Tenderfoot Sour

Tenderfoot Sour has quickly become one of my favorite beers to brew here at DCB.  You may have noticed that our sours have a very unique character, and that is because we do a secondary fermentation with Brettanomyces.  This yeast strain provides a funk that is so fun to pair with fruit purees and other adjuncts.  I could try to explain what makes Brettanomyces so special, but your time would be better spent checking out the Milk the Funk Wiki, the absolute best resource for brewers looking to make sours.

The current batch of Tenderfoot features 84 lbs of black currant puree, medium toast oak spirals, and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis.  Brett Brux brings flavors of cherry pie that play so well with the black currant puree.  The toasted oak spirals tie those flavors together with notes of oak (obviously) and hints of vanilla.

The next batch of Tenderfoot will feature 42 lbs of key lime puree, 42 lbs of plum puree, and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois Vrai.  The trois vrai is described as bringing flavors of "tropical funk" and it pairs incredibly well with the key lime and plum.  The tartness of the key lime shines, with its sweetness pairing with the plum to bring a very pleasant fruit character.  The pineapple and funk from the brett is prominent through in the finish, creating a complex and incredibly refreshing sour. 

Sours were actually one of my favorite styles to homebrew, and I plan on bringing some of my favorite flavors to DCB soon.  In the Fall, look for a peach sour with notes a vanilla.  In the Spring, I plan on brewing a strawberry rhubarb sour.  Between those during the winter, I'll bring back Tenderfoot Cranberry which is one Larry brewed in the past.  Finding the perfect Brett strain to complement each of these will be a fun and exciting challenge.  It is definitely a labor of love, and I hope you all enjoy the complexity that these secondary fermentations bring to our house sour.

Cheers!

Thomas Derstein

Head Brewer

Dodge City Brewing