California’s The Rare Barrel is on a mission to brew a “dream barrel” of amazing sour beer. 

And, after tasting today’s Map of the Sun Apricot Golden Sour Ale, I think they’ve nailed it — beer don’t get much more dreamy than this!

With a 98/100 score on BeerAdvocate and a killer 99/100 from Craft Beer and Brewing, it’s one of the most lauded and sought-after beers The Rare Barrel makes. 

Map of the Sun is aged in oak barrels for a year on average and then stuffed to the brim with 3.5 lbs of juicy apricots per barrel. In the end, it’s seriously a seriously tart, fruity, and complex tasting experience that’s one for the books!

The masters-of-Sour at The Rare Barrel kicked things up a notch by fermenting Map of the Sun with a “universe of microorganisms,” including Brettanomyces cultures and the mother of Belgian yeasts — Saison DuPont. The result is a whimsical stone fruit funk that rings with higher acidity and complex lactic lemon tartness, begging for another pour. 

Enjoy the juicy, tart nectar of this 7.7% ABV blended Sour anytime you feel like biting into a ripe apricot, and it’ll whisk you away to fruit-filled dreamland!

Or, whip out a bottle of Map of the Sun in front of your Sour sippin’ buds and start parsing off sips like an auctioneer. Anyone who knows The Rare Barrel name will know that every bottle is full of pure funky bliss. 

Try not to be too liberal when you share this one, though! The Rare Barrel brews almost never leave the state of California! And the brewery’s cult-like fan base is always quick to gobble up every juicy Sour that might escape the taproom. 

But today, you have a chance to experience what barrel dreams are made of!

Rated 99/100 on Craft Beer & Brewing; 98/100 on BeerAdvocate; 4.08 on Untappd

Tavour strictly supports independent beer. The Rare Barrel is certified independent by the Brewers Association