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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8.2/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle. Pours clear pinkish orange, small white head, good lacing. Aroma is quite vinous, funky, brett, oak, grapes. Flavor is barely tart, vinous, light plus funk. Light body. Delicate. Nice
Tried from Bottle on 10 Jan 2024 at 03:55

6.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Bottle, sitting patiently since 2014 for this moment. Pours clear pinkish orange, small fizzy white head that goes quickly leaving no trace. Aroma is a bit acetone, bugs, oak tannin. Flavor is better, light berry, lemon, hint of npr, butter. Light body, low carb. Ungreat
Tried from Bottle on 04 Jan 2024 at 02:12

7.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
750ml bottle pours out amber red color topped with a fizzy head. Nose is tart cherries some sour notes and wood barrel. Taste is more of the nice cherries in the front barrel wood notes plenty tart sour kick.
Tried from Bottle on 29 Dec 2023 at 22:39

7.4/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
s: lactose - cream - key limes (duh!) a: hazy copper body - very ugly head t: icing sugar - tart limes - apples p: soured fruits - wheat malt - lemon-lime gatorade o: rich fruits - strong malts - complex & pie-like 16 ounce can - Krisp Market: San Diego, California - 27-December-2023 - US$3,99 - canned: 20-August-2022 - tagline: 'too sweeeeeeet' - sampled: 29-December-2023
Tried from Can on 29 Dec 2023 at 21:17

7.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 6.5
375ml bottle pours a murky gold with some big, white head. Nose has sour citrus, raw stone fruits, neutral barrel. Flavor has white grape, light acid, lemon. Medium bodied and tart on the finish.
Tried from Bottle on 28 Dec 2023 at 21:26

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
s: full oranges - oats - light cream a: super hazy light golden body - thin head t: rich malts - bitter grapefruit - soft sugars p: fruity - balanced - herbal o: enjoyable - crisp-ish - pure new-school 16 ounce can - Krisp Market: San Diego, California - 27-December-2023 - US$3,99 - Canned: 20-August-2022 - tagline: 'Much Automate Such Fun' - sampled: 27-December-2023, a few hours after purchase
Tried from Can on 28 Dec 2023 at 17:48

8.6/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Bottle. Pours clear golden, small white head, good lacing. Aroma is nicely funky, basement, brett, dusty, stonefruit, bright citrus. Flavor is light tart, light plus funk, bright stonefruit. Light body, soft mouthfeel. Quite excellent
Tried from Bottle on 24 Dec 2023 at 00:58

7.6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
Pale yellow colour with thin head. Aroma and of lime zest, Granny Smith and spicy yeast. Quite winey. Very flavoursome. Nice funk. Dry oaky finish.
Tried on 02 Dec 2023 at 17:42

7.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Draught@CBC2016. Hazy golden colour with a white head. Aroma is citrus, some funk, apricot, some tropical fruity elements as well as some biscuity and bready malts. Flavour is somewhat tart with pricots, lemongrass, some biscuity maltiness and a bit of wooden tones. Nice dry palate, which makes you long for another sip.
Tried on 02 Dec 2023 at 15:04

7.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Draught@CBC2016. Amber/copper colour with a beige head. Aroma is tequila, some tart wood, grapes and mild plummy tones. Flavour is tequila, wood, some tartness as well as mild floral tones to it. Quite different but nicely in balance.
Tried on 02 Dec 2023 at 15:03