One of the biggest misconceptions about sour beer is that it’s one style. It isn’t. It’s a family of beers connected by one characteristic: acidity. Some are light, crisp, and gently tart. Others burst with peaches, passion fruit, raspberries, or citrus. Some are brewed with coriander and sea salt. Others spend years resting in oak, developing layers of cherry, vanilla, earthiness, and funk. The common thread is bright acidity. And that’s exactly what makes them perfect for summer.
So why do they work in summer? Think about the flavors we crave when temperatures climb: lemonade, citrus, watermelon, fresh fruit. They’re all bright, refreshing, and driven by acidity. Sour beers work the same way. Their lively acidity refreshes your palate instead of weighing it down. Berliner Weisses and Goses, in particular, tend to be lower in alcohol and remarkably thirst-quenching, making them ideal for patios, concerts, baseball games, and afternoons by the pool.
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Personally, I stumbled onto sour beer about a decade ago, thanks to Mercator, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company’s Flemish sour ale. Since then, I’ve spent years talking with brewers and writing about the remarkable sour beer programs they’ve built across the St. Louis area. Such St. Louis breweries as Alpha Brewing Company and Modern Brewery helped expand the conversation around sour beer locally, but they’re hardly alone. From fruited kettle sours, sour IPAs, and barrel-aged mixed-fermentation ales, breweries across the region have embraced nearly every corner of the style.
Today, St. Louis boasts one of the Midwest’s most diverse sour beer scenes. The below list is a great place to start. These beers have all been pouring in recent weeks, while a few are included because they’re simply too good not to keep an eye out for. (Craft beer moves fast, so before making a special trip, check the brewery’s current tap list or social media to make sure your favorite is still available.)
BERLINER WEISSE
Light-bodied German wheat beer with bright acidity, lively carbonation and remarkable drinkability.
Fraulein Hilda | Old Bridgeview Brewing
Berliner Weisse • 3.4% ABV
Served with rotating house-made fruit and herb syrups in the traditional German fashion.
Going Once. Going Twice… | Third Wheel Brewing
Berliner Weisse • 3.9% ABV
A straightforward, refreshing example of the style.
Passion Fruit Prussia | 4 Hands Brewing Company
Fruited Berliner Weisse • 4.0% ABV
A St. Louis summer classic, layering passion fruit over a crisp, refreshing wheat ale.
Ku’damm | Urban Chestnut Brewing Company
Berliner Weisse • 4.2% ABV • 13 IBU
Urban Chestnut’s take on the classic German style is light-bodied, crisp and gently tart—an excellent introduction to traditional Berliner Weisse.
Free the Sun | Third Wheel Brewing
Fruited Berliner Weisse • 4.9% ABV
Bright citrus and lively acidity make this an easy summer sipper.
GOSE
A tart German wheat beer brewed with coriander and sea salt.
Suburban Beverage | Perennial Artisan Ales
Fruited Gose • 4.2% ABV
Valencia orange, Meyer lemon and Key lime make this one of St. Louis’ defining summer beers.
MexicAle | Shortleaf Brewing Company
Contemporary Gose • 4.2% ABV
Key lime purée and pink Himalayan sea salt give this beer a refreshing citrus snap.
Fresh Off the Lime | Modern Brewery
Fruited Gose • 4.4% ABV
Kettle soured with Lactobacillus, brewed with sea salt and conditioned on Oregon Fruit lime purée for a bright, refreshing citrus finish that’s tailor-made for summer.
Meersalz (Raspberry & Double Raspberry) | Narrow Gauge Brewing Company
Fruited Gose • 4.8% ABV
Whether you find the classic Raspberry or the richer Double Raspberry version, the Meersalz series has become one of St. Louis’ benchmark goses, balancing fruit with coriander, sea salt and refreshing acidity.
Gose Crazy Folks | Millpond Brewing Company
Cherry Gose • 5.2% ABV
Dark cherries pair beautifully with the classic salt-and-coriander backbone.
FRUITED KETTLE SOURS
Bright, fruit-forward beers where tartness and fresh fruit work together.
Dry-Hopped Paw Paw | Scratch Brewing Company
Sour Ale • 4.5% ABV
Brewed with locally foraged pawpaws, this farmhouse-inspired sour delivers subtle tropical fruit, bright acidity and remarkable drinkability.
Hop Tart Series | Bluewood Brewing
Rotating Fruited Berliner Weisse • 5.0% ABV
One of the region’s standout rotating sour programs. Blackberry and Blueberry Hop Tart are currently on tap, but each seasonal release brings a different fruit-forward twist while staying remarkably refreshing.
Disco Punch | Modern Brewery
Fruited Kettle Sour • 5.5% ABV
One of Modern Brewery’s signature rotating sours, Disco Punch blends bright fruit flavors with lively acidity for an approachable, refreshing beer that has become a favorite among local sour beer fans.
Triple Berry Smash Fruit Drops | Main & Mill Brewing
Fruited Kettle Sour • 5.6% ABV
A kettle sour bursting with raspberry, blackberry and strawberry. Named after the brewer’s dad, Barry, it’s equal parts playful and refreshing.
Apriel | Sandy Valley Brewing Company
Fruited Sour • 5.7% ABV
Apricots and El Dorado hops combine for a juicy, refreshing sour. I haven’t seen it around for a while, but here’s hoping it finds its way back onto tap soon.
Pie, Felicia | Modern Brewery
Kettle Sour • 6.0% ABV
Peach, apricot, cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar create flavors reminiscent of fresh cobbler balanced by gentle tartness.
SOUR IPA
Where juicy hops meet bright acidity.
Marya-Marya | Narrow Gauge Brewing Company
Sour IPA • 7.0% ABV
Passion fruit, boysenberry, vanilla and lactose create one of Missouri’s finest examples of the style.
Oops! All Wai-Iti… | Modern Brewery
Sour IPA • 7.0% ABV
New Zealand Wai-Iti hops deliver peach, apricot, nectarine, lime and mandarin alongside bright acidity.
FLANDERS RED ALE
Belgium’s classic barrel-aged sour.
Mercator | Urban Chestnut Brewing Company
Flanders Red Ale • 6.3% ABV
A barrel-aged Flemish-style red showcasing how oak and time can transform acidity into elegance.
WILD & BARREL-AGED SOURS
Where time, oak and wild yeast create entirely different expressions of sour beer.
Lemon Meringue Funk | Alpha Brewing Company
Sour Blonde Ale • 4.0% ABV • 1 IBU
Brewed with lemon, vanilla, cinnamon and lactose, this playful sour balances bright citrus with creamy sweetness and soft baking spice.
Foeder-Aged Grapevine | Scratch Brewing Company
Foeder-Aged Farmhouse Ale • 4.7% ABV
Co-fermented with heirloom apples and aged in a foeder, creating a dry, lightly funky beer with layers of oak and complexity.
Foeder Beer | Alpha Brewing Company
Foeder-Aged Sour Blonde Ale • 8.0% ABV • 1 IBU
House sour blonde aged in a 1,000-gallon oak foeder using a traditional solera program. Earthy, layered and an excellent introduction to barrel-aged sour beer.
Peach Pie Funk | Alpha Brewing Company
Sour Blonde Ale • 8.0% ABV
Peaches and cinnamon transform Alpha’s sour blonde into a beer reminiscent of fresh peach cobbler, balanced by lively acidity.
Blood Orange Brett | Alpha Brewing Company
Brett-Fermented Blonde Ale • 8.0% ABV
A Brett-fermented blonde ale that bridges the gap between bright sours and earthy wild ales with citrus, subtle funk and gentle acidity.
