While kettle or quick sour beers can be pretty freaking refreshing and tasty when they’re done right – there Are few beers that I enjoy more than a well done barrel aged sour beer… and Rhinegeist is absolutely killing it in the barrel aged sour game.
When they first let us know that they had some big new oak foeders hitting the basement of their massive brewery – we knew that something fun was coming, but I’m not sure that anyone was really prepared for what these guys had in store for us.
This page is designed to compile the series for you… to get excited, to remember a long lost favorite – whatever. Some of these return on a regular basis, and some are only around for a quick little limited burst… but they’re ALL worth trying, I promise you that.
Dark Stellar (formerly named Dark Matter)
30 months in barrels are what gives this 11.65% ABV beast of a beer its gnarly character. It comes in at 4.11 PH and is pretty fantastic, especially considering how hit-and-miss dark sours can be for me.
Dark Matter issues from the dusky ether like a colossal, toothsome satellite. Booming with aromas of red wine, sherry, and port, this Sour Dark Ale defies gravity with unexpected lightness, roast, and gentle acidity. Dark Matter—as elusive and shadowy as the outer reaches themselves.
Existential Apples
18 months in a barrel turned out this 6.05% beer with a 3.54ph. An addition of apples to the beer gives it a fruity punch and makes me think that it might lend itself well to pairing up with dinner. From the label:
This beer, much like life, is exceedingly complex. Dry and mildly funky, it resided with our house Brettanomyces for 18 months, spontaneously discerning it’s pear, citrus and apple essence. Existential Apples – one step closer to the meaning of liquid.
Infinite Dawn
Infinite Dawn is a Sour Blonde Ale, aged for 6 months. The beer is 6.05% ABV and 3.34 PH. The label reads:
With reverential intent and an effervescent yawp, we begin. A Sour Blonde Ale, Infinite Dawn balances tangerine, pear, and apple aromas, with subtle rays of vanilla, oak and sourness. It is where we were, where we are, and where we hope to be – the outer reaches.
Infrared Eclipse
This Kriek-inspired ale spent 14 months in barrels – it comes in at 5.5% ABV and 3.35 PH.
Inspired by traditional, wild fermented Kriek ales, Infrared Eclipse uses fresh Montmorency and Balaton cherries hand selected from King Orchards in Northern Michigan. Refreshingly dry, slightly funky and preternaturally fruit forward, Infrared Eclipse emits cherry red waves across rose gold skies.
Kilonova
9+ months in barrels, this beer is a special anniversary blend. It’s 6.58% ABV and comes in at 3.56 PH for you sour nuts.
This special sixth-anniversary cuvée blend combines a variety of barrel-aged and fruit-enhanced beers, hand-selected from our sour cellar. Fruit, wood, acidity and funk collide and merge, emitting bursts of dry balance and lingering esters. Rose gold and slightly hazy, Kilonova traverses waves of apricot, peach and pear to reach peak brightness.
Marg Monday
A fan favorite for a LONG time, Marg Monday finally makes its way into bottles in the Outer Reaches Series. The beer spends 6 months in barrels and comes in at 7.4% ABV with a PH of 3.25.
One part tantalizingly tart sour ale with lime and sea salt, one part well-seasoned tequila barrels. The result is a refreshingly layered concoction brimming with notes of fruity tequila, mellow oak, bright citrus, and palate-cleansing salinity. So good, even Garfield will start loving Mondays.
Metaphysical Mango
This one spent 10 months in a barrel, creating a beer that is 6.75% ABV and 3.52 PH – this fruited sour is one I’m really looking forward to trying – I love the thought of the mango playing off the tart acidity of the beer. The label tells it’s tale:
Amidst questions of consciousness, here blossoms an expressive fruity phenomena. A Fruited Sour Ale, Metaphysical Mango began in an oak foeder before colliding with a meteoric mango melange. Fruit forward with a crisp finish, Metaphysical Mango delivers delicious existence.
Moonburst
This one spent 14 months in barrels and is loaded up with fruit. It comes in at 6.64% ABV and 3.18 PH.
A galactic tug-of-war between stonefruit satellites reverberates with notes of ripe apricot, nectarine peel and muted oak. Light golden with a slight haze, Moonburst erupts with restrained acidity and a brisk, satisfying finish.
Perceptual Passion
12 Months in a barrel – 5.3% ABV – 3.14 PH… you get the drill with this one. It’s tart, fruity and pretty awesome, as should be evidenced by it’s gold medal win at the 2018 FOBAB in Chicago.
Perpetual Passion is a 2018 first-time brew and the latest release in our Outer Reaches series. A Fruit Sour Ale, this beer has made some waves prior to its debut, capturing a gold medal at the 2018 Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers in Chicago. Perpetual Passion starts as a blend of our grisette and our sour blonde base, a combination that is aged in a foeder for 8 months with our house culture blend of Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus. The beer is then transferred to a second vessel, where it has a tasty encounter with passionfruit. The resulting liquid is passionfruit-forward with mild funk and oak aromas balanced by medium-high sourness. Perpetual Passion is a limited, draft-only release.
Science Fiction
Science Fiction is labeled as a ‘Funky Blonde Ale’. It’s 6.9% ABV and has a PH of 3.63. The beer was aged for 20 months in barrels, and the labels description reads:
Amidst the depths of science, the silent vortex of time probes outer reaches of wood and ether. What is true is the question at hand, a squirming coil hot to the touch. This funky blonde ale delivers a blast of brettanomyces and mixed culture – complexities intriguingly born by molecular galaxies.
String Theory
This one spends 18 months in barrels, before letting loose on a light, soft Bret Blonde that clocks in at 7.15% ABV and 3.63 PH. If you’ve got extra of this… let it sit in the cellar, it’s only going to keep improving.
Brettanomyces bosons open and close to envelop cosmological crispness in a crucible of soft, leathery funk. Pointillist particles of toasted oak propagate through space and interact with avuncular malt constellations. String Theory lays down the theoretical framework for wild fermentation.
Subliminal Jam
This mixed berry sour spends 14 months in the barrel before hitting your tastebuds. 5.34% ABV and 3.54 PH.
Beneath the berry, behind the Brett, a dispatch of deliciousness awaits. Mild tartness and subconscious sweetness reinforce dynamic fruit character in this deep red Mixed Berry Sour — a subliminal jam session.
Table Beer
Light and easy drinking. Table beer comes in at 4.5% ABV and 4.13 PH. It spends 6 months in oak.
“Table Beer” can mean a lot of different things. Originally referring to 18th century tax laws, the term “Table Beer” has evolved to refer to any exceptionally shareable, sessionable, approachable brew. Our Table Beer is all of these, and anything but characterless (if that’s where you thought this was going). A perfect introduction to sour ales, Table Beer is aged for several months in a dedicated oak foeder where it aquires mild acidity and subtle notes of stone fruit and vanilla. Deep gold in color with a slight haze, this light-bodied ale pairs perfectly with pub grub and fancy fare alike, but stands up on its own, no problemo. Pull up a chair.
Tangerine Beams
This mind-blowingly great fruited sour ale spends 10 months on oak, and comes out at 6.06% ABV and 3.55 PH. It’s easily my favorite of all the series that I’ve had.
Radiant Tangerine Beams cut through the clouds, casting spotlights of citrus & white peach delight. Fruit forward with a tart tease, this brew cocooned in oak foeders for 10 months, and then enjoyed a succulent stint with soursop & tangerine puree. Tangerine Beams is a ray of refreshment.
Ruby Paradox
8.9% ABV
The latest released in our Outer Reaches Sour Ales series, Ruby Paradox, floats deep beyond the solar system, blooming with acid and funk as spacetime expands. A mixed culture Roeselare blend imparts dark cherry, underripe strawberry, and chocolate notes, with a dry, cigar-like draw to the finish. Deep red in hue, Ruby Paradox is a very limited release, available on draft.