384110 Fri Mar 23 05:49:05 -0700 2007 6 35 Beer 0 2413364 Coming up on my first visit to San Francisco (one night only) and figured, if the sourdough is so good and unique, then a wild yeast beer should have a good unique flavor. Any recommendations? Thank you Fri Mar 23 05:49:05 -0700 2007 85220 kojikiri 1 2413369 You could visit Toronado and get a Cantillon or Liefman's Goudenband on draft. I'd skip the Lindeman's. http://www.toronado.com/draft.htm Fri Mar 23 05:52:35 -0700 2007 2413364 12626 ted 2 2413483 Anything local (not Belgian)? I think to pick up the wild yeast it'd have to be brewed there. Thank you so much for your quick response. Fri Mar 23 06:50:37 -0700 2007 2413369 85220 kojikiri 3 2414161 You should be able to find Russian River beers there. Temptation, Supplication, and Beatification are all sour beers they produce. Fri Mar 23 10:04:31 -0700 2007 2413483 10809 Josh 1 2414038 Here is a list from BeerAdvocate of several American Wild Ales (beers that are introduced to "wild" yeast or bacteria): http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/171 Both Russian River and Pizza Port should be readily available in the SF area. Fri Mar 23 09:36:10 -0700 2007 2413364 12854 afty698 2 2420769 Out of curiosity, do you happen to know which of these are getting exclusively airborne yeasts? Cantillon is the only beer I know of that exclusively uses these. Mon Mar 26 04:47:02 -0700 2007 2414038 49180 jpschust 3 2421202 The thing about airborne yeast is that it takes away the brewers control over the taste of the final product. In the case of Russian River, he sells his barrel-aged beers at a decent price, so I think he's a little more deliberate about what goes into the beer. You want to be able to predict how the flavor's going to come out, or at least make an educated guess. Since the traditional beers employ known bacteria like lactobacillus, pediococcus, and brettanomyces, it's possible to use these bacteria from a lab, and still get the same wild flavors. Also, traditional lambic producers in Belgium age their beer in old oak casks, which is one way of ensuring some consistency of flavor, since bugs live in those casks. I think Haansens Artisinaal is another wild yeast brewer. Mon Mar 26 08:26:04 -0700 2007 2420769 10809 Josh