Valdivia (val-DEEV-ya) is about 400 miles south of Chile’s capitol, a couple hours north of where Patagonia really begins. The area is criss-crossed with rivers, with a temperate rainforest on the lower slopes of the stratovolcanoes and other mountains that form the cordillera—the massive mountain range that runs along the western edge of South America. The climate there is reminiscent of the US Pacific Northwest.
,A strict definition for the term barleywine is of fairly recent origin, and according to respected beer historian Martyn Cornell, it’s dubious to apply it to a style. For centuries, it was a poetic way of referring to the stronger sorts of pale-ish beers available in Britain, but only appeared on a beer label about 1900 in connection with Bass Ale’s Number 1, a 10%+ Burton-style ale.
While sour beers are unlikely to ever dominate our beer landscape, they’ve emerged from the shadowy backwaters and taken their rightful place on the shelves alongside so-called “normal” beers.