You may have caught a previous iteration of this beer on tap last year but, as part of their growing exploration of sour beers, Hargreaves Hill has brought the Small Sour Ale back in bottles. The name does a pretty good job of letting you know what to expect: it's an ale that's been soured and it doesn't contain much in the way of booze.
Starting out with a pale wheat beer like based, it was soured with lactobacillus before enjoying a date with some fruity New World hops. And it's the hops that grab your attention first, offering up some soft lemon citrus aromas that mask the impending sour character well enough that it comes as quite a surprise when the tart palate tickle follows. The result is a beer that's not a million miles from a minerally Riesling or a dry sparkling white – but with a quarter of the alcohol.
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