Weird Beard Co, Single Hop Series No. 4: Citra Pilsner

I wouldn't have picked this as a pilsner in a blind test, but a good beer from Weird Beard nonetheless. Cat wee nose, big citrus taste. Gentle lasting bitterness that turns into a pleasing dryness. Quite like these hoppy lagers/pilsners. (This bottle was drunk back in March.)

Kernel Brewery, Double Citra

My first DIPA experience I think? Set the bar really quite high this one from Kernel. Very hazy pour, much deeper in colour than the pale ale version (being drunk next to me by my wife). Obviously a fat and healthy body to it. Intense tropical flavours. Pursing the lips after swallowing seemed to trap the alcohol around the gums - you could certainly get a feeling for the 9.7% alcohol this way. I liked this drink quite a bit - I felt it deserved the Tarkovsky background.

Art Brew, Hip Hop Extra: Citra

Another citra beer.....this one from Dorset's finest. I think this was quite different to other citras I've had recently - still quite sweet, but the taste wasn't that lemony citrus thing as such. (I had a curry that night, the strong flavours of which may have affected the taste I suppose.) The after-bitterness rested at the back of the tongue. This wasn't a palette obliterator, but close! I felt this drink was running in the same pack as the Arbor Yakima, the Tap East Galaxy and the By the Horns 'Hop Sonnet': hop overload orchestrating a dense, heady, resin stupor. Was there a gentle touch of Saison-esque spice in there? Or were the resins making me imagine things? Was nice to drink 500ml of this. Hic.

The Kernel Brewery, Citra IPA

One of the latest Kernel IPAs, singly hopped with Citra. Very strong sherbet nose + caramel orange in colour and hazy. It tasted like Um Bungo/Tropical Squash/Lilt. I recently had a half of the Stone IPA at the Holborn Whippet and this London IPA reminded me a little of that. The bitterness was relatively mild and the alcohol more or less undetectable (as per with Kernel). I drank this after hopped Saison from Partizan so maybe there was an after-effect from the sweetness of the spices in that drink. Never thought I'd say it, but maybe there's too much tropicality in this? Is there more balance needed? More malt? Or is the point of brewing with Citra to go for that über-fruitiness? (There are increasingly too many question marks in my wrote-ups these days ....)

I had another bottle subsequently, and it made a great deal more sense the second time around.

The Kernel Brewery, IPA: Citra, Ahtanum, Galaxy

My tasting notes are pretty sparse for this recent Kernel IPA. Obviously hoppy and fruity thanks to the Ahtanum from Washington, the Aussie Galaxy and Citra hops. As with Kernel's recent Amarillo Pale Ale, I think I noticed the malts a bit more. The same couldn't be said for the 7.3% abv, which was utterly indiscernable. A gentle lacing down the glass and each finish probably had some of that grapefruity bitterness to it (although I've got a feeling I'm making that up to sound more knowledgable).

Oakham Ales, Citra

I did genuinely detect lychees on the nose of this Oakham Citra, but almost definitely wouldn't have known what it was I was tasting had it not said so on the label. Anyway, the citrusy taste went miles beyond any promise the nose gave - very, very fruity indeed! True yellow in colour, bit of lacing and the finish not desperately bitter, but very long lasting. Top stuff, need to find more of this.