Dr. Lambic: Can you remember the first sour beer that got you interested in brewing these styles?

Jay: Oude Tart from The Bruery… although I don’t think it had a name when I first tried it out of the oak barrel. It was Tyler King’s recipe (my old boss) from his homebrew days. That beer went on to become one of the most decorated sour beers in GABF/WBC history. It’s still terrific to this day.

Dr. Lambic: In your brewing experience, what was the first sour beer that you felt really worked out well?

Jay: Well, based on my previous answer, I’d say Oude Tart. I wasn’t intimately involved in its production, but blending and cellaring that beer was a treat. In my TRB era, I think Ensorcelled stands out. It’s a beer, like Oude Tart, that just had something special going for it from early on that you could see even when it was in the barrel. Luckily it was one of the first beers we ever released and I think that helped us out quite a bit.

Dr. Lambic: What do you think are the most successful elements of your sour program and what challenges have you encountered?