Beer Molly Rose Brewing Sour Times

When two of the first half dozen beers you release have the word "sour" in their title, it's pretty clear what sort of tip you're on. Sure, Nic assures us he'll have more "normal" beers pouring at the Molly Rose brewpub when it opens, but his heart lies in more esoteric realms, the sort where blending hot filtered Ethiopian coffee roasted by Dawn Patrol with grapefruits and mandarins makes perfect sense.

The coffee dominates the aroma, albeit in more of a perfumey bean manner than espresso, melding with some lovely sharp citrus and a touch of peach. Those fruity elements come increasingly into play on the palate, where there's almost total role reversal. There, the freshly squeezed, zesty and bracingly acidic fruit characters relegate the coffee to second fiddle in what's a refreshing, different and subtly complex beer.