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.

     Show


7.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Bottle looks simple but really good. Beer in the glass amber/orange coloured, sourish nose. Starts intense woody-sourish, some herbal notes as well, some berries, bitter lemon. Finish milder, woody, spicy notes, again lemon. Interesting!
Tried from Bottle on 10 Jan 2021 at 17:04

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Bottle looks simple but really good. Beer in the glass dark brown, small head. Sourish woody-malty aroma. Starts woody-sourish, some herbal hints as well. Some notes of a dry white wine. Tart-woody malty finish. Interesting one!
Tried from Bottle on 10 Jan 2021 at 16:57

7.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Pineapple and cherry, nectarine and raspberry all pretty evident here. Some strawberry on the end. Clear golden orange pour with ok head. Light tart finish but pretty drinkable all around. Doesn't go too hard on acid, or on sweet fruit. Nicely balanced sour all around. Tap at Kettle and Grain.
Tried from Draft on 09 Jan 2021 at 19:55

7.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Bottle. Pours clear crimson magenta, small white pink head, decent lacing. Aroma is berries, dust, npr, lactic yogurt funk. Flavor is quite tart, medium lactic funk, muted berries. No cinnamon. Medium body. Improves as it airs. Did not age well.
Tried from Bottle on 08 Jan 2021 at 02:25

8/10
Gdamn that's a lot of guava, mild funk but more than I expect from the rare barrel, lower acidity too! Real nice one.
Tried from Bottle on 05 Jan 2021 at 21:39

8/10
Fajowe te owoce, bardziej w strone tych amerykanckich kwasow niz lambikow, wiec mi profil dzikosci mniej pasuje, ale calosc slicznie zlozona, chlalna, nieprzegieta, zero octu. Level bdb lambiczkow. A do tego mocno chlalne i wcale nie jakos na kosc wytrawn
Tried from Bottle on 02 Jan 2021 at 17:42

7.6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Bottle pour at Torst: pours gold with white head. Aroma is funk, apricot, nice. Taste is moderately sour, fruity, not too acidic. Pleasant.
Tried from Bottle on 31 Dec 2020 at 21:46

7.6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
On tap at Tørst. Pours pinkish orange. Sour, red currant, berry, oak. Medium body. Good.
Tried from Draft on 31 Dec 2020 at 21:19

7.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Bottle. Pours hazy peach, small white head, good lacing. Aroma is stone fruit, plum, funk, bugs, oak, acetone. Flavor is medium tart, light funk, fruit. Medium body
Tried from Bottle on 27 Dec 2020 at 00:57

6.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Part of a sour beer tasting and K&L Wines in Redwood City. What a great lineup for the night of eight legendary sours. Scores were recorded during the tasting but not detailed notes.
Tried on 21 Dec 2020 at 06:08