UYE: It Takes Time To Be Sour@The Rare Barrel

Pop quiz, who has more interest and love for beer, Janet O. or me? Naturally most of you would guess me, but that is completely false. I’ll have my occasional beer with preference for wheat. When Janet mentioned the Rare Barrel and its sour beer offerings, I was not too thrilled. I support her and her amazing UYE’s, so I decided I better attend and enter the unknown territory. Of course the event was another success, what a surprise! She pulled it off again! To our surprise, Rare Barrel was introducing a new flavor the day of the event, so the turnout was awesome by both Unilocalers and local crowds. We got there early enough, so we were able to reserve a table for our group and it made a difference. The place is awesome with relaxed Berkeley crowds and ambiance. The beer is definitely an acquired taste, but I found a couple that I thoroughly enjoyed. The Kerfuffke and Tiger Lily were by far my favorite with the least sourness. The bar allows their guests to bring in food, so Kenny P. and I ended up walking over to the local BBQ place and picked up some food for several of us to enjoy. It was super fun meeting new Unilocalers and of course chatting with the usual suspects.
Well done Janet O., yet another amazing and super fun UYE!!!

PSA! If you have not been to an Janet O event you’re missing out! Janet is an amazing person who takes time out of her busy schedule to plan events for elite and non elite Unilocalers! Today’s event was sour beer tasting yes sour beer! The rare barrel is a cool location very open but seating is limited. once you enter get right in line and place your order because it can get busy. My favorite was the entanglement & wise guise! The ensorcelled was the 2014 world beer cup gold medal winner also a must try! So elite and non elite Unilocalers be sure to check out the fabulous Janet O events!

I was lucky enough to attend this event at Rare Barrel in Berkeley! Where to start reviewing on such a wonderful event and business.
The exceptional host, Janet O., spent much time researching the venue and also showed she has good taste in beer.
I arrived at 2pm on Sunday and it was quiet enough to score parking close by and not wait too long to order up one of their amazing brews. I tend to gravitate towards lighter beers and opted for a glass of their Entanglement, aged in Oak barrels with orange peels and vanilla beans.
Many of the happy people in our group went for the Encorcelled, winner of the gold metal in the American Style Sour Ale category in the 2014 World Beer Cup. I’m no beer connoisseur but that sure sounds impressive! It was a darker beer and most that ordered it seemed pleased tho I overheard a couple people say the Wise Guise was pretty close in terms of what you get for your dollar.
Not much happening here for food outside of the grilled cheese which was available to order at 4pm. I didn’t try it but it sure looked good.
Overall ambiance is casual but hip, everyone seemed friendly and the staff seemed to genuinely care about patrons experiences overall.
Pros: Cool venue, chill atmosphere, great beer
Cons: No food available before 4pm
Bottom line: A hidden gem in Berkeley that is worth more than just one visit

The first time I had sour beer was at SF Brew Fest a few years ago. I didn’t think much of it then and have never tried it again until this UYE at Rare Barrel. Thanks Janet O. for organizing this event and helping reawaken my palate for this specialty beer!
Oh and what a place to drink sour beer! Apparently, Janet chose the best place to have sour beer, according to one of the beer enthusiasts we talked to where we were sitting, and most significantly, according to the World Beer Cup judges. Ensorcelled, one of The Rare Barrel’s many sour beers, won the gold medal at the 2014 World Beer Cup in its category. If that’s not enough reason for anyone to try this beer, I don’t know what is. Even I liked that and the other beer (Keen Observations) we tried, and I’m not a big beer drinker. All the beers we tried were light, not heavy, and the sour and fruity flavors in them made the beer a good beverage for warm days.
The Rare Barrel has quite the following. When we got there about half an hour before opening, there was a line outside. They were releasing bottles of their award-​winning beer and there were lots of people eager to buy. Luckily, the brewery’s spacious. They had enough room for the line of people buying their newest release and for those who wanted to drink and taste their beers. Our group sat on one of the three long communal tables. We had a great time tasting and chatting with the people around us!
Thanks again Janet O. for organizing the event and introducing us to this kind of beer and this brewery. We will probably be back to this place with friends!

Wild yeast on the run!
Janet O strikes again with another UYE, this time of the yeasty variety. A solid group of Unilocalers made their way out on a sunny Saturday afternoon to enjoy each other’s company in this spacious brewery.
Today was the release of Ensorcelled, a dark sour beer aged with raspberries. This delicious brew won a Gold medal at the World Beer Cup and made for some good sipping! I also got to try Wise Guise, Keen Observation, and Tigerlily, all very delicious sours. We got to bring along our own food too so Adam D picked up some saucy barbecue from next door. Tender meat and tart brews, what more could a gal want?
I had a fantastic time catching up with with some awesome folk while learning more about these unique sour beers. Thanks to my special taco for organizing such a relaxing event! :)