It must be summer. There are new fruited sour beers from Irish breweries.First today is the latest in The White Hag's once-annual series of mixed fermentation fruited jobs. The last one was with pineapple and here they've added coconut as well, for Púca Piña Colada. It's 3.5% ABV as usual and a pale white-gold colour. That coconut is right there in the aroma, alongside a sharp lemon pinch of sourness. This follows directly into the flavour, all dessertish and creamy. Still the bugs hold their own, and after that initial cake hit there's a properly sharp and tart element, scrubbing away any sugary excesses. Overall it's a bit silly but highly enjoyable and well suited for al fresco drinking on evenings when nothing is meant to be taken seriously.
Rye River, meanwhile, offers Revelry Red Lemonade, a gose with added lemon, raspberry and cherry, produced in collaboration with Siren. From the name I was expecting it to be clear, and kind of brown, but it's actually a pink emulsion, looking like finger paint, or one of those ghastly sticky lactose non-sour "sours". I'm happy to say it tastes like neither, and while it lacks the kick of finger paint, it makes up for it with a beautifully clean and tangy citric sharpness, the lemon and the souring culture teaming up and making it fabulously refreshing. I couldn't taste much by way of raspberry or cherry, but in the back there's a fun spice or herb thing, like cola or ohhhhh: red lemonade. We got there eventually. This is another light one, at just 4.5% ABV, but I think it's possibly a bit too tart to be quaffable. Regardless it's a good one for sipping in the sun.So that's your summer sorted, drinks wise.
