4th of July beer tasting: Red, white and Blueberry Sour

Exile Beer Tasting: Blueberry Sour

Short’s Burger and Shine — Saturday, July 4, 11 a.m.

Fans of Exile Brewing Co.’s fast-selling Beatnick Sour and lovers of craft brew gadgets, rejoice! Short’s Burger and Shine in downtown Iowa City will host a special Exile tasting this Saturday, July 4.

The featured beer — a blueberry sour — is the brewery’s latest addition to their quarterly line, the most recent being the sweet-but-not-too-sweet Cherry Bohemian now on tap in Iowa City and surrounding areas. But according to Exile’s Jake Lancaster, event-goers won’t see a single tapped keg on Saturday.

“We’re delivering the blueberry sour in a firkin,” Lancaster tells Little Village.

What on earth, you ask, is a firkin?

Think of it as a keg for the hipster historian.

“It’s basically like drinking a beer as you would in the 1800s,” Lancaster explains, “using a gravity-dependent system for carbonation.” Exile plans to release their next seasonal sour — a raspberry brew — in kegs and bottles come September, but the blueberry sour will only be available in casks.

“This is something we provide for people who are interested in the history of craft brewing,” says Lancaster. “We introduce it to bring people up to speed with our process,” he continues, adding, “plus, it’s just cool.”

“This should be a really fun event,” says Eric Intlekofer, Short’s manager and all-around beer guy. Drafts of the limited-release beer will be available for $4 per pint. “We wanted to make [the sour] available at a good price so everyone can try it,” says Intlekofer. “It’s going to be delicious.”