Chinook Citra Denali
Dugges Ale- & Porterbryggeri AB

i think this is the first i have seen from these guys in a can, but its brewed stateside where everything is brewed apparently now, which begs the question why this is so darn expensive, it makes no sense. no rare ingredients, unless you count denali hops, nothing process intensive like barrels or coolships or blending, none of it, it seems greedy to me that it costs so much, but i guess its preferable to an expired little bottle from the other side of the world for the same price, whatever, i keep buying them so i validate it weekly, but i hate it, just had to say it, not a dugges issue, its the system. anyway, this is gorgeous, three inches of high and lasting head hanging above the rim of my globe. crazy they call this a pale, its a blurry line, hoppy as heck, but no real bitterness i guess is their distinction here. i think citra still drives this, but i can taste and appreciate the denali, which to me is still so new and exciting, not that i dont know what it tastes like, but because i still dont know how to describe it, its not like other hops, no obvious parallel to any fruit or anything, its so cool, and even though the beer lacks perfect freshness overall, the denali still pops in it, which makes it for me, even justifies the spendy purchase. this is the first normal drinking beer i think ive had or seen from these guys too, everything is brownie mix or cola or a slush puppy, its nice to have just a pale, although this is a liberal take on a pale even still, at least its not stacked with adjuncts (i like all their beer by the way, this is not negative commentary). bring the price down a few bucks and get it to idaho fresher, and this is the truth!

This was the first beer that I had from Dugges as I found a single can of it on the shelf up at Gary's in Wayne recently. Sure, it was a nice-looking label and it was brewed at Twelve Percent but this had a flavor that was incredibly sweet and sugary for having these hops in it. Indeed, this was a Pale Ale that wasn't quite like what I was accustomed to stateside!

As expected, this had a cloudy and golden hue to it with plenty of head topping it off as it slowly settled. Nice rings of lacing were left behind as they were well-defined, soapy, and spotty in between. Lots of dry floral and sweet notes in the nose as the taste had those to an even greater extend. Saffron, wildflower, bubblegum, and cotton candy defined this beer with some underlying dankness and mint to give this heft and bite. Balanced, doughy in malt, and tasting a bit like yeast in the back, this had a nice juicy slickness that tied everything in together and made this easily enjoyable.

The same could be said for the alcohol, as it was enduring but barely noticeable. This had an exotic, wild, and outdoorsy feel to it that almost had me thinking that it was Belgian in nature but of course, that was not the case. It was just something new that was relaxing and nicely put together. Packaged on 6/15, there was a bit of dark sediment at the bottom of the liquid but besides that, this was a lovely beer that felt like orange juice with hops, flowers, yeast, and dough thrown in for fun. Worth seeking out for a relaxing session!