Young Blood Tom Petty Circa 1991 Sour 4Pk is a 7.5% ABV fruited kettle sour ale from Young Blood Beer Company in Madison, Wisconsin, sold as a four-pack of 16 oz cans. Built on several hundred pounds of strawberry with a secondary lemon rest, this lactose-bodied sour has earned a 4.0 out of 5 rating across 454 reviews on Untappd.

Quick Facts: ABV: 7.5%  |  Origin: Madison, Wisconsin  |  Style: Fruited Kettle Sour  |  Brewery: Young Blood Beer Company

Production & Heritage

Young Blood Beer Company operates out of 112 King Street in the heart of downtown Madison, Wisconsin, where they've built a reputation around bold, fruit-forward sour ales. Tom Petty Circa 1991 evolved from an earlier Strawberry Lemonade Saison that the brewing team felt didn't hit hard enough — a beer they believed was always destined to become a sour. The production process uses a two-stage fruit addition: the brewers load several hundred pounds of fresh strawberry into the kettle sour base, then rest the beer on lemon to balance and brighten the berry character. Lactose is added to build a thicker, creamy body that tempers the tartness and carries the fruit flavors through to the finish.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Strawberry leads immediately, ripe and direct, followed by a bright lemon zest that lifts the nose. The combination reads like a just-made strawberry lemonade before any sweetener hits the glass.

Taste: The entry is tart and assertive, with strawberry dominating the front palate. At mid-palate, lactose sweetness rounds the acidity without smothering it, while a lemon twist threads through and sharpens the fruit. The overall impression is juicy and full, with the berry and citrus in constant conversation.

Finish: Medium-length with a lingering blend of lactose creaminess and residual fruit. The tartness reasserts gently at the tail end, keeping the beer from cloying and pulling you back for another sip.

How to Drink Tom Petty Circa 1991

Pour cold into a tulip glass or stemless wine glass to open up the strawberry aromatics; drinking straight from the can is fine for casual sessions but mutes the nose. This sour works well as a standalone sipper but also fits into beer-forward mixed drinks. A Berliner Shandy — half Tom Petty, half sparkling lemonade — doubles down on the citrus backbone. A Beer Mimosa with a splash of orange juice and a float of this sour creates a brunch-ready drink with genuine tartness. A Sour Radler combining this beer with grapefruit soda plays the lactose body against dry, bitter citrus for a refreshing warm-weather serve.

Best For

• Summer cookouts where you want a fruit-forward beer that stands up to grilled food
• Introducing hop-averse friends to craft beer through an approachable sour
• Gifting a craft beer enthusiast who favors Wisconsin-brewed small-batch releases
• Pairing nights where tart, fruity beers replace wine alongside cheese and charcuterie

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Tom Petty Circa 1991 taste like? It delivers a prominent strawberry flavor layered with lemon tartness and softened by lactose sweetness, giving the beer a creamy, full-bodied mouthfeel uncommon in kettle sours. The overall profile is fruit-forward and tart without being aggressively acidic.

How does Tom Petty Circa 1991 compare to Untitled Art fruited sours? Both breweries are Wisconsin-based and work in the fruited and pastry sour category, but Tom Petty Circa 1991 uses a two-stage sequential fruit addition — mass strawberry followed by a lemon rest — rather than a single-adjunct approach. At 7.5% ABV, it also tends to run higher in alcohol than many Untitled Art fruited sour releases.

Is Tom Petty Circa 1991 good for sipping on its own? Yes — the lactose body and balanced tartness make it an easy standalone drinker, especially served cold in a tulip glass. At 7.5% ABV, it carries more weight than a typical session sour, so pacing is worth keeping in mind.

Where is Tom Petty Circa 1991 made? It is brewed at Young Blood Beer Company, located at 112 King Street in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. The brewery has established itself as a specialist in bold, fruit-driven sour ales within the Wisconsin craft beer scene.

What foods pair well with Tom Petty Circa 1991? Aged gouda or sharp white cheddar, where the tartness cuts through the fat. Grilled chicken with a citrus glaze mirrors the lemon notes. Fresh strawberry shortcake creates a complementary dessert pairing. A simple arugula salad with goat cheese echoes the beer's creamy-tart balance. Smoked salmon works well, as the lactose body softens the smoke.

What sizes does Tom Petty Circa 1991 come in? It is available in four-packs of 16 oz cans, which is the standard format offered by Young Blood Beer Company for this release.

Is Tom Petty Circa 1991 worth the price? It positions as a small-batch craft sour from an independent Wisconsin brewery, placing it in the premium tier for fruited sour ales. The two-stage fruit conditioning process and generous strawberry load — several hundred pounds per batch — justify its place above mass-produced sour offerings.

Why Tom Petty Circa 1991?

What separates this beer from the crowded fruited sour field is the sequential conditioning process: a massive strawberry addition followed by a deliberate lemon rest, not a one-step flavoring shortcut. That method, born from the brewery's decision to rework their original Strawberry Lemonade Saison into the sour it was always meant to be, gives the beer a layered fruit complexity that single-adjunct kettle sours rarely achieve. The lactose addition builds a body thick enough to carry 7.5% ABV without the beer drinking hot or thin. With a 4.0 out of 5 Untappd rating across more than 450 reviews, it has proven itself as one of Young Blood's most consistently well-received releases.