Lantern spotlights sours (and ciders)

Prepare to pucker up for The Lantern Tap House’s third annual Sour Fest on Friday and Saturday.

Sours & Ciders ’N September features 24 tart beer offerings over the two days, up from last year’s 18 – plus, as the name suggests, a half-dozen ciders in a new twist this year.

With ciders branching out into such flavors as pineapple and grapefruit, says Lantern owner Mike Dolmage, “It seemed to go along with the theme of Sour Fest. It gives us a chance to introduce people to different sours and ciders that they might not normally order. They might want to try some of these but not necessarily commit to a whole pint.”

The highlight of this year’s lineup is the first release from Iron Goat’s mixed-fermentation barrel-aging program, Bugs and Thugs. It’s blended from two Overbluff red wine barrels inoculated with various Brett strains and bacteria, one aged for three to four years and the other a year or two, plus some of the brewery’s kettle Blackberry Apricot Sour for fruitiness.

It goes on tap Friday, and like most everything else, there’s only a sixth-barrel (about 5 gallons) – so show up early to be safe. “I think it will go pretty quick,” Dolmage says.

He’s also looking forward to Double Mountain’s two cherry sours – the Flanders red-style Devil’s Kriek with Bing cherries and the blonde, Brett-spiked Tahoma Kriek with more delicate Rainiers – plus a handful of goses, including Twelve String’s passion fruit version and Uinta’s pineapple Flamingose, and Ecliptic’s new Carina Peach.

Most will be poured in The Lantern’s outdoor tent, though a few will be on tap inside. There also will be food specials geared to the beers, plus games and live music.

The festival runs Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 2 to 10. Tasting tokens are $1 each; you get a 4-ounce pour for two tokens, or 10 ounces for five.

The full lineup includes:

FRIDAY

Tent: Anderson Valley Briney Melon watermelon gose, Double Mountain Devil’s Kriek, Firestone Walker Bretta Weisse, Great Divide’s 22nd Anniversary Dark American Sour, Iron Goat Cherry Sour, Liefman’s Cuvee Brut kriek, New Belgium’s dry-hopped Le Terroir, Paradise Creek Huckleberry Pucker, Waddell’s Blackberry Sour and Wingman Lime Gose, plus One Tree Peach Tea and Schilling Grapefruit and Chill ciders.

Inside: Grand Teton Gose, Iron Goat Bugs and Thugs Release #1, Reverend Nat’s Sacrilege Sour Cherry cider.

SATURDAY

Tent: Twelve String Passion Fruit Gose, De Proefbrouwerij Sour Barrel #3 golden, Double Mountain Tahoma Kriek, Ecliptic Carina Peach Sour, Everybody’s Brewing Sprinkles hibiscus sour, Fremont Cucumber & Lime Berliner Weisse, No-Li Blackberry & Vanilla Sour, Omer Vander Ghinste Oud Bruin, Trickster’s Berliner Weisse and Uinta’s Flamingose, plus Jester & Judge Pineapple and No. 6 Honey Ginger ciders.

Inside: pFriem Gose, Victory Blackboard Series #3 Berliner Weisse with elderflower, Lake Chelan Washington Cherry cider.

Along with an appearance by DJ Lydell in the tent on Saturday at 5, there will be performances inside at 9 p.m. by Mama Doll on Friday and Super Sparkle (featuring members of Mama Doll and Cathedral Pearls) on Saturday.

It’s just the beginning of the busy season for The Lantern. Dolmage is well into the logistics for this year’s Freshtival fresh-hop festival, coming Oct. 14-15, and has already started planning for January’s winter beer fest.