Sadly I believe the answer is yes. The 3rd Annual Boulder SourFest at Avery Brewing was a study in lackadaisical technique, uncontrolled bacteria fermentation, unbalanced esters and acids, and all around poor brewing. 27 breweries offering 60 beers and not more than 6 of them were worth drinking more than an ounce.

Do I sound like a hater? I get that sometimes, but I’m not going to apologize for being honest and forthcoming with my opinions. The beer world is cluttered enough with cheerleading fanbases. I’m not here to make friends with industry folks and I don’t make money advertising on this site. Opinions tend to offend only those who lack a true sense of who they are and what they enjoy. So here’s my honest take: the 3rd Avery Sour Fest was achingly disappointing.

Trust me, I wish I liked what I was drinking at the Sour Fest. I’ve spent enough time in the beer-rich cultures of the world to appreciate the history and enjoy the modernization and innovation of beer. I’ve traveled extensively throughout the United States and have followed the birth and growth of this American sour/wild ale style, and I have to ask, is this it? Butyric acid may be the most offensive acid in lambic and sour beer (giving the smell and flavor of rancid cheese, vomit and stomach acid / bile), and nearly a dozen beers being served at Sour Fest had levels so high they ought not be allowed to served to humans.

The rest? Acetic acid (balsamic vinegar) and ethyl butyrate (tropical / pineapple). I’ve never seen such a concentration of poor and mediocre wild yeast fermentation in my life. Belgians would be ashamed with what we’ve done. Years ago I believed that American brewers knew to follow Vinnie Cilurzo (of Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, California). Now, I’m not so sure.

Somebody has to be a critic. Avery, you run the fest very well, you bring in a number of beers new to almost everybody (something terribly difficult to achieve in today’s word of beer), but quality was lacking.

American brewers have seemed to gravitate towards this fuzzy middle-ground style definition for “sour ale”: acetic acid is acceptable, high alcohol (and as a result high level of ethyl acetate) where it’s unnecessary, and obvious faults and flaws in ester and acid levels that trained brewers should be able to pick up.

So what would I suggest? Be more discerning about what beers are allowed at the 2013 Sour Fest. Cut out a number of brewers who brought obviously poor products this year, and if the result is a half-dozen less brewers in attendance, throw in some bottles of traditional Belgian lambic along side the American sours, to give people a chance to see what sour beer could and should be. You’re not going to fool your fanbase for much longer; people are growing more discerning with their tastes, and they are slowly learning that unbalanced, raw, and wretched acidity doesn’t automatically make a good beer.

Until next year….

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