Wild ales are a bit like the natural wines of the beer world. They’re fermented with wild (or natural) yeasts, imbuing them with a funk-fuelled flavour profile—think earthy, sour cherry, barnyard, bacon, or desiccated pear. Nearly extinct 20 years ago, this beer style was rescued from obscurity by craft beer bars and brewers who worshipped its weird, funky flavours. These days, beer zealots plan their vacations around pilgrimages to the world’s classic wild-fermented breweries.