The Beachwood BBQ Sour Beer Festival has been in the works for over two years, and from August 25-31, it will finally come to fruition for chef-owner Gabriel Gordon at his noted Seal Beach beer bar. Gordon appreciates the “complexity of flavor” in sour beers, plus the “vast scent profile” and “intense pop that leaves you wanting more.”

The week-long festival will feature 16-18 sours on tap at any given time. In total, expect over 40 sour kegs. Each day, Gordon plans to feature a different sour brewery, either beginning or ending with The Bruery, Patrick Rue’s nearby Belgian style brewery. Gordon has been hoarding kegs for over two years, including an ’05 Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise, the ’07 l’Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien – a Flanders red from Swiss Brewery – and Russian River Consecration. Beachwood will also feature a selection of bottled sour beers. Gordon doesn’t want to reveal too much at this point, but he did say, “It will be a really impressive tap list. People will travel from far away from taste.”

On June 1, Gordon said, “We’re trying to get it all together for the end of June, but I’ve told a number of brewers that if they want to participate and need a little time, we’d be happy to push it back. These beers, they’re barrel-aged beers, so they’re ready when they’re ready. If [Russian River owner-brewer] Vinnie [Cilurzo] says we have Temptation ready in July, we’re going to wait for that beer.” Gordon is waiting on three breweries to set the date, but it won’t be during Stone Sour Fest, which runs on July 19 in Escondido.