The World’s Best Sour and Wild Beers

By Hristina Byrnes Published Sep 10, 12:00PM EDT

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The World’s Best Sour and Wild Beers — © Perboge / iStock via Getty Images

Beer is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and sour beers have been making a comeback as a favorite type of beer among beer lovers.

The sour taste in the beer is the result of a unique brewing process that uses wild bacteria, which gives the acidic flavor, and yeast, which gives the beer an earthy flavor. In contrast, other types of beer use controlled strains of yeast to produce more familiar flavors.

To compile a list of the best sour and wild beers in the world, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the 2020 World Beer Awards, presented by TheDrinksReport.com, an online resource for drinks professionals.

Sour beers tend to be characterized by their distinct sour, acidic or tart taste. Producers of sour beers sometimes add fruits such as raspberry or peach to create a more balanced palate between sweet and sour flavors. The alcohol levels of the beers on this list vary from 4% to just over 8%.

The country with the most entries on the list of best sour and wild beers in the world is Belgium — where sour beers were invented in the 18th century — with a total of eight different beers winning awards in various lager categories. Canada is second with five entries, followed by Brazil with three.

Though the U.S. has only one entry on the list of best sour beers, the country does have several winners in the world’s best IPA category. These are the best Indian Pale Ale Beers in the world.

Click here for the best sour and wild beers in the world

To compile a list of the best sour and wild beers in the world, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the 2020 World Beer Awards, presented by TheDrinksReport.com, an online resource for drinks professionals. We looked at the results and the awards distributed. We selected the beers that were awarded a gold medal, were declared a country winner, or won the title of the world’s best sour and wild in a few special categories. Information on alcohol by volume and international bitterness units, a gauge of beer’s bitterness, came from Untappd, a beer rating app. IBUs measure the parts per million of isohumulone found in a beer. IBU is a scale that goes from 1 to 100, with 100 being the most bitter.

20 Barrel
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Flanders Red Ale
> Brewery: Wäls
> Country of origin: Brazil
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.1%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 26

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Petrus Aged Pale
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Sour/Wild Ale
> Brewery: Brouwerij De Brabandere
> Country of origin: Belgium
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.3%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 24

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Beijing GOSE Modern
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Gose
> Brewery: NBeer
> Country of origin: China
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.5%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 5

Blanche du Mur
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Berliner Weisse
> Brewery: Brasseurs du monde
> Country of origin: Canada
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

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Celeiro do Vale
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Sour/Wild Ale
> Brewery: Wäls
> Country of origin: Brazil
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.7%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 5

Cherry Wildwood
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Kriek
> Brewery: Bench Brewing
> Country of origin: Canada
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.6%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

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Days of Creation
> Medal(s): Gold
> Beer type: Sour/Wild Ale
> Brewery: Thornbridge
> Country of origin: United Kingdom
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 15

[recirclink id=936096]

Edelgose
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Gose
> Brewery: Gosenschenke “Ohne Bedenken”
> Country of origin: Germany
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.5%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

Empress Wu
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Flanders Red Ale
> Brewery: Goose Island Shanghai
> Country of origin: China
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.5%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 25

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Flanders Red Ale
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Flanders Red Ale
> Brewery: Browar Port Gdynia
> Country of origin: Poland
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

Fruit Lambic
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Fruit Lambic
> Brewery: Wäls
> Country of origin: Brazil
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.7%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 5

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Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait 200... by Bernt Rostad

Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait 200... (CC BY 2.0) by Bernt Rostad

Geuze Mariage Parfait
> Medal(s): Gold
> Beer type: Gueuze
> Brewery: Boon
> Country of origin: Belgium
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 20

[recirclink id=935217]

Kriek Lambic
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Kriek
> Brewery: Mort Subite
> Country of origin: Belgium
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

L’Ours – Brassin Spécial
> Medal(s): World’s Best Sour/Wild Ale and Country Winner
> Beer type: Sour/Wild Ale
> Brewery: Le Trou du diable
> Country of origin: Canada
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.5%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

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Le Lion – Brassin Spécial
> Medal(s): Gold
> Beer type: Sour/Wild Ale
> Brewery: Le Trou du diable
> Country of origin: Canada
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

Love Among The Ruins
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Sour/Wild Ale
> Brewery: Thornbridge
> Country of origin: United Kingdom
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

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Miss. Ghost
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Gose
> Brewery: La Pecheresse
> Country of origin: Canada
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.5%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 11

[recirclink id=933527]

Oude Gueuze Cuvée René
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Gueuze
> Brewery: Lindemans
> Country of origin: Belgium
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.5%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

Oude Kriek Cuvée René
> Medal(s): Gold
> Beer type: Kriek
> Brewery: Lindemans
> Country of origin: Belgium
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

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Réserve
> Medal(s): Gold
> Beer type: Oud Bruin
> Brewery: Petre Devos
> Country of origin: Belgium
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

The Ages
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Sour/Wild Ale
> Brewery: Deschutes
> Country of origin: United States
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): 14

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Queue de Charrue Vieille Brune / Oud Bruin
> Medal(s): World’s Best Sour & Wild Beer and Country Winner
> Beer type: Oud Bruin
> Brewery: Vanuxeem
> Country of origin: Belgium
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.4%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

[recirclink id=932623]

Appenzeller Vintage Sour Beer mit Himbeeren
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Framboise
> Brewery: Locher
> Country of origin: Switzerland
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.0%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

Witte Lambic
> Medal(s): Country Winner
> Beer type: Fruit Lambic
> Brewery: Mort Subite
> Country of origin: Belgium
> Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.5%
> International bittering units (IBUs): N/A

About the Author Hristina Byrnes →

Hristina Byrnes is the editor of 247Tempo.com, where she handles the site's assignments and editing. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, which she earned in 2012, and she specializes in translating complex health data research into engaging, accessible stories for a general audience.

When she's not poring over the latest data sets or brainstorming story ideas, you can find Hristina watching tennis, playing tennis with her son, or trying to get her daughter into tennis.