Beer lovers in the Twin Cities are a lucky bunch. We are home to a lot of great festivals and events that celebrate beer; Where the Wild Beers Are is no different. It is one of the only events that celebrate "wild" or "sour beers".

A lot of beer lovers know of wild beers but haven't tasted a good example or are afraid of what a sour beer might taste like. The term sour can be a bit of a misnomer. Depending on the yeasts and bacteria used sour beers can range from tart to acidic to wildly over the top sour. If you have never tasted wild ale or it has been a while and you want to expand your horizons this is the perfect event.

There is going to be a huge array of beers here for you to sample. Why is the selection so huge? You and every other imbiber will be contributing to the variety. That is right, the events is nearly all crowd sourced. If you want to attend you have a bring a bottle of sour beer. For every 750ml you will get 10 drink tickets. This is a requirement for the event; you cannot come and play if you don't contribute.

To find a beer to bring hit up one of your better beer stores ask them for traditional sour ale. It

may be possible to find less traditional sweetened varieties such as those from Lindeman’s or De Troch but the festival is focused tradional varieties. Don’t be afraid to ask the beer expert at your favorite retailer. If they are worth your business they should be able to help you make your selection.

Styles that will be enjoyed are Berliner Weisse, Flanders Brown Ale/Oud Bruin, Flanders Red Ale, and Gueuze. A quick perusal of style descriptions from BJCP will give you an idea of how varied the flavors are between styles. Depending on what you sample you will be subject to raisins, currants, maltiness, lactic, citrus, and oak. Sour Beer does not come close to describing the tastes that will dance on your palate.

In addition to the crowd sourced beer Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge will be on draft. It is an unblended old lambic, aged for 18 months or more. It has a robust character but is beautiful and sophisticated with a full body and overtones of vanilla, dried cherry, stone fruit and cocoa. It is a complex, beautiful sour beer.

Once your palate has been wetted and you have rubbed a few elbows, local beer guru Lanny Hoff from Artisanal Imports will give a blending demonstration. He will blend old or aged wild beer with younger varieties and you will taste the differences as the balances and flavors shift.

The Details:

You MUST register online. Space is limited and there is not room for walkups.

Date: Saturday October 15, 2011
Time: 11am-3pm, blending seminar begins at 12:30pm
Venue: REPUBLIC at Seven Corners, Minneapolis MN
Cost: Bring sour/wild beer to share and $10 at the door.
* Cost includes sample of Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge on draft, participation in blending seminar and prize drawings.