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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8.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 10 Overall 9
Bottle @ Kill’em All 2016 thanks to hoprider and motherbrother. Pours light hazy golden with a small white head. Aromas of peaches, vinous, grapes, green apples, citrus, oak, some lactic tartness, funk, macarons. Taste is tart, grapey, citrus, oak, sweet vinous, peach, lemony.
Tried from Bottle on 06 Nov 2019 at 16:54

9/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 9 Flavor 8 Texture 10 Overall 9
Bottle in Blåbær Lambik queue @ Himmeriget, Copenhagen. Pours hazy golden with a small white head. Notes of ripe peaches, lactic tartness, light funk, citrus and oak.
Tried from Bottle on 06 Nov 2019 at 16:54

6.9/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Sampled at Snallygaster 2019. Poured a pale, semi-clear yellow color with a small white head. Aroma was very light funky notes, some interesting fruits. Light tart, funky tangy notes. Interesting.
Tried on 06 Nov 2019 at 05:59

6.9/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Sampled at Snallygaster 2019. Poured a slightly hazy dark orange color with a small white head. Aroma was woody oak, cherry. Flavor was pleasant strawberry tartness, juicy.
Tried on 06 Nov 2019 at 05:45

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Sampled at Snallygaster 2019. Poured a cloudy light orange color with a small white head. Aroma was pleasant tartness. Some mild tropical fruits, pineapple. Light woody notes? Tart finish.
Tried on 06 Nov 2019 at 04:27

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Sampled at Snallygaster 2019. Poured a super hazy peach yellow color with a small white head. Aroma was a lot of apricot juice. Pleasant citrus juice, apricot. Light tartness.
Tried on 06 Nov 2019 at 04:24

6.4/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Almost grey, looks like a smoothie. Fruity tartness on the nose, tart, pineapple, a bit clashy between fruit sweetness and pithy hop bitterness but not so bad.
Tried on 04 Nov 2019 at 02:29

6.6/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Draft. Murky golden beer with a cream head. Tart and citrus aroma. Sour and light acetic flavor with grapefruit and yeast. Medium bodied. Good bitterness. Sour and pine linger with grapefruit and yeast.
Tried from Draft on 03 Nov 2019 at 18:27

10/10
Thanks BrandoSF
Tried from Bottle on 31 Oct 2019 at 22:01

7.3/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 8
How: Draught.
Where: MBCC 2019.
Appearance: Amber colour with an off-white head.
Aroma: Caramel, malt, vinous, raspberries, citrus.
Body: Medium body, low carbonation.
Flavour: Caramel, vinous, raspberries, malt, sour.
Tried on 28 Oct 2019 at 14:44