Grab a Tums: These Southland breweries offer pucker-inducing sour beers

Wild ales -- the delightfully complex beers that range from a little bit tart and funky to fully pucker-inducing -- have been gaining popularity with craft beer lovers in recent years, and several of L.A.’s craft breweries are experimenting with this wild side of craft brewing.

The sour in a sour beer is a product of fermentation with “wild” yeasts and bacteria that brewers usually devote considerable effort to eradicating. The microfauna responsible work slowly, however, and sour beer production can take considerably longer than more conventional brews. Yearlong residencies in reappropriated wine barrels are not unheard of, and many of L.A.’s new breweries are simply too young to have developed much of a sour program.

Here are three Southland craft breweries that have been putting the acid in L.A.’s craft beer scene for a few years.

The Bruery

Some of California’s most well-known, and respected, sour beers are made at Orange County’s The Bruery. From the lightly tart and refreshing Hottenroth Berliner Weisse to the face-contorting sour sting of Sour in the Rye, the Bruery makes a wild ale for every palate. Tart of Darkness is a sour stout that defied expectations by balancing the rich, roasty flavors of a stout with a bright acidity imparted by long months aging in wine barrels inoculated with The Bruery’s special blend of bacteria and wild yeasts.

Craftsman Brewery

Pasadena’s Craftsman Brewery makes a long list of adventurous and, as founder and brewmaster Mark Jilg says, “complicated beers.” Known for experimentation and a fine attention to detail, Craftsman’s sour beers, like the fruity and tart Angeleno Weisse and last year’s popular Cave Art, cover the spectrum of colors and flavors, and they often include fruit or other inventive ingredients. You never know what Craftsman’s next “complicated beer” will be, but you can be reasonably sure it will be well-crafted and delicious.

Eagle Rock Brewery

The sour beer program at Eagle Rock Brewery is nearly as old as the brewery itself; the first anniversary beer, Yearling, was a sour ale aged in wine barrels that has just been released again in bottles. The beer is a take on the traditional sweet-and-sour Flanders Red ale style that showcases a rich, malty body alongside an assertive tartness. Equinox, Eagle Rock Brewery’s sour blonde ale that is released in the spring, recently won the best in show at the San Diego International Beer Festival, and owner and brewmaster Jeremy Raub says the brewery is looking to expand its sour beer production into a new facility to keep up with the growing popularity of wild ales.

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