Sour beers in general and non alcoholic sour beers in particular have seen a huge rise in popularity along with many craft brews.
There are a number of different styles of sour beer but as a group, they are all intentionally made acidic and tart. This can done by cultivating natural bacteria which convert sugars into organic acids. These acids are what create the sour taste across all the styles. Alternatively you can add a lot of citrus fruit which will bring its own organic acid, citric acid to the party.
You will come across a few different styles of sour beer, they have traditionally mostly came from Europe…
- Gose – A German creation (from Goslar), this combines salt and coriander to provide a distinctive taste.
- Lambic – A Belgian beer which is often blended with fruits such as raspberries. Blends of difference vintages are called gueuze beers.
- Flanders red ale – Another Belgian beer, this is oak barrel aged
- Berliner Weisse – Hailing from Berlin, this beer is made with lactobacillus to create the tartness.
- American Wild Ale – Cultivated with wild grains of yeast and bacteria, they are a diverse bunch.
The Best Non Alcoholic Sour Beers To Try
For full disclosure, i am not the biggest sour beer fan. I drink them and review them because that is my job. I recognise that they are very popular but we can’t all like every beer.
You can click on the individual links to see what my full review was, but it is safe to say i prefer other styles of beer.
This short list of 4 is a good covering of the sour beers i have tried and what i think represents the cohort well. If you are into sour beers then these are good ones to try.
1. Brulo 5 Fruit Gose ABV 0.0%
| Type | Sour |
| Calories | 37kcal per 100ml 131.4kcal per 12fl oz |
| Carbs | 8.6g per 100ml 30.5g per 12fl oz |
| Sugar | 4.1g per 100ml 14.6g per 12fl oz |
If you are new to the Gose world or sour beers in general, this might be a good starting point. I found it less salty and sour than others and more of an easy drinking, fruity gose.
You can try these at Wise Bartender as well, a brilliant non alcoholic retailer
For UK readers, Light Drinks has this and others, if you use code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get an additional 5% off
2. Mikkeller Shallow Passion Pool ABV 0.2%
| Type | Sour |
| Calories | 38kcal per 100ml 134.9kcal per 12fl oz |
| Carbs | 8.9g per 100ml 31.6g per 12fl oz |
| Sugar | 4.8g per 100ml 17g per 12fl oz |
This is getting towards expert level sour drinking. The passionfruit acidity is extreme, but you can not say this lacks flavour!
Imagine passionfruit on steroids and x100.
You can buy directly from Mikkeller at their website
For UK readers, Light Drinks has this and others, if you use code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get an additional 5% off
You can try these at Wise Bartender as well, a brilliant non alcoholic retailer
3. Big Drop Double Strike ABV 0.5%
| Type | Sour |
| Calories | 16kcal per 100ml 56.8kcal per 12fl oz |
| Carbs | 3.5g per 100ml 12.4g per 12fl oz |
| Sugar | 3g per 100ml 10.7g per 12fl oz |
This is very much in the low calorie, low sugar end of the non alcoholic sour beer world.
I found this to be full on sour with less fruity notes and sugar to balance it. Double Strike is double sour.
To check out the latest Amazon prices you can follow this link
You can try these at Wise Bartender as well, a brilliant non alcoholic retailer
For UK readers, Light Drinks has this and others, if you use code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get an additional 5% off
For Australian readers, Craft Zero has a range of products, if you use code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get an additional 10% off
4. Mikkeller Henry Gose Lightly ABV 0.3%
| Type | Sour |
| Calories | 22kcal per 100ml 78.1kcal per 12fl oz |
| Carbs | 5.3g per 100ml 18.8g per 12fl oz |
| Sugar | 3.6g per 100ml 12.8g per 12fl oz |
Henry Gose Lightly is perhaps the most authentic gose beer. There is plenty of salt and coriander. They are particularly strong flavours so be warned.
You can buy directly from Mikkeller at their website
For UK readers, Light Drinks has this and others, if you use code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get an additional 5% off
You can try these at Wise Bartender as well, a brilliant non alcoholic retailer
You can buy this at Sober Sauce and get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
*Affiliate Disclosure – if you click on the links and buy from these providers, i might receive a small commission*
