Littler Bitter Beer
Littler Bitter is a new alcohol-free beer from Yorkshire-based brewer – Ridgeside Brewing. This brewer has made great strides within the beer sector producing unique and different alcoholic beers such as their Equator (mango and pineapple IPA) and Objects in Space (pale ale). Due to the increase in demand for alcohol-free beers, Ridgeside has decided to create three alcohol-free beers – Light and Sound (0.5% IPA), Nothing But The Snow (a collaboration with Mash Gang) and the one I tried today – Littler Bitter.
If you’re not from the UK you probably don’t realise that people of Yorkshire love a good bitter and this is what Ridgeside have tried to recreate using a mix of hops and malts to create a fruity, crisp alcohol-free bitter.
So is this alcohol-free beer worthy of a place on My Dry Bar or one to be forgotten? Well, you’ll just need to read my review below to find out.
Is Littler Bitter any good?
Taste
To be honest I would struggle to label this a ‘bitter’! Ok, there are some fruity citrus flavours and a subtle bitterness but Littler Bitter lacks the sort of body and hoppy, malty tones I would expect from a Yorkshire bitter. It wasn’t terrible to drink but compared to other alcohol-free ales I’ve reviewed it is way down in the pecking order.
Aroma & Appearance
When you open a can of Littler Bitter the aromas you are hit with include hoppy, caramel notes. It does have a similar appearance to a classic bitter beer given it pours into the glass with a dark, cloudy amber colour and a thin head on top.
Bonus points
Given this beer is created in collaboration with Mash Gang (whose can designs are very well executed) this feels like a bit of a rushed job ie grab a stock image and a drab colour palette. Unfortunately, I am unable to find out if this beer is vegan-friendly but it isn’t gluten-free (given the ingredients needed). It is also an incredibly tricky beer to find and is probably made in small batches hence the lack of supply.
Buy Littler Bitter
At the time of writing, you can buy this alcohol-free beer from online specialists listed below
The Dry Drinker is a great allrounder when it comes to alcohol-free drinks with a great range of wines, beers and spirits.
Key information
– per 330ml
Brewery – Ridgeside Brewing
Country – UK
Alcohol content – 0.5%
Calories – n/a
Ingredients – Water, Wheat, Oats, Barley
Vegan friendly? – n/a
Gluten-free? – n/a
Availability – medium/ hard
“Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness.”
-Seneca, AD 50 BC
