BJCP 2021 / X4
Catharina Sour
A light, refreshing, tart wheat beer where fresh fruit leads.
- Drink fresh
- craft style
- fruit
- sour
- specialty beer
Serve: 40 to 46F, Tulip or flute
OG1.120
1.039 to 1.048FG1.030
1.004 to 1.012IBU120
2 to 8SRM40
2 to 6ABV14%
4.0 to 5.5%Taste it in order
Aroma
12 pts- Clear fresh fruit, recognizable at once
- Mild to moderate clean lactic tartness
- Neutral malt, no hops
- Vague
- Fruity
- Better
- Fresh fruit and light tartness
- Best
- Immediate fresh passion fruit with mild clean lactic tartness over neutral grain, no hop or funk
Appearance
3 pts- Straw to gold
- Clear to hazy
- White head, fairly persistent
- Vague
- Pale
- Better
- Pale and fruit-tinted
- Best
- Straw to gold, possibly tinted by the fruit, clear to hazy, white head that holds
Flavor
20 pts- Fresh fruit leads with moderate tartness
- Minimal malt, almost no bitterness
- Dry, tart finish
- Vague
- Fruity sour
- Better
- Fresh fruit and tartness
- Best
- Fresh, uncooked fruit flavor over moderate clean tartness, minimal malt and hops, dry tart finish
Mouthfeel
5 pts- Light to medium-light body
- Lively carbonation
- Moderate to fairly high acidity
- Vague
- Light
- Better
- Light and zippy
- Best
- Light body, lively carbonation, bright acidity that stays smooth
Overall Impression
10 ptsLifts it
- Fruit that tastes fresh
- Clean tartness
Drops it
- Cooked or jammy fruit
- Funky yeast
Writing tip
Judge how fresh the fruit tastes. Example: 'Ripe passion fruit with clean tartness, light body, dry finish. Fruit stays fresh.'
Pour these
- Catharina Sour PêssegoBlumenauPeach with clean tartness
- Catharina Araçá SourItajahyGuava-family fruit with fresh acidity
Often confused with
- 23A Berliner WeisseBerliner Weisse is plain, with no fruit-forward theme
- 29A Fruit BeerFruit Beer has no tartness requirement
Fine here
- Sour/Acidic: Lactic tartness is the style
Ruinous here
- Sour/Acidic: Sharp vinegar
- Phenolic: Medicinal
- Oxidized: Dull, cooked fruit
Style names, numbers and vital statistics follow the BJCP 2021 beer guidelines. Descriptions and example choices are our own. Check a beer is still made before you hunt for it.