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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7.9/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Tap. Pours clear to hazy golden, small white head, great lacing. Aroma is sea air, light lemon, oak. Flavor is the same, light, fruity, oaky, refreshing. Touch of initial sweetness, dries out fast, light tart. Light body. Hugely drinkable.
Tried from Draft on 01 May 2014 at 19:43

7.5/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Tap. Pours hazy butterscotch, small white head, kinda creamy, good lacing. Aroma is fruity, bit of funk, oak. Flavor is initially lightly sweet, peach, vanilla, cinnamon all come through, lightly tart with some oak and a bit of tannins. Minimal funk. Dry finish. Lightish body, good effervescence. Not all that complex
Tried from Draft on 01 May 2014 at 19:14

7.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
On draught at City Beer Store. Pours a cloudy golden color with a medium white head that diminishes steadily to an outer ring. Strings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of tart fruit, malt and oak. Light to medium body with flavors of funky citrus, oak and malt. The finish is moderately tart with an oak and citrus aftertaste. Pretty good overall.
Tried on 27 Apr 2014 at 17:52

7.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Draft. Batch 2. Mahogany beer with a cream head. Big coffee aroma. Tart and sour flavor with coffee and light lemon. Medium bodied. Coffee and sourness lingers with light lemon.
Tried from Draft on 23 Apr 2014 at 09:55

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
Draft. Bronze beer with a cream head. Tart aroma. Tart and light sour flavor with light cocoa and light dark fruit. Medium bodied. Sour and light dark fruit lingers with light cocoa.
Tried from Draft on 23 Apr 2014 at 09:53

7/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 8
Draft. Amber beer with a cream head. Dusty and tart aroma. Tart and light sour aroma with light dark fruit. Medium bodied. Tart and plight sourness lingers with light dark fruit.
Tried from Draft on 23 Apr 2014 at 09:51

7.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
Draft. Hazy amber beer with a whitish head. Grapefruit and light tart aroma. Tart and light sour flavor with grapefruit and light pine. Medium bodied. Sour and grapefruit linger with light pine.
Tried from Draft on 23 Apr 2014 at 09:49

7.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
Draft. Amber beer with a whitish head. Tart and malt aroma. Tart and sour flavor with malt and oak. Medium bodied. Sour and light acetic notes linger with oak.
Tried from Draft on 23 Apr 2014 at 09:47

6.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 8 Overall 7
Burnt orange appearance. Ginger isn’t my thing...giving it a go anyway. Nose is distinctly ginger spice. smells like a less sweet ginger ale, tart and dare I say actually pretty sour. lemon, lime aromas, peach. Taste is almost effervescent. touch of honey, ginger is overwhelming but I am sensitive to it. finish is clean minor balsamic, nothing too extreme. Probably wouldn’t have this again. My favorite single barrel release remains their coffee sour with sight glass coffee.
Tried on 11 Apr 2014 at 15:39

7.8/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7
Tap@TRB. Pours crystal clear hazel, medium off-white head, decent lacing. Aroma is oaky and tart, vinous, raspberries. Flavor is lightly tart, raspberry fruitiness ever present. oaky and vinous. Light body, nice enough!@
Tried from Draft on 24 Mar 2014 at 23:35