Best Of CLE: Sour Beer Taproom

With 2019’s whimsically named Phunkenship, Platform Beer Co. co-founders Paul Benner and Justin Carson added another gem to their burgeoning brewing empire, one focused solely on the funkiest of adult beverages — sour beer.

Phunkenship’s secret? More than 250 barrels that age the beer for up to two years, which allows the oxygen-produced bacteria and wild yeast to work their magic.

“Because we age it for so long, these flavors develop and layer on top of each other,” says Benner. “The flavor profiles are unlike anything beer drinkers have tried before.”

Phunkenship’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood taproom mixes an Insta-worthy aesthetic of clean lines, natural light and moss walls with a full-size bocce court and two outdoor beer gardens to create a space that invites craft beer enthusiasts to enter the offbeat world of sours.

With six to 12 Phunkenship beers usually on tap — the tart Motion Picture Soundtrack ($9) blonde ale has been available since day one — each one comes served in high-end, stemmed glassware to cap off what Benner calls “an elevated experience.”

New sours rotate in on a regular basis, with at least one fresh debut each month. But this brand-within-a-brand really shines when things get experimental and creative. That’s why the Platform duo are most proud of an all-new concoction: Wrath of Rhine ($11) that blends sour ale with New York riesling grape juice for a taste that keeps customers guessing.

“It skirts all the genres,” says Benner. “Is it a wine? A beer? Whatever it is, I want another.” 3135 Sackett Ave., Cleveland, 216-202-1386, platformbeer.co/phunkenship

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