Ballast Point Sour Wench - Blackberry

Ballast Point Sour Wench - Blackberry

Sour Wench was a Home Brew Mart recipe that we made every year for the Southern California Home brewers Fest in Temecula. This Blackberry Ale was originally developed by Ballast Point’s original Master Brewer Peter A’Hearn and Colby Chandler. While interning in Germany, Peter fell in love with the Berliner Weiss style of beer. A beer made with a procedure in which the mash was soured. The tartness of the Oregon State Marion Blackberries, at one pound per gallon, was a perfect addition for this sour style. Sour Wench is not aged in oak barrels. In the end, it’s a great bridge beer into the Sour Style’s.
3.4
295 reviews
San Diego, United States

Community reviews

4.9 By far one of my top favorite sours
2.8 0,33l bottle from Alko Iso Omena, enjoyed @ Jeren Nappihalli. Pours clear deep purple with a high off-white head. Aroma is tart malts and blackberries. Flavor is sweet and tart malts, blackberries. Well balanced and tasty. (101018) (748416) (180119) Re-rate @ the flagship Alko, press blind tasting. Not nearly as good. Too much like berry juice. Decent.
3.6 Bottle from Alko. Pours dark red purpleish color. Aroma of berries, juice, malts, tartness, earthness. Even a bit lightish body for the ABV, tartness isn’t very high. A beer that is pleasure to drink, it is juicy and a bit tarty, quite light, but still a beer all the way.
2.8 Bottled 355ml (Alko web) Dark ruby red colour, tiny off-white head. Aroma of a bit tart and lactic blackberry juice. Light-bodied. Tart, lactic, blackberry juice. Finish is even citric and earthy. Feels less than its 7%. Neh.
2.4 Tap@Ihku, Tampere, Finland. Medium, dry and sour nuances of black and some red berries. Some yeast. Narrow taste spectrum and short aftertaste with dry and slightly bitter berries. Unbalanced. Light body with medium carbonation. Overall, clear, somewhat organic but way too simple. 6 3 3 3 9
3.2 Tap at Konttori. Pours cloudy ruby, off white head. Tart blackberries, caramel, sour citric flavors, wood. Medium body, average carbonation, suor finish.
3.0 Tap @ Konttori. Pours hazy dark red color with a thick off-white head. Strong berry aroma, subtle grapefruit notes, grass and yeast. Flavor is tart with blackberries, spicy yeast notes, citrus, mild grass on the finish. Okay. 3344
3.4 (Bottle) Reddish brown body with a small-medium head of fine bubbles. Tart blackberry aroma. Light bodied with lively carbonation. Flavor is sweet blackberry syrup and strongly tart.
3.4 On tap. Pours a dark ruby color with an off-white head. Aroma of berries slightly tart, trace of citrus and grain. Taste of slightly tart berries and light malt sweetness. Bit tart with fairly dry finish. Moderate body, nicely crafted and flavorful. tasty.
3.4 Purplish. Slightly sour, with good notes of tart blackberry. Palate is full, and alcohol way too high for the style, but tasty.
3.6 Köpt på Systembolaget Odenplan. Doftar och smakar som em vanlig rödöl egentligen, smaken har dock inslag av bär. Alkoholhalten märks inte i smaken vilket är bra. Rätt mjuk.
3.6 Dark purple color with a medium pink head that left nice lacing on the glass. Earth, blackberries, skin, tart wheat finish.
3.8 On tap at the source taproom in Long Beach. Thanks PracticePlastic! Pink pour. Nice sour/tart dark berries. Sour finish. This is good! 14.2
3.7 莓果乳酸 解膩 18/07/23@啤啤
3.6 Poured from bottle nice light purple color with a tan head. Aroma is tart jammy berry citrus. Taste is berry puree citrus and a nice pucker in the finish.
3.3 Pours clear plum amber, with a purplish-white head. Aroma is berries, breadiness and some wood. Taste is berry and light caramel, moving to tart cherry and some wheat. Finish is light sour. A good Berliner.
3.6 12 oz. bottle shared by Tmoney99. Pours a clear reddish, slight purple color with a small off white head. The aroma and flavor have tart berries, pale malts, light toast, light citrus, a nice intro sour.
3.5 Bottle. Poured hazy ruby color with an average frothy off-white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate berry and sour aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium tart berry & sour flavor with a medium sour & tart finish of moderate duration. Interesting good beer.
3.4 12 oz. bottle. Pours a medium, well retained, slightly pink head, with minimal lacing, over a slightly hazy purple amber (SRM 18) body.....nose is blackberry, with light lactic tones, slight citrus notes, minimal malts, no hops......taste is slightly acid sour, with lactic acid, blackberry tones, dry throughout, slight malt, no hops......mouth feel, light body, moderate alcohol, moderate carbonation. The base Berliner Weisse beer comes through with the fruit tones quite nicely, with the resulting drinkable beer. BJCP 8/3/15/4/7
3.8 Amber red with pinkish white head - Tart berry aroma - Malt body with a tart berry flavour - The tart berries goes into the finish - This was good and refreshing
4.2 A reddish brown appearance with a reddish beige head. The aroma is overwhelmingly blackberries but I seem to detect some cherries in there. The flavor is quite sour with some cherries and blackberries. A vinegar presence is there also. Overall very fruity and sour but not funky like some sour beer. Overall very nice.
3.1 Bottle. Pours a dark red color with a one inch pink head. Taste is of tart blackberries and yeast. Tart blackberry aroma. Has a sour body. Overall, good
3.5 Sparkling cherry red beer with a thick foamy light pink head. Nose of sweet macerated berries, vanilla, and cherry pie filling. Flavor has a bracing citric acid tartness with plum skin, under-ripe blackberry, and lemon juice. Crisp carbonation combines with the acidity to create a tingling sensation in the mouth. Good beer if you like them fruity and sour.
3.8 On tap @ Founders Festival (Madrid). Pinky color, no head. Aroma: red fruits, some sourness. Flavor similar as aroma, fruity, mainly red fruits, with some citrus.
3.6 On tap. @Founders Madrid Beer & Music Fest 03/06/2018 Color rojizo corona de espuma beige, aromas frutales, sabor frutal notas acidas, cuerpo medio.
3.5 12 oz bottle. Pours a rosy red with a pink tinges tight thick head. Scents of berries and a little barnyard yeastiness. Tastes very fruity with a nice insisting bite. Medium to heavy carbonation. Very refreshing and the sweet start is overcome by the commanding sour finish which is relatively short. I like it.
3.5 Bottle but I can't remember where I got it. Light aroma of tart fruit that does have some raspberry notes. The flavor is definitely tart with a wheaty finish. A 7 ABV berlinerweiss? Okay.
3.4 Aroma is sour jam, gelly, candy, and coke. Taste is sour candies, citrus, unripe berries, and forrest berries. Aftertaste is fresh. Nice.
3.6 Bottle from Systembolaget. Fruity smell with berries. Similar taste, tart. Onesided but drinkable.
3.7 Bottle from Asahiya. Nose of blackberry, fruit jam, soured grape juice. Very pretty reddish purple color with a thin skims of white foam. Flavors of blackberry, grapes, very tart in mid palate, with sour apples and raspberry. Finish is quite dry. Thin-medium body, with crisp, sharp carbonation and very mild astringency. Certainly is a sour fruit beer, but maybe not a Berliner. Very tasty.