The Rare Barrel
Microbrewery
in
Berkeley,
California,
United States 🇺🇸
Owned by
Cellarmaker Brewing Company
Associated Venue: The Rare Barrel
Established in 2012
Contact
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.
7.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 4
Overall 8
Bottle shared by Kyle. Pours a hazy deep amber brown with a the near white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has lots of sour red fruits with a decent amount acid a bit of dark grains for the backbone. Flavor is similar with sour red fruits and dark grains as well as touch of acid.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 May 2015
at 20:52
8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle. Pours a hazy orange with small off white head that lasts. The aroma is strong ginger and funk. Thin mouth, perfect amount of ginger, very balanced and tart, really enjoyed this one.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 May 2015
at 21:20
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
On tap at the brewery. Aroma is muted with some light citrus and vanilla notes. Light oak and tropical fruit as well. Moderate acidity and soem white vinegar. Pours a clear gold with a small, thin white head that quickly recedes. No lacing or legs. Flavor is fairly acidic and slightly sweet with quite a nice orange peel character and some interesting, background vanilla notes. Interestingb lend of citrus and vanilla with some light oak and tropical fruit notes. Low bitterness. More vanilla as it warms. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and low alcohol warmth. Overall, a nice beer but odd as well. The citrus and vanilla works together but I don’t why it does. Acidity is a bit acetic, but hidden by the adjuncts. Good tropical fruit and oak notes.
Tried
from Draft
on 10 May 2015
at 18:03
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
On tap at the brewery. Aroma is nice with some medium light apriocot notes. Some light acidity and citrus notes. Light tropical fruit as well. Pours a hazy, golden orange with a small, thin, white head that recedes quickly to the edges. Light lacing and small legs. Flavor has a moderate acidity with some nice citrus notes. Good tropical fruit and apricot notes. Light oak and hints of the background malt in the golden sour. Low bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and low alcohol warmth. Overall, I like this beer a lot. I am a fan of how the apricot character is secondary to the base sour. Good sourness without being over the top. Good tropical fruit and citrus from the yeast.
Tried
from Draft
on 10 May 2015
at 17:49
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
The beer is a deep magenta with some brown to it. Small, fizzy-ish head, beige. Looks rather cloudy. The aroma is satisfyingly jammy and definitely beats the taste for me. Lots of raspberries with a good mix of sour and sweet, so mostly sour. Light funk and moderate oak. Taste is nice but the fruit gets a bit muddled and doesnt quite have the bright jammy flavor of the aroma. Tart berries with underripe apricots. Some sour grape-iness. Light oak. Fairly dry. Medium body, thins out some in the finish. Good sour, up near the top for what I’ve had from TRB.
Tried
on 10 May 2015
at 17:20
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Pours orange gold. Nose and taste of lemon zest, oak, sour funk and peach. Medium body
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 May 2015
at 05:34
7.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle shared in line at CBC, thank! Pours cloudy yellow with a ring white head. Aroma of citrus, big funky, oak, vinous. Flavor is moderate acidic. Light to light medium bodied with light carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 May 2015
at 04:05
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Pours hazy reddish hazel, small head, moderate lacing. Aroma is a bit smoky, cherries, oak, chocolate. Flavor is light tart, fruity, cherry, chocolate, dark fruits. Medium body. Pretty solid.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Apr 2015
at 03:22
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
750ml bottle thanks to Darrel.Pours out a cloudy golden topped with a white head. Nose is funky barnyard barrel berries and plenty of tartness. Taste is more of the tartness funk cherries and some citrus.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Apr 2015
at 22:37
7.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 9
Bottle at 10k tasting been wanting to try this brewery for awhile. Nose is tropical fruits and hibiscus. Tastes of hibiscus, oaky, lemon and lime, lactose. Tart palate.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Apr 2015
at 07:20