Half Acre 2023M Soft Sour Ale

I have been yelling at people for sometime that Chicago is ripe for some sour beer brewing, so I got a little excited when my friend at Half Acre threw their new sour beer my way.  Not only are they the masters of Big Hugs, but when you have wonderful employees helping you out, what more can you ask for?  A lot of things is the answer, but whatever.

Half Acre 2023M Soft Sour Ale

Appearance- A surprisingly clear orange color.  A rough pour produced a small egg shell white head, but it disappears quickly.

Smell- Distinct trpical fruits, mango and pineapple shine through most prominently. Noticeable caramel malt smell in the background.  Tart, lemony, and slight hay character apparent throughout.

Taste- Tropical fruits with the mango in front.  Surprising amount of malt sweetness.  A lemony hay character with a slight basement musty taste finishes out the beer.  Just the slightest tart character.

Mouthfeel- Medium-light body with low carbonation.  No dry finish like you would expect with a sour.

Overall: "Soft" sour is right.  Where is the sour?  The beer generally lacks any umph or really distinguishing qualities.  I know that this is not meant to be an incredibly sour beer, or maybe Half Acre is fighting back against the idea that more sour is better, and maybe I am just a tad bit biased, but its efforts come up a little short here.