Beverage
Kettle Sour
Kettle sour is a modern quick-sour method: wort is soured with lactic bacteria in the kettle, then boiled and fermented with clean yeast for bright tartness without long wild ageing. Fruit additions are common; funk is usually minimal. Easy culinary acid for dressings, ceviche-adjacent sauces, and light deglazes. Predictable tartness beats spontaneous lambic when you need control. Avoid long boils that flatten aroma.
Also known as: Kettle Sour, Modern Berliner-style process
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History
American craft brewers scaled kettle souring for fast, clean tart beers.
Fruit kettle sours became mainstream craft summer styles worldwide.
Kettle sours diversified into pastry, smoothie, and session tart variants.