The Rare Barrel

Microbrewery in Berkeley, California, United States πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ
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.

     Show


7.2/10 β€” Appearance 4 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Shared by Jeff. Muddy brown color. Very good berry flavors with dry oak, wood, and red wine. Moderately sour, some balsamic. A little sweet. Lots of complexity. Thanks for sharing this, great beer. Low carbonation, which is fine.
Tried on 08 Sep 2015 at 17:09

7/10 β€” Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
750mL bottle, pours a hazy blonde with a small white head. Aroma brings out loads of the cinnamon upfront, followed by some vanilla, and light funk. Flavour is along the same lines, with cinnamon and vanilla pudding dominating. Not getting any of the brett though. Light tartness in the finish. Solid adjunct-centric sour.
Tried from Bottle on 31 Aug 2015 at 12:18

7.6/10 β€” Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
Draft. Rich amber beer with a cream head. Tart/light sour aroma. Sour and light tart flavor with light oak and light red fruit. Medium bodied. Sour and light tartness lingers with light acetic notes and light red fruit.
Tried from Draft on 25 Aug 2015 at 11:38

7.8/10 β€” Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 9
Draft. Amber beer with a cream head. Tart/sour aroma. Tart/sour flavor with light apple and light oak. Medium bodied. Sourness/tartness and light citrus lingers with light green apple and light oak.
Tried from Draft on 25 Aug 2015 at 11:35

7.5/10 β€” Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
Bottle thanks to a trade! Pours a clear yellow with a white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a decent amount of tart tropical fruits with a light funk and a bit of barrel. Flavor has a sweet tart peach with a sweet light fruit and a bit of sweet grains.
Tried from Bottle on 23 Aug 2015 at 10:50

8.3/10 β€” Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle thanks to Victor - Pours reddish brown white head. Nose/taste of sour cherry, sour caramel, peach, oak and sour lemon funk - medium body.
Tried from Bottle on 12 Aug 2015 at 23:25

7.8/10 β€” Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Ruby-red beer; pink head, fast gone. Lavender, to the amount of little else, bit of blue cheese. Quite sour, elderberries here obvious, lavender, perfumey. Light, light slickness. Another spectacular FC, but in the nose, the lavender is too predominant.
Tried on 09 Aug 2015 at 03:24

7.5/10 β€” Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Small head, gone in secs, over golden-verdigris beer. Peach, flowers, lactic acid, barnyard odours. Sour peach, blossoms and white grape for flavours. Lipsmacking sourness, light body, some acidburn. Nice, maybe less stellar than the former F.C., but excellent enough.
Tried on 09 Aug 2015 at 03:21

8.8/10 β€” Appearance 8 Aroma 9 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 9
Small, fast gone head over hazy orange-amber beer. Red fruit, vinous, lactic acid, wood. Sour, lactic taste with a mild strawberry flavour. Wood, vanilla, oak. Light body, acidburn, long-lasting sour-fruity flavour. Unbelievably good, the description does not reflect its true value.
Tried on 09 Aug 2015 at 03:17

8.5/10 β€” Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 9
Small brownish head, fast gone over deep redbrown to mahogany beer. Raspberry, vanilla, fresh oak, lactic acid, pralines with raspberry ganache. Raspberry, incense, vinous, serious lactic acid, lemon. Puckeringly acid, acidburn, overattenuated. Superb, outstanding beer!
Tried on 09 Aug 2015 at 03:13