Ca' del Brado Ciliegia

This one hits like a well-aged lambic's younger cousin—sour cherries upfront, almost brackish in the mid-palate, with a funkiness that suggests wild fermentation or lactobacillus work. The 7.8% ABV stays hidden; the acidity does the heavy lifting. Finishes dry and slightly chalky, like you've licked a stone in a cherry orchard. It's not sweet, which is the whole point.

Opperbacco Montepulciano IGA

Drink this and you're in wine territory wearing a beer's clothing. Montepulciano grape tannins are there—dusty, slightly gripping—but the carbonation keeps it from feeling heavy. There's cherry and plum skin, some earthy red-wine minerality, and a restrained bitterness (15 IBU) that acts more like structure than flavor. It's elegant in a way sour ales rarely are.