i've also thought that sours were the next "it" beer for a good while now. they are definitely on the rise here in colorado with at least two pretty big local players focusing almost solely on the style (well i guess brett/wild beers too, but they kinda fall in with that style?):
Crooked Stave and
Funkwerksi still haven't completely warmed up to the style, but i've had a few of the more farmhouse/brett beers by both these guys and everything has been top notch.
New Belgium, Odell and Avery all seem to put out more sours each year. in fact tickets for Avery's FOURTH annual SourFest go on sale Friday. Last year sold out in minutes.
i ran across this quote which i think pretty much covers it:
Will Meyers, Brewmaster, Cambridge Brewing Company, Cambridge, Mass. Wrote:
I do foresee significant increased production of sour beers as consumers are becoming more and more interested in them. In fact, people who have previously pursued wine and cocktails are getting into craft beer more and more, as are women who (generally speaking) have a tendency to be averse to the bitterness found in most beer styles, and their interest in beer has often come via sour/wild beers. This is because the acidity and fruitiness and often tannins and oak flavors in many representatives of this category closely mimic those same familiar characteristics in wine.
While we’ll see breweries like Avery continue to lead the way in experimenting and regularly releasing barrel-aged sour beers, we’ll also see newer breweries like Crooked Stave who have an exclusive focus on the production of these beers. They are fascinating beers to brew, and more challenging than pale ales or IPAs. They take considerably longer to produce as well – months or often years per release as opposed to just three or four weeks for an IPA.
There’s more at risk when making these beers – cross-contamination, the time and money lost when a batch doesn’t turn out as expected, considerably higher labor – but this has never been a risk-averse industry to be sure. So we’ll see increased availability of these beers, but don’t expect them to supplant IPA as the country’s favorite craft beer style any time soon. Even if demand were there, we wouldn’t be able to brew enough!