Starr Hill Lola
Lola is the last of Starr Hill’s new brews from their Sour Series introduced this year. While the 4.7% ABV gose is similar in presentation to the previous three bottles from the line-up with its deceptively approachable nature, it features guava as a differentiator.
The first thing you’ll notice, if you’ve had the opportunity to experience all of the Sour Series brews, is the clarity that Lola presents. The Roxanne, Lizzy and Mariah all had a measure of haze visible in the glass. Lola also carries a bit more salinity to the flavor profile than her sisters — which works quite nicely with the melony guava. Again, much like the others, the level of sour tartness is pretty tame here. It makes for an approachable introduction to the style.
While the salt influence feels increased here, the fruit flavor sort of stays at the same level. I would have personally preferred for that guava to take a bigger step forward into the spotlight. It’s a fairly delicate presentation that I feel could be more robust to balance with that saltiness and light tartness.
When all is said and done, however, Lola fits right in line with the rest of Starr Hill’s Sour Series. It’s an easy drinking representation of the style that is refreshing and lively. At the lower level of alcohol across the board, you could sit down with all four brews for a fun session on the back deck.
This is a review of a promotional sample.