Beachwood Sour Fest celebrates beers’ eye-popping tart side
Stock up on some antacids because the Beachwood restaurants are celebrating the beer world’s sour side with six days of rustic brews that just might hook you on craft beer’s wild side.
Belgium has traditionally been the home of many of the classic sour styles, but sour beers have been surging in popularity among American craft brewers and beer enthusiasts, and the brews can range from slightly tart and funky to sour enough to make your eyes water.
The sour acids present in these ales are a product of various wild yeasts and bacteria that are usually shunned from the brewhouse, but the microflora are cultivated by sour producers -- often by aging the beers for months or years in oak barrels.
Beachwood BBQ founder Gabe Gordon is a dedicated sour aficionado, and spends the year collecting kegs and bottles of these sought-after wild ales from around the world for the annual Sour Fest. Renowned European breweries like Dieu du Ciel, Rodenbach, and Boon are featured alongside local favorites like The Bruery, Smog City Brewing, and Eagle Rock Brewing. The full list of featured wild ales is available on the event’s website.
The celebration begins Tuesday, Sept. 3, and runs through Sunday the 8th at both Beachwood locations, and there’s even a free shuttle that will run between the Long Beach brewpub and the Seal Beach restaurant Sept. 6-8. All the beers will be available in 5.5-ounce or 10-ounce pours, and in addition to the all-sour tap lists at both locations, different breweries will be spotlighted each evening with special guests and special pours.
Even with sour beer’s darling status in the craft beer community, it’s rare to see more than a few available at any one time, so the Sour Fest lineup is sure to draw big crowds.
Beachwood BBQ, 131 ½ Main St., Seal Beach, (562) 493-4500.
Beachwood Brewing & BBQ, 210 E 3rd St., Long Beach, (562) 436-4020.
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