Had a sour beer that made you pull a face like you’d licked a battery? That’s not what good sour actually tastes like. Last month I watched my mate Dave try his first Berliner Weisse by accident.. the face he pulled was like watching someone discover their tea’s been made with salt water. Thing is, the beer wasn’t off. It was just shit. There’s a difference, and that difference is why sour beer is either the best thing to happen to British brewing since someone figured out how to hop properly, or a pretentious nightmare depending on who you ask. Real sour beer isn’t “beer that’s gone bad”.. it’s deliberate, complex, and been around longer than your nan’s nan’s nan. It’s to vinegar what aged cheese is to gone-off milk. Related? Sure. Same thing? Absolutely not. Here’s how to drink it without hating yourself, why Britain’s gone sour in a good way, and how Dave finally stopped pulling the battery-licking face.