X4 Catharina Sour

Medium to high fruit character, immediately noticeable and recognizable. A clean lactic sourness, low to medium, supports the fruit. Neutral malt typically, but can have low grainy or bready notes in support. Clean fermentation profile with no wild or funky yeast character. No hop aroma. No sharp alcohol. Optional Spices, Herbs, and Vegetables should support the fruit if present.

Color is often fairly pale – straw to gold. Medium to high white head with fair to good retention. The color of the beer and head can also take on the color of the fruit. Clarity can be quite clear to hazy. Effervescent.

Medium to high fresh fruit flavor dominates, with a supportive but noticeable, low to medium-high clean lactic sourness. The fruit should have a fresh character, not seeming cooked, jam-like, or artificial. The malt is often absent, but if present can have a low grainy or bready quality that never competes with the fruit or sourness. Hop bitterness below sensory threshold. Dry finish with a clean, tart, and fruity aftertaste. No hop flavor, acetic notes, diacetyl, or funky Brett flavors. Spices, Herbs, and Vegetables are optional in support of the fruit.

Low to medium-low body. Medium to high carbonation. No alcohol warmth. Low to medium-high acidity without being aggressively sour or astringent.

Best consumed fresh. The acidity may make the beer seem drier and lighter in body than the final gravity might suggest. Berliner Weisse beers with fruit should be entered as 29A Fruit Beer.

Individual examples existed under different names previously in Brazil, but the style became popular under this name after it was formally defined in 2015 during a workshop between craft brewers and homebrewers in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. Featuring local ingredients well-suited to the warm climate, the style has spread to other states within Brazil and elsewhere, and is a very popular modern style in South America – both commercially and in homebrew competitions.