Soured up

Beer from Manchester's sour specialist Chorlton Brewing has been drifting into Ireland and onto bar taps since the middle of last year. I haven't been seeking them out, exactly, but a handful have come my way at various points.

First to do so was Solera One. It shows quite a thrilling sourness, a sharp acidity but with the mineral complexity of real lambic. They've also added elderflower, and this is very apparent once the initial wave of sourness has passed, adding a complementary sweet quality. The two elements gel together much better than they do in the Lindemans attempt at elderflower geuze. It's still not as good as most lambics, lacking subtlety and with a slightly nasty gastric bite in the finish. Close, though. Longer ageing might just be what's needed.

Kolibri was next, a sour IPA. It arrived rather flat and an unattractive murky orange. The flavour was excellent however, starting with the refreshing juice that the style provides so well -- tangy mandarin in particular -- but also adding in a splash of very classy geuze-like dry mineral brick. A lemon-juice finish brings the IPA bitterness. Despite offering a very unusual mix of flavours, it all holds together very well and you wouldn't think you were drinking a hybrid.

The last one is called Karumandi, and I was definitely apprehensive about this. It's brewed with coffee and I'm not at all sure that such a combination of flavours works. I got what I expected: a hot sweaty mess with a nasty metallic twang and a watery finish. While very much as-advertised -- loads of coffee, bags of sour -- it's just not nice to drink.

There's no doubting Chorlton's commitment to sour. This year they'll be packing up in Manchester and beginning anew in Brussels. I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing them as part of that city's beer scene. I'll have my coffee on the side, though.