Loveland Aleworks has been brewing kettle-soured ales since their first year of operations. Nick Callaway, Head Brewer, and Luke Moore, Home Brewer, brewed the first pilot batch together in a 10 gallon brewhouse. The batch was sampled as soon as it had finished its primary fermentation. It was so spectacular that they promptly ordered materials for a full brew on their 10 barrel direct-fired brewhouse and American Sour with raspberries was born. Kettle-soured ales now comprise over half of their production volume.
Since brewing that pilot batch, the crew at Loveland Aleworks landed a bronze medal at the 2017 world beer cup for their American Sour with guava, and a bronze for their tequila barrel aged sour at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival. The kettle sours from Loveland Aleworks have a unique balance of sweetness and tartness, and the intensity of the fruit flavors present in their beers vary with the type of fruit used.
The beginning and end of a kettle sour brew are the same as any other beer roughly taking 12 hours for a batch to reach the desired acidity, and once it is sour enough the wort gets boiled and fermented like any other brew. The process differs between mashing and boiling. In that time, the wort is cooled and collected from the mash to a temperature range where bacteria grows and pitch their proprietary bacterial culture. The brewers use and recollect this pitch with every kettle sour which has been in use for over a year and was started with malted barley. It
The fruits used and the lactic backbone of these sours makes them perfect for dreaming up complementing and contrasting food pairings. The presence of acidity in the beer is the basis for success in the kitchen when making brines, dressing, sauces, and desserts.
Kettle Sour Beers Offered at Loveland Aleworks:
+American Sour Ale Raspberry
Sour Ale brewed with fresh raspberries is deep garnet red with a slight pink head. Dominating fruity and citrus aroma. Crisp, tart and refreshing.
+BlackBerry Lemon Bar Sour
This kettle sour with lactose, vanilla, blackberry puree, fresh squeezed lemon juice and zest. Blackberry tartness is balanced perfectly with the lemon citrus and smooth creamy finish of the lactose and vanilla.
+Guava
A kettle sour base beer with a hearty addition of guava puree. Lactic sour flavors combine beautifully with juicy guava flavor for a refreshing summer sour beer.
+Pina Colada
This tart beauty pours golden with an off-white head and is loaded with pineapple puree and coconut.
Loveland Ale Works
Lovelandaleworks.com | 970-619-8726
118 West 4th Street
Loveland, Colorado
