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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7/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
On tap at First Draft. Pours a pale, hazy, yellow color, with a small, fine, off-white head. The aroma is mild cherry, salt, honeydew, caramel, and orange peel. Sweet and citrusy, with a sharp, tart flavor. Light, crisp palate. This is a quality, fruity sour.
Tried from Draft on 07 Oct 2019 at 20:46

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
On tap at Goed Zuur, Denver. Cloudy golden, white head. Some lemon, bit salty, moderate sourness. Soft carbonation, light to medium bodied.
Tried from Draft at Goed Zuur on 06 Oct 2019 at 07:56

7/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Taster at Spuyten Duyvil. Light yellow hazy color, small white head. Smells earthy, spices, berry notes, bit earthy, grassy. Nice smell. Full body, soft carbonation. Tastes earthy, spices, stone fruits, grassy, light berry notes, stone wood, bit lactic. Finishes dry and medium sour with notes of earthy, grassy and spicy notes. Nice one, not the best balance, but good stuff 7,4,7,3,14
Tried on 03 Oct 2019 at 01:01

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 7 Overall 8
Pours rather clear blonde. Small white head. Smell is full, tart, very fruity. Raspberries, apricot. Taste is intensely tart, ( way to sour). Full fruityness. Very pleasant blend of fruits, shame for the I balanced sourness that seems to be there rather to be sour, than to make a good beer that happens to be sour. This is not the balans I expect from a well made sour ale.
Tried on 02 Oct 2019 at 15:39

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
28-09-19 // bottle shared at Mon Petit Cafe Suttgart on Zwanze Day 2019. 2018 version. Darker blurry orange. Loads of wood, wild yeasts. Good.
Tried from Bottle on 30 Sep 2019 at 18:03

6.9/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Bottle. Murky brown color with beige head. Aroma is leathery, tannic, cherries, tobacco. Taste is wood, tannic, cherries. Oily mouthfeel with low carbonation. Fun!
Tried from Bottle on 29 Sep 2019 at 14:48

7.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
Bottle share at Zwanze. Lighter pour as per style. Nose is grassy and floral tastes of wheat, grass, some wood and vanilla, crackers light peppery notes, Belgian character. Light bodied and refreshing change of pace on the day
Tried from Bottle on 29 Sep 2019 at 13:14

7/10
Holz.
Tried at Mon Petit Cafe on 28 Sep 2019 at 20:39

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Tart cherries, tons of sour oak, tart berries and more tart stuff. Taa art.
Tried from Bottle on 28 Sep 2019 at 10:46

7/10 Appearance 2 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
Bottle at Borefts2019... Murky funk fruit nose... Soft sharo funk tart fruits nose.. Big funk sharp tart fruits.. Big sharp tart fruits.. Ugly but maybe my pour
Tried from Bottle on 28 Sep 2019 at 08:59