Review: Goose Island's New Little Breezy Beer Hug Is Now A Bare Necessity Of Summertime

We get it — choosing a good beer is complicated, especially with so many options on the market. But if you're looking for a new beer to add to your rotation this summer, look no further than Little Breezy from Goose Island. This brewery that is well-known for its innovative flavors and collaborations — such as the Goose Island Bourbon County variants — recently added a new iteration to its Beer Hug brew lineup.

In spring, Little Breezy citrusy ale became the sixth member of this Chicago-based brewery's Beer Hug family. This is the first Beer Hug product that is not an India pale ale, as all previously released beers in this lineup are variations of IPA, including imperial, hazy, and West Coast styles. After trying this new beer, I found Little Breezy to be an excellent addition to the Beer Hug selection, and thought that it was the most drinkable of the bunch — especially in the warmer summer months.

The ale is made with Citra and Amarillo hops, which together provide a citrus-forward aroma and flavor, making Little Breezy a great pick during the summer. Being 4.5% ABV, you can drink a few of these without feeling the effects too quickly — unlike some of the other, much stronger, options in the Beer Hug family. Read on for our full breakdown of Goose Island's new Little Breezy Beer Hug citrusy ale.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer. 

According to Goose Island's promo text, Little Breezy Beer Hug has a light body and a subtly tart taste that is equally enjoyable when sipped in the summer sunshine or while hunkered down indoors during a snowstorm. (I'll take the first option, thank you.)

In creating this citrus ale, Goose Island utilized two varieties of beer hops: Citra and Amarillo, both of which are very popular for making IPAs, APAs (American pale ales), wheat beers, and other pale ales. The hop selections are the key to making a light and refreshing beer that also fits in with the other Beer Hug options, which are much heavier in flavor and stronger in alcohol content. Through the combination of hops used in Little Breezy, Goose Island creates a flavor profile of lemon, mango, pineapple, and melon, balanced with mild bitter tones. It's not quite hazy in color, but it's not a crystal-clear filtered beer, either, falling somewhere in the middle. 

Like the other brews in the Beer Hug line, Little Breezy comes in a brightly colored, almost neon can. A bear wearing sunglasses — the line's de facto mascot — graces the can, as well. On the shelves of stores, this is sure to stand out. 

Little Breezy sets a new standard for Goose Island's Beer Hug line. Firstly and most notably, this is not an IPA; instead it is a citrus ale. All previous members of the Beer Hug family — including Tropical Beer Hug, the lineup's introductory offering launched in 2021 — are IPAs, either in an imperial, hazy, American, or West Coast style. Each of these earlier offerings has an alcohol content of 6.8% or more, with two reaching 9.9%. At less than half of that strength, Little Breezy is the first in the group with a much more approachable ABV.

What really connects Little Breezy to the Beer Hug line, however, is its citrus-forward flavor. Despite their strength, each of the earlier-released Beer Hug brews have a fruity taste. With its flavor profile that can be described as tropical and citrusy, Little Breezy is a perfect match for its fellow Beer Hug siblings. 

Goose Island is one of my favorite breweries, and IPA is one of my favorite styles of beer. So when I learned that the brewery was launching a new product to join its Beer Hug line and that it would be the first non-IPA option, I was excited to give it a shot.

In pouring the Little Breezy, I discovered that it has a light yellow-amber color, and is mildly hazy. You immediately pick up on a citrusy aroma (mostly lemon) with a hint of hoppy bitterness. With my first sip, I was surprised by how refreshing it was. Due to its association with the Beer Hug lineup and the hazy color, I thought it would be much more hop-forward in flavor. I was wrong. Instead, you get a very crisp, citrusy flavor. Lemon still dominated my taste buds, but I also picked up very subtle notes of mango and pineapple. Goose Island claims that melon is part of this beer's flavor profile, but that was harder to discern.

Very crucially, a slight bitterness comes through clearly. Without these notes, this brew could veer too far into sour-beer territory, or even an overly sweet shandy flavor. Don't get me wrong, both of those tastes have their time and place, but this isn't supposed to be a sour beer or a shandy, so it was great to find that it actually holds up in the taste test. 

Little Breezy currently has limited availability. As of this article's publication, Goose Island fans will only be able to find this Beer Hug variety in Illinois. You can try it at the Goose Island Taproom or the Salt Shed Pub, both located in Chicago. Beyond these watering holes, Little Breezy Beer Hug is available in 12-ounce cans offered in 12 packs across the Land of Lincoln. That said, according to Mike Siegel — Goose Island's senior innovation manager — Little Breezy could very well be headed for a nationwide launch, following the coast-to-coast success of its Beer Hug siblings.

"Each beer at the brewery is released in a similar manner, with brewers always starting with a small-batch experiment and getting our brewers' and customers' feedback right then," Siegel says. "New products are created on a small scale in our two-barrel pilot brewery year-round. If well-liked internally, the product is taken a step further to the tap deck, followed by our Chicago taprooms, where Goose Island loves to hear feedback from fans." 

Siegel went on to explain that with enough positive buzz, Goose Island then takes its new products nationwide. Other members of the Beer Hug family followed the same path, and all of the previous five beers in the lineup are now distributed nationally. So, if you're not in Illinois, keep your fingers crossed and give it some time. I have no doubt that Little Breezy will join its family members across the country.

Is Little Breezy Beer Hug worth it? In a word, definitely. It's light and refreshing, but it also has plenty of flavor, making it a great substitute for other summertime beers. Its alcohol content of 4.5% also makes it much easier to enjoy a few while hanging out, watching a game, barbecuing, or any other activity, really. As it's similar to a shandy, you might even want to choose Little Breezy as a beer pairing for lobster rolls. 

I'm a fan of the other brews in the Beer Hug lineup, but some of them — the Big Juicy and Tropical 9.9% ABV varieties, in particular — are prohibitively potent to enjoy more than one at a time. The more I drank of the Little Breezy variety (that is, two beers), the more I grew to like the flavor. 

Unfortunately, I do not live in Illinois, so like many other beer lovers around the U.S., I will have to wait for Little Breezy to hit bars and supermarket shelves near me. Whenever that day comes, however, you can count on me picking some up.

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and Food Republic.