Beer style · BJCP 2021 28B
Mixed-Fermentation Sour Beer
American Wild Ale
Representative The guidelines publish this style’s ranges per variant or not at all, so these are a representative envelope instead.
- Original gravity
- 1.035–1.070
- Final gravity
- 1.000–1.010
- Bitterness
- 5–35 IBU
- Color
- 3–25 SRM (6–49 EBC)
- Alcohol
- 3.5–8.0 % ABV
What it is
Any base beer soured by a mixed culture of yeast and bacteria, often with long barrel maturation behind it. Judges look for balanced acidity married to funk and oak complexity, with the underlying beer still legible rather than buried under vinegar.
Flavor
No flavor wheels for this one. Its character comes from something the wheels do not measure: fruit, spice, wood, smoke, or a base style of the brewer’s choosing.
Style numbers, names and vital statistics are from the BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines, where you will find the official descriptions. The descriptions and flavor wheels here are Beerwright’s own. Beerwright is not affiliated with or endorsed by the BJCP.