Brew reviews

Sanitas Brewing Co.

Lemon Berry Sour

The History

“Founded in 2013, Boulder’s Sanitas Brewing Company is regarded for their signature blend of tradition and innovation as well as their use of only the finest ingredients. With a passion for exploration, Sanitas epitomizes the wild spirit of Colorado with a variety of premium beers.” If you’ve never been there, the town is a beautiful college area nestled along the base of the Rocky Mountains. They have now expanded to a 2nd location in the Denver Metro area as well! They say they are “built on passion” and state on their website “Sanitas is focused on creating great liquid and serving it on the Best Patio in Boulder!”

If you are wanting to visit their locations you will be definitely be pleased. Both offer food with local vendors to soak up the liquid heaven, and they have spacious patios and inside areas. They also offer to-go beer! Sanitas has not settled with a few hits and stopped. They are always trying new recipes to share with the community, and offer a large selection of seasonal / rotating beers along with their year-round lineup.

Their Boulder location offers a pup welcome patio for those dogs that are of course well behaved, and is open year round. If you want to enjoy a good mountain view in the winter while sipping a brew, this is the spot! Their Boulder location is very spacious, even offering room for private events, including a private conference room. They regularly have 32+ beers on tap here!

In Englewood/Denver, Sanitas Brewing hosts the same main lineup as their first spot plus new experimental brews that may later be added to their main product line. If you want to try something delicious you might not see elsewhere, check this location out! Sanitas’ own brewmaster Scott Clutter leads this location. 

The Details

From Sanitas Brewing Co:

  • Type: Kettle Sour
  • ABV: 5.5%
  • IBU: 20
  • Hops: CTZ
  • Locations: Boulder and Englewood CO
  • Ingredients: Strawberry, Blueberry, Blackberry
  • Aromatics: Bright citrus and sweet berry
  • Flavor notes: Tart Lemon, slight sweetness
  • Available year round
“Lemon Berry Sour is bursting through the Sanitas sour lineup as a year-round sour, and it has the flavor to back it up. As a kettle sour, this brew has a simple tart flavor with slight acidity”

The Label

What originally attracted me to this brewery while journeying the aisles of the liquor store was the color of the cans and owl – I love owls! Some designs on beer labels are so over the top it can be hard to read at a glance what they are. Sanitas gives attractable colors with the simplicity of solid descriptions with large letters, and my eyes appreciate it!

The Pour

Great carbonation, nice foam at the top. This beer has a wonderful reddish color to it that is still somewhat clear. I love that they are using fresh lemon and berry puree. When you see stuff floating in your glass don’t worry like I did, it’s just sediment! That is actual fruit rather than extracts (I thought I had a dirty glass). This is often found in unfiltered or heavily fruited beers.

The Taste Test

The word zippy comes to mind with this beer. While it is a sour beer, there isn’t a full on punch to the tongue like some sours. I was able to drink these without needing a water to chase it, or switch to something else after only one.

I would absolutely say this was a crisp yet tangy beer. Light on the tongue and not heavy on the tummy, you won’t feel that beer bloat from enjoying these beers!

The Overall

Perfect Sour for a Hot Afternoon

I’ve tried a couple other Sanitas Brewing Co beers before and have always been pleased.  When I saw they had a new style or at least one I had not tried before, I couldn’t help but give it a whirl! This beer will forever hold a special place in my heart – while taking a video short of the beer, a hummingbird AND a hummingbird moth came to say hello and photobomb me. What a lucky experience!

The big question – would we buy this again? Absolutely. Unlike other berry or lemon beers, the combination of these flavors is unlike anything else I have tried and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Having tried a few other brews from Sanitas Brewing Co now, I am looking forward to taking an adventure to their brewery one day soon.  They have been in business since 2013 and with two locations in Colorado they are a brewery to not skip!

Check out their website here: Sanitas Brewing Co.