Immediately upon sitting down to review Bruery Terreux Beret, my roommate’s dog projectile vomited all over my brand new carpet. This beer better be good.

Bruery Terreux Beret is the first sour beer we’re reviewing at Junk Banter. For the uninitiated, a well-executed sour beer tastes like Sour Patch Kids that get you drunk. Anaheim-based Bruery Terreux crafts this wild ale by brewing a wheat ale with a Belgian-style witbier yeast strain, adding bacteria to sour the beer. The product is then aged in oak barrels with raspberry puree. We love drinking bacteria here at Junk Banter. Drunk Female turned me onto sour beers a few years ago and she is probably furious that I am reviewing a sour before her. She recently reviewed Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin, which almost made her projectile vomit like a certain dog that I know. While I happen to like pepper beers more than she, I thoroughly enjoyed her being miserable in her last review.

The beer’s aroma is tart and spicy. Its first sip is pleasantly fruity, balancing nicely with tart flavors that combine to remind me of bitter cranberry more than sweeter raspberries. The witbier style is adding something I equate to citrusy lemon, and there are unidentifiable spices that I enjoy. Sourness is on point initially. The beer’s head disappears rather quickly, and I feel the sour punch decreases with each sip but levels off to a point most sour beer enthusiasts will appreciate. It’s dangerously drinkable at 9% ABV. I’m not picking up on much oak, which is slightly disappointing given the description.

I really hope my roommate’s dog is ok. The beer’s carbonation is mild with a light, crisp mouthfeel. I feel like I am tasting some peach as I round out my second glass, but this could just be because I am on my second glass. The beer is slightly malty, but the malts add some sweetness. Really, the key word here is balance. I don’t think this beer is exceptional, but I am not disappointed in the slightest. I suddenly remember I spent $20.99 on this bottle, and wish it were a little more special than it is. But at this point, I can’t really complain about much except for the dog puke stains settling into my carpet. I’ve had better sours, but I’ve had far worse sours.

Couldn’t Really Taste Raspberry Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Pairs Nicely with Cleaning Dog Puke Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 out of 10