2022 at 17:50

7.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Bottle at home, 2017 version. Pours clear amber, nose is funky, oak, citrus, taste is similar, dry, zesty, a bit past its best.
Tried from Bottle on 30 Jan 2022 at 17:50

7.4/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
Bottle, shared by Forrest. Pours dull murky brown. Apricot, biscuit, grape, almond, fragrant, funk, heavy tartness. Medium body. Very good.
Tried from Bottle on 23 Jan 2022 at 23:31

8.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Bottle, shared by Forrest. Pours slightly hazy dull orange. Fragrant, nectarine, yuzu, strawberry, lemon zest. Full oily still body. Very good.
Tried from Bottle on 23 Jan 2022 at 22:57

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle. Slow gusher on opening. Pours clear golden, large white lasting head, good lacing. Aroma is hay, field grass, lemon, citrus, basement, dust. Flavor is light tart, light funk, bright citrus and barnyard. Light body. Noice.
Tried from Bottle on 07 Jan 2022 at 00:29

8.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 9
Bottle. Pours a hazy orange gold with medium white head that lasts. The aroma is strong strawberry seed, oak, mango. Slick body, strawberry seed, mango, nice tartness, light acidity, enjoyed this.
Tried from Bottle on 30 Dec 2021 at 20:13

6.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 8 Overall 6.5
So the rare barrel has now evolved from an exploration of the interaction between sour beer and oak, and now we have a maple cinnamon whiskey beer with two fruits. Can't wait for the slushie machine. Pours clear reddish amber, small off white head, hints of lacing. All adjuncts front and center, particularly cinnamon. Raspberry notes over cinnamon. Flavor is light tart. Light plus body. Not bad, but this is getting a bit over the top.
Tried from Can on 20 Dec 2021 at 05:22

8/10
Not as much raspberry as I’d have expected. Funky oaky tannins, lovely beer though.
Tried from Draft on 18 Dec 2021 at 19:11

8/10
This is crazy heavy. Really a wine with beer yeast.
Tried from Draft on 18 Dec 2021 at 18:53

8.2/10
Clean vinous notes, light clear acetic, surprising body
Tried from Draft on 18 Dec 2021 at 18:49