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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7.4/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
Beer Without Beards: pours hazy eith white head. Aroma is fruity funky aroma. Taste is slightly sour, hoppy, fruity. Solid.
Tried on 12 Aug 2019 at 15:24

8/10
Extra tart and oaky berries with a cherry noted finish
Tried from Bottle on 11 Aug 2019 at 21:22

6/10
Hints of an old fashioned, hints of rind and plenty of lavender on the nose. Let it air out a bit but damn that's still lots of lavender and not enough berry.
Tried from Bottle on 11 Aug 2019 at 17:51

8.4/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
10.08.2019, 0,75l bottle (2016 vintage) @ Watering Hole, Tokyo:
Nice fizzy-creamy mediumlasting head, dark reddish amber color. Aroma is slightly rich and dry sour-ish fruity, oak, cherry stones, soda powder, minerals, sour cherries, bark, mild vinegar, soil, sour cherries, dark malts, hints of chocolate. Taste is dry sour-ish fruity, soda powder, mild vinegar, oak, sour cherries, grass, cherry stones, bark, minerals, sorrel, citrus acid. Medium bitterness, dry sour-ish fruity mouthfeel. Nice.
Tried from Bottle on 10 Aug 2019 at 14:03

7.2/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Sample@Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen 2019 - red pour with a off white head. Medium sour fruity with notes of raspberry, berry skin, wooden accents, medium body and acidity, tart berry fruity close.
Tried on 30 Jul 2019 at 08:04

6.9/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Sample@Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen 2019 - golden pour with a tiny white head. Sour fruity with some prominent herbal and spice notes of ginger, medium acidity and body, sour fruity close.
Tried on 30 Jul 2019 at 08:02

7.2/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Brown with off white head - Sour malt and wood aroma - Malt body with a good sour wood barrel flavour - The sour wood flavour goes into the finish - This was good
Tried on 29 Jul 2019 at 19:14

6.9/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Tap @MBCC2019, Green Session. Clear, dark red brown. Small offwhite head. Malty tobacco aroma. Bitter, fruity flavour, tart, dry.
Tried from Draft on 22 Jul 2019 at 11:05

7/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 8
Tap @MBCC2019, Green Session. Clear golden, no head. Funky, sweaty aroma, light rubber. Citrusy, sourish and funky flavour. Sweet citrus.
Tried from Draft on 22 Jul 2019 at 11:04

10/10
Tried on 21 Jul 2019 at 18:44