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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8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
375 ml bottle from Tavour. 2022 vintage. Hazy pale gold pour. Pillowy white head. Tart, funky malt aroma. Flavor is mildly funky. Sour apricot, biscuity malt, very subtle oak. Smooth and approachable.
Tried from Bottle on 09 Jul 2024 at 03:16

7.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Bottle. Pours clear golden yellow, small white head, decent lacing. Aroma is bugs, lemon, oak, brett, basement. Flavor is light tart, light plus funk. Medium body.
Tried from Bottle on 04 Jul 2024 at 21:11

8/10
Not much cherry any more, vinous, a slight woody tannic note on the finish
Tried from Bottle on 13 Jun 2024 at 19:19

8/10
From backlog. Taster , from Bottle, at Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen 2024. (As 2015 Vintage) Cloudy Golden with white head. Wood, apricots, yeasty, brett.
Tried from Bottle on 26 May 2024 at 18:33

8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 6 Overall 9
Draft. Slightly hazy golden beer with a whitish head. Tropical fruit and light sour aroma. Sour and tropical fruit flavor with pink lemonade. Medium bodied. Sourness and light oak linger with tropical fruit and pink lemonade.
Tried from Draft on 07 May 2024 at 20:40

8.2/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle. Pours clear golden yellow, small white head, decent lacing. Aroma isc stone fruit, yogurt, funk, berries. Flavor is light tart, medium funk, fruit melange. Medium body. Quite nice.
Tried from Bottle on 28 Apr 2024 at 23:44

8.2/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle. Pours clear golden, medium white head, good lacing. Aroma is dusty, citrus, oak, bugs. Flaky is light plus tart, light plus funk, basement. Gueuze like quality. Pretty nice
Tried from Bottle on 23 Mar 2024 at 23:14

7.9/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Bottle. Pours hazy golden yellow, small white head, good lacing. Aroma is a bit sulfuric immediately, fades quickly. Remaining is oak tannin, lemon, peach. Flavor is medium tart, light plus funk, lemony stone fruit yogurt. Medium body, soft prickly carbonation. Good.
Tried from Bottle on 04 Mar 2024 at 00:25

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Tap at Muted Horn. Hazy dark red body, pinkish head. Vanilla-cinnamon combo backed by light berries in the aroma. Creamy taste, berry sweetness and tartness, with hefty vanilla and lighter cinnamon, lingering clean tartness remains with the spice. Good stuff, not sure I liked some combos happening in the taste, so just 3.8, but this is undeniably tasty and fun!
Tried from Draft on 29 Feb 2024 at 11:48

6.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 8 Overall 6
Bottle. Pours golden yellow with a bit of haziness, medium white head, dissipates fairly quickly. Aroma earthy stonefruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, carrots. Flavor is light tart, light funk, stonefuit and cinnamon taking over. Medium body. Nope
Tried from Bottle on 28 Jan 2024 at 02:15