American Sour Beers

by Michael Tonsmeire

One of the most exciting and dynamic segments of today’s craft brewing scene , American-brewed sour beers are designed intentionally to be tart and may be inoculated with souring bacteria, fermented with wild yeast or fruit, aged in barrels or blended with younger beer. Craft brewers and homebrewers have adapted traditional European techniques to create some of the world’s most distinctive and experimental styles. This book details the wide array of processes and ingredients in American sour beer production, with actionable advice for each stage of the process. Inspiration, education and practical applications for brewers of all levels are provided by some of the country’s best known sour beer brewers.

Genres: Beer, Brewing, Nonfiction, Reference

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2014

Reviews

[Jeffrey Caston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a 3.5 star book rounded up because I appreciate learning a lot. Sour beers are most definitely an acquired taste. They are counter-intuitive. They are nuanced and they are definitely more time intensive and difficult to brew than a normal beer. And therefore, this book is a good primer for anyone desiring to either know more about, or making their own, sour beers. I can see where I went wrong when I tried to fake my way through my first sour ferment that I started over a year ago. I learned some stuff that might help me salvage it into something drinkable. It taught me some of the stuff I'll need to know for my next attempt, whether it is the equipment I'll need, what needs to go into the brew, scheduling the yeast additions, and the little nuances in adding fruit or packaging. (Maybe I'll write an update in a few years.)

I was a bit disappointed that it had all these recipes that were hard to track and did not have what I felt were adequate instructions for a homebrewer. It would have been better if they were drafted according to what you would need for a standard 5 gallon homebrew batch. I could take the time to do some of the IBU calculations needed for the recipes in this book, but when Google exists, well that renders these recipes kinda moot.

I checked this book out from the library. I am bound to do so again or maybe get my own copy and use it as a reference.

[Christopher Murtagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite encyclopedic in style and tone and bredth. You should buy this if you are planning on making any sours. I'd recommend you also buy Wild Brews by Jef Sparrow and also Wood and Beer, they all complement each other, I'm certain all the authors are aware of each other and have read each of the other books. This seems to me like a sequel in a way to Wild Brews, a slightly more current update on the state of sour beers and a shift in focus from the Belgian Classics to the American interpretations.

It was a little repetative and exhausting at times, but I felt like he was trying to give as complete an overview of all the different breweries and slightly different methods that are currently out there. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I did stop halfway through reading this and read another entire brewing book and then came back to this one, not particurlarly excited to do so, so that will tell you something about the style, the tone. However, it is incredibly useful. Very authoritative. You can put stuff into practice from this book, not necessarily just copying whats laid out here, but showcasing all the different variations in use at the moment could certainly inspire your personal approach to it.

This book will without doubt be a handy reference to go back to as my brewing journey continues. Recipes look good. Not tried them yet.

Also, I have to state that Tonsmeire has ceratinly put years of research into this book, and he presents an abundance of useful information about all aspects of sour beer, everything pretty much, understood up to this point, and what various brewers have done with their various experiments so far. It's a lot to take in, it's as much science as learning to brew again really, he explains it clearly and well.

[Ken K]

Tonsmeire provides a collection of sources and experience to take out the guess work in getting started and advancing your sour beer program. I was lucky to meet him at the 2019 Homebrewcon and the guy is awesome, plain and simple.

[Jm Rollins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once you get past the first four chapters, the writing style loosens up and the book becomes far more enjoyable. Tons of insight and great ideas in here. Worth reading. Could have used a little more editorial direction.

[Lincoln Quirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap. Incredible compendium of knowledge for both home and professional brewers. Loved that they profile my "home brewpub" CBC :)

[Joost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lot's of interesting info, but the book could use more structure to make it more usable as a reference.

[Vladimir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really solid overview of the American sour beers from brewer point of view.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Great introduction to sour beer making and the processes with a ton of articles. Highly recommend for any home brewer.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enormous amount of info. I could read this 100 times and not even come close to absorbing everything.

[Ubirajara Gomes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the topic

[Darren Carthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compendium of brewing with mixed cultures. A must read if you're exploring using bacteria cold side and experimenting with other yeast species, aging & blending.

[Jennifer White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book very helpful for brewing a good sour beer. Highly recommend it.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Commercial brewer, Homebrewer, or just want to better understand what you ordered at the bar, the Mad Fermentationist is dropping knowledge that you'll want to know.
Borrowed this from a friend, after reading it I'll probably buy my own copy to reference in the future.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Michale Tonsmeire's blog, The Mad Fermentationist, for many years and have referenced it for recipe ideas and information while brewing both clean and sour beers of my own. Parts of this book are like having the best bits of advice and practical information plucked from the blog and rewritten in a more clear and concise matter, while other parts provide a fascinating look at the processes that a number of the best sour beer producers in the United States (such as Allagash, Jolly Pumpkin, New Belgium, Cascade, Russian River, and others) use in the production of sour beers. As is the case with all Brewer's Association publications I've read, the target audience is both professional and home brewers, so suggestions are made for those who measure batches in barrels and those who measure batches in gallons.

As you might expect from a book that targets such a range of brewers (and such a shifty topic as wild/funky/sour fermentation), there's not much in the way of strict step-by-step instructions and more of a "here are some different things that work for various people and here are some general guidelines to remember" approach.

Highly recommended for any brewers looking to experiment with sour and funky beers.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read and did help me get prepared for my first (and safe) sour beer, a Berliner Weisse. Thinking about doing sours is tricky because of the time commitment but the author also includes resources on sour/funky beers you can do with shorter turn around times.

It's a great read and the authors style of writing is very enjoyable.

This is also a book that I will see myself going back to frequently.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonsmeire's blog was invaluable in teaching my homebrew group how to brew sours. This book is even better than his blog. I learned a lot of new things and learned the science behind some things I'd observed already. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in brewing (or even drinking) sour beers.

[Thea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written book with detailed processes for different methods of producing sour beers. Love the examples from numerous American breweries. Can't wait to try my hand at one (though much planning and some equipment to acquire before that is possible).

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and approachable read!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Excited to get into brewing sour beers. May need the author to personally apologize to my wife (until 18 months goes by and she tastes the first product!)

[Kris Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for the burgeoning brewer.

Well written and a lot of detailed information about wild and sour beer. The book covers everything you wanted to know about mixed fermentation...boom.

[Morgan]

Definitely a worthwhile read for any wild yeast enthusiast. Tonsmiere provides a wealth of knowledge for brewers regarding both style and execution. The organization of the book lends itself well to reading from cover to cover before utilizing portions of it as a reference.

[Mike Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great reference for those whom appreciate sour and wild beers. Some of the techniques are quite complex, but Tonsmeire does an excellent job explaining how to pull them off. I also enjoyed his overviews of how commercial brewers made their sours.

[Metod Rybár]

I've only skimmed the book and read few chapters which are readable by a layman. The book is loaded with great information, but it is too detailed for a non brewer, so unless you are an experienced brewer and want to learn about beer, reach for something else.

[Patrick Cauldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in brewing sour or mixed fermentation beers this is the definitive resource. Great information, and a host of interesting recipes to try as well.

[Scott Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. As a reader of The Mad Fermentationist, I had high expectations when I started this book. I was not disappointed. I will be referencing this book for many years to come.

[Christof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. All you need to know about sour beers. Really opened my eyes. I don't think another resource like this exists currently.

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating information well presented.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic! this is a must-read for anyone interested in brewing sour beers.