The new big thing in craft brewing is the renaissance of sour beer, a brew low in hops and high on the tartness scale.

The new big thing in craft brewing is the renaissance of sour beer, a brew low in hops and high on the tartness scale.

Some have described the beverage as tasting like a granny smith apple dunked in red wine. Others liken it to drinking a Sour Patch Kid.

Many of those available aren’t quite that tart, but overall the beers that fall into the category are becoming all the rage.

Making a pucker-inducing brew isn’t anything new, though.

Once upon a time, before the magic of refrigeration and a solid understanding of how fermentation works, pretty much all beer was sour.

It was rendered so by a naturally occurring assortment of bacteria and yeast, the unwelcomed presence of which has since been remedied.

Now, brewers going for the sour effect are intentionally dosing their vats with the pesky stuff, which is at this time more of an art than it is a science.

Apparently, they’re wild cards and leaving many who use them just standing back and hoping for the best.

It seems their wishes are being granted, and their efforts are being appreciated and celebrated by many new and devoted fans.