HOPIQ SCORE
The Best Sour Beers in the World
265 beers from 106 breweries · Ranked by style authenticity — not marketing
These rankings are dynamic. As more people rate, match and like beers on hopIQ, community signals will increasingly shape the results alongside style authenticity and award recognition.
Sour beer encompasses two very different traditions that arrive at the same acidic destination by different routes. The Belgian Lambic and Gueuze tradition uses spontaneous fermentation — wild microorganisms from the Senne valley air, years of barrel aging — to produce beers of extraordinary complexity. The German Gose tradition uses controlled lactic acid fermentation in a wheat base to produce a refreshing, saline-accented sourness that predates Belgian lambic by centuries.
The hopIQ Score evaluates both traditions on their own terms. German Gose producers like Gosemanufaktur (Ohne Bedenken Edelgose) and American Gose brewers like Reuben's Brews appear alongside Belgian spontaneous-fermentation specialists — Lindemans (Oude Gueuze Cuvée René), Boon (Oude Geuze), and Girardin (1882 Black Label) among them, three producers whose Gueuzes are consistently among the most-decorated sour beers at international competition. Style origin (Gose vs Gueuze vs Berliner Weisse) drives the mix at the top more than country of origin does.
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score weights style authenticity (80%), user engagement (10%), notability (10%), and award history. Active, in-production beers only — non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 265 beers from 106 breweries.
Top 5 of 25
Cuvée des JacobinsBest Overall#101 worldwide
ABV
5.5%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
deep amber 15
A 100 % foeder beer: an unblended, spontaneously fermented brew, which the brewery calls lambic, matured for 18 months in oak casks. The name recalls the Rue des Jacobins in Paris, where the first Omer stayed briefly during the First World…A 100 % foeder beer: an unblended, spontaneously fermented brew, which the brewery calls lambic, matured for 18 months in oak casks. The name recalls the Rue des Jacobins in Paris, where the first Omer stayed briefly during the First World War. Dark red under a light head, it opens soft and tart, with vanilla, cocoa and sour cherries on the nose. The body is robust yet balanced, and the finish brings vanilla, dried cherries and cocoa – a complex sour beer rather than a sharp one.
Lindemans Oude Gueuze Cuvée René#144 worldwide
ABV
5.5%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
golden 5
Lindemans' traditional gueuze — a sparkling, slightly dry blend of young and old lambic, refermented in the bottle. Named in honour of René Lindemans who convinced the brewery to revive the style in 1995. Ranked here for style-fit against the Sour reference and award history in Sour-specific categories.
Original Ritterguts Gose#155 worldwide
ABV
4.7%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
golden 5
The house Gose, brewed from barley and wheat malts with coriander and salt, fermented openly with the brand's own Gose yeast and given a second, lactic fermentation before a long cold maturation. It pours hazy gold with brisk carbonation.…The house Gose, brewed from barley and wheat malts with coriander and salt, fermented openly with the brand's own Gose yeast and given a second, lactic fermentation before a long cold maturation. It pours hazy gold with brisk carbonation. The nose is lemony and tart, with green apple and a hint of white grape; coriander adds a citrus-peppery edge, bready wheat sits underneath, and a clear saline note lingers on the lips after a dry, sour finish. The acidity is round rather than sharp.
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Coolship Red#185 worldwide
ABV
5.6%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
golden 5
Coolship Red is a spontaneously fermented ale from Allagash's coolship program, aged on raspberries grown in Maine. The wort of Pilsner malt, 40 percent raw wheat and aged whole-leaf hops is inoculated overnight by the open air, then…Coolship Red is a spontaneously fermented ale from Allagash's coolship program, aged on raspberries grown in Maine. The wort of Pilsner malt, 40 percent raw wheat and aged whole-leaf hops is inoculated overnight by the open air, then ferments and matures in French oak wine barrels for more than two years before the fruit goes in for another four to five months. It pours bright red, with raspberry and oak in the nose. Tart raspberry carries the flavor, joined by dried apricot and a light funk, and the finish is sour and dry.
5
GoseBest Session#190 worldwide
ABV
4.3%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
golden 5
A traditional German sour ale brewed with lactobacillus, salt, and coriander — refreshingly crisp with bright lemon notes and a vibrant salinity. Won back-to-back GABF gold medals in 2015 and 2016, the beer that put Reuben's on the map. Ranked here for style-fit against the Sour reference and award history in Sour-specific categories.
Ranks 6–10
6
VanderGhinste Roodbruin#202 worldwide
The first beer Omer Vander Ghinste brought to market in 1892, originally sold as Ouden Tripel; after several name changes the brewery returned to its 1892 name in 2012, with a label based on a poster from the early 1920s. A top-fermented…The first beer Omer Vander Ghinste brought to market in 1892, originally sold as Ouden Tripel; after several name changes the brewery returned to its 1892 name in 2012, with a label based on a poster from the early 1920s. A top-fermented brew of barley malt, wheat, caramel malt and hops is blended with spontaneously fermented beer aged at least 18 months in oak foeders. Deep red-brown in the glass, it smells of red fruit and caramel and balances sweetness against a soft acidity, finishing refreshing and thirst-quenching.
7
Boon Oude Geuze#226 worldwide
A monument of spontaneous fermentation — a traditional 100% natural Oude Geuze blended from 18-month-old lambic with a small proportion of 3-year-old beer. Unsweetened, unfiltered and unpasteurised, bottle-refermented, with a fresh citrus…A monument of spontaneous fermentation — a traditional 100% natural Oude Geuze blended from 18-month-old lambic with a small proportion of 3-year-old beer. Unsweetened, unfiltered and unpasteurised, bottle-refermented, with a fresh citrus and oak character. World Beer Awards Gueuze Winner 2025.
8
Urgose Märzen#250 worldwide
A new interpretation of the old Märzen-Gose tradition, brewed stronger from barley, wheat and oat malts and seasoned with coriander, smoked salt from the Halle saltworks, Ceylon cinnamon and Swiss stone pine cones. It pours hazy amber.…A new interpretation of the old Märzen-Gose tradition, brewed stronger from barley, wheat and oat malts and seasoned with coriander, smoked salt from the Halle saltworks, Ceylon cinnamon and Swiss stone pine cones. It pours hazy amber. Lemony tartness meets a lightly caramel malt base; the pine cones give a resinous, woody note, cinnamon adds warmth, and the smoked salt leaves a faint smoky savouriness. A larger hop dose than in the other Goses gives a noticeable bitter edge in the finish.
9
Ritterguts Spezial#326 worldwide
A crossover of Belgian witbier and Leipzig Gose, brewed from several barley and wheat malts and seasoned with bergamot peel from southern Italy, Timut pepper from Nepal, coriander and salt. Bergamot gives a floral, perfumed citrus note,…A crossover of Belgian witbier and Leipzig Gose, brewed from several barley and wheat malts and seasoned with bergamot peel from southern Italy, Timut pepper from Nepal, coriander and salt. Bergamot gives a floral, perfumed citrus note, while the Timut pepper adds a grapefruit-like freshness and a light tingle on the tongue. Soft wheat and a gentle lactic tartness carry the spice, and the salt keeps the finish crisp and dry rather than sweet.
10
Lichtenhainer Ritterguts Weisse#371 worldwide
A revival of the sour beer tradition of Jena, top-fermented from barley malt and oak-smoked wheat malt, with no salt or coriander; the brewery lists it as a Lichtenhainer, a historical Thuringian style. Straw yellow with a light haze, it…A revival of the sour beer tradition of Jena, top-fermented from barley malt and oak-smoked wheat malt, with no salt or coriander; the brewery lists it as a Lichtenhainer, a historical Thuringian style. Straw yellow with a light haze, it combines subtle wood smoke with a velvety lactic sourness. The smoke stays in the background like a distant campfire, with a faint lemony tartness and grainy wheat beneath it. Lively carbonation lifts the body, and the finish is refreshingly sour and short.
The taste landscape
Of the 25 top beers, 5 lean malt-forward and 13 lean hop-forward.