Introducing Dock Street Fera Bestia, a new fruited sour ale brewed and canned at Dock Street South, fermented with a new and interesting yeast - Wildbrew™ Philly Sour.
Wildbrew™ Philly Sour is a unique species of Lachancea yeast first isolated by the Brewing Science program of Philadelphia’s own University of the Sciences, helmed by our friend Matthew Farber. The yeast was first selected from cultures taken in our own West Philly backyard, then developed and packaged for commercial use by Lallemand – both on the professional and homebrew scale. What makes this yeast novel is its ability to produce both lactic acid and ethanol in the same fermentation, creating a lactic-style sour beer without the need for a bacteria or a primary souring. Typically, lactic-acid style sour beers require a bacterial culture to produce the acidity, often in the form of a primary kettle-sour using a strain of lactobascillus. They then require a secondary fermentation to convert the sugars into alcohol. In contrast, Philly Sour is a one stop shop that can quickly sour and ferment in the same tank.
We were lucky enough to be among a handful of the first breweries to be approached by Lallemand and Farber about using the yeast, and of course we jumped at the opportunity. At Dock Street we’re always eager for opportunities like this – a fateful convergence of education, experimentation, and spontaneity. Some may remember a similar undertaking we endeavored on about five years ago when we isolated another strain of wild yeast from a culture taken right outside our West Philly brewery’s door. It’s this kind of focus on innovation that has driven our industry for the past 35 years, and it’s what will continue to keep small independent breweries like ours relevant in years to come.
One of the best parts of brewing on our scale is being able to focus on experimentation. It’s part of what draws so many of us to craft beer in the first place, and it’s definitely what keeps so many of us here. We get to brew whatever we want at whatever time we want, staying true to our roots and the beer styles that got us here, but also embracing the fact that every day we can learn something new. New discoveries in beer happen all the time, and we’re all for continuing to drive our industry forward.
Dock Street Fera Bestia is a synthesis of this ethos - mixing experimentation, ongoing education, and our consistent focus on quality and nuance. It’s an ode to continued discovery and innovation in the craft beer community. We designed the beer around the yeast, trying to highlight the characteristics that make the yeast special. Because the yeast naturally produces fruity aromas and flavors alongside bright acidity, we opted to compliment it with additions of black currant and peach. We also lightly dry hopped it with Mosaic, a hop known for berry and stone fruit aromatics. The resulting beer is tart and refreshing, with distinct notes of peach, berry, and apple. It pours a deep pink, with a long lasting white foam. The can features artwork by one of our very talented bartenders, Katherine Leius.