Citra
Kern River Brewing Company

CitraCitra
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From:
Kern River Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #10
ABV:
8%
Score:
100
Ranked #103
Avg:
4.55 | pDev: 8.79%
Reviews:
435
Ratings:
1,903
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 28, 2024
Added:
Feb 13, 2010
Wants:
  3,131
Gots:
  151
A double IPA that is hazy pale in color with a strong pungent aroma that comes from large amounts of Citra hops.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tectactoe:
Photo of tectactoe
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan

4.82/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
Big thanks to karink for this one - a huge one from my wanted list finally gets crossed off. Pours a deep copper color near the top that cascades through a gradient, finishing at a shade of amber near the bottom. Hazy and cloudy everywhere but the very edges, topped off with a thick fingered, foamy white head that leaves behind some huge pieces of chunky lace. This beer is simply beautiful. Maybe I'm swooning a bit too much because this was such a huge want on my list, but this is spot on for a DIPA... Looks good enough to drink.

The aroma on this beer is simply one of the best in the business. This is how DIPAs should smell. An orgy of fruit plows through your nostrils like a hobo rummaging through a deli; intense bouts of pineapple, mango, guava, grapefruit, citrus, apricot, peach, tangerine... Just name a goddamn fruit and you can probably pick it out of the aroma here. So much fruit, it's insane to think a profile like this comes from the use of only TWO hops (Citra and Armarillo, though most of it is probably from the Citra).

The hop aromas are raw and vibrant also; piney, resinous, oily, floral, and pungently juicy. A light onion-like aroma adds to the complexity as well. Despite the massive hop bomb, the malt backbone does not go unnoticed... It provides a strong and sweet bready aroma alongside the hops, like buttered crackers and lightly toasted buttered bread. This aroma is simply sublime, in every sense of the word.

Couldn't have been more excited to bring this one to my lips after smelling it... the malt underbody gets laid out right from the start; it begins with a highly drinkable malty sweetness, again, in the form of buttery biscuits, lighty toasted, hand-in-hand with a mild onion and salty flavor. It doesn't get too comfortable on your palate, however, because the hop bum-rush quickly asserts itself - heavy, heavy citrus peel, pineapple, mangos, grapefruits, tangerines, and honeydew. Just an insane collage of fruits that bounce of the sides of the mouth like crazy.

A piney bitterness washes over everything about halfway through, followed by a decrescendo of floral, herbal, and oily resins. The aftertaste dies out with this bitterness that couples with a light malt sweetness and a heap of bittersweet citrus flavors. 8% ABV goes completely under the radar, this beer is drinkable as shit. Medium bodied with somewhat high carbonation, ever-so-slightly sticky on the palate.

This was one of my biggest wants (thanks again to karink for the hook-up) and I am so glad that it not only lived up to the hype, but it surpassed my expectations by quite a bit. So goddamn tasty, aromatic, and drinkable. Everything a DIPA could hope to be. If you're a lover of citrusy based D/IPAs, do yourself a solid and get your hands on this beer. All hail the motherfuckin' Citra hop, baby!
Feb 11, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.31 by beersgud from Kansas

Jan 28, 2024
Photo of russpowell
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas

4.51/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours an effervescent gold/honey with a thumb eggshell colored head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Bready, piney, lemons, mangoes. Pineapple shows up as this beer warms

T: Follows the nose, dryness, pineapple & grapefruit up front. Grapefruit, limes, a hint of pine & dryness/breadyness once this beer is warm. Finishes a touch cakey with pineapple, grapefruit & a kiss of green melon

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, nice balance

Classic West Coast DIPA, in your face, but very drinkable to the point of too easy. This would so be in my rotation if feasible
Dec 24, 2023
Photo of WillieThreebiers
Reviewed by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

4.42/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours a cloudy golden straw with a finger of foamy head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring with some lacing. Aroma of pineapple, mango, grapefruit and trace of pine. Taste follows nose.
Dec 20, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by osseo222000 from California

Dec 13, 2023
 
Rated: 4.37 by sd123 from Georgia

Nov 30, 2023
Photo of Dwarfrat
Reviewed by Dwarfrat

4.6/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
The first Citra was incredible. We found that bottle aging for ten days smoothed it out.
After a few years of substandard Citra hops resulting in a brew not as good as the first, it's back up to where it was in the beginning.
Since KRBC switched to all aluminum cans, the mouth feel is less wonderful than from a bottle.
It's best at the brewery.
The food?
I go to drink, not to eat. The waffle fries are flavored soggy cardboard.

Tasted at the Brewery 11-10-2023
Not the same beer
The magic is gone
Jun 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by doctorgary from New York

Jun 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.46 by Hawkfish from Washington

Jun 12, 2023
Photo of Captain69
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois

4.04/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
GREAT FLAVORED IPA full of hoppy flavor in every sip great hop after taste great beer to drink again
May 29, 2023
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

4.46/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Citra from Kern River Brewing, 16 fl oz can from @2beerdogs in NBW BIF 17. Reviewed 25/04/23 (Review 3082). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Lower rim of can stamped “CANNED ON 0?/2?/23”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 45.3 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 54.5 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25.
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), hazy. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, translucent.
Head: Large (Maximum 4.5 cm, aggressive center pour), ivory, high density, average retention, rapidly retreating, leaving a 1.2 – 2.2 cm jagged crown and a rocky complete layer. As the head contracts, irregular elongated islands remain above the head.
Lacing – Good – remnants of the head following the patterns of the head, but thinner.
Aroma – 4.5 – Grapefruit and generic citrus (tending toward pineapple) backed by caramel malt, no yeast. No ethanol (8.5 % ABV as marked on the label) aroma.
Flavor – 4.5 – Follows the nose. Begins and ends citrusy and full-bodied, a bit dank and resinous over caramel malt. No yeast or ethanol. Barely noticeable gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends crisp and dry with a little resin.
Palate – 4.25 – Full; dry; lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.5 Good DIPA – dank, crisp, and citrusy.
Apr 25, 2023
Photo of TheWaySheGoes
Reviewed by TheWaySheGoes from Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
The smell is just unreal and this one is not for a first time IPA drinker. What a treat, and I hope they continue to expand with their distribution. Very lucky to get a hold of this legendary beer. So many powerful tasting notes, and the sweetness at the end is done just right.
Apr 14, 2023
Photo of NeilSilber1
Reviewed by NeilSilber1 from California

4.72/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours golden yellow with thin white foamy cap in small tulip glass on draught at Father’s office. Beautiful citrus pineapple, mango and hops on the nose. Really great springy DIPA bursting with Citra hops! Cheers to greatness!
Apr 13, 2023
 
Rated: 4.33 by Gooseman80 from Illinois

Mar 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.31 by LA2ED7

Mar 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4.65 by hopley from Massachusetts

Mar 20, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by BigIronH from Michigan

Dec 25, 2022
Photo of Thankin_Hank
Reviewed by Thankin_Hank from Texas

4.51/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Citra pours a slightly hazy, cloudy amber color with a big beautiful head. A sixteen ounce, canned 11/24/22 is very strong with the Citra aroma. Taste is powerful and good. Citra and Amarillo go together well in this brew. Fabulously smooth and not really bitter at all. Overall a fine Double IPA.
Dec 24, 2022
Photo of kemoarps
Reviewed by kemoarps from New York

4.35/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Both @2beerdogs and @Beersnake1 sent me cans of this one related to the recent NBS BIF#16, so I guess the California contingent feels strongly that I should try it!!

Beautiful clear caramel gold colour with a good finger plus of just off white foam. Soft and velvety with sprinkled large bubbles, it sticks to the glass as it recedes.

Nose is a great showcase for citra hops, and that works for me, because citra is a great hop! There's some citrus, some pine, some kind of light honeysuckle and wonderful rich complementary caramel malts underneath.

Flavour isn't quite as rich as the aroma, but it presents all the goodies. Bitter citrus and pine, some caramel malts, some round fruits... finish is bitter but not overpowering by any means. It's mostly in the pith/citrus side of things, but not the full on acid bomb of like a Monkish, and it's balanced with a little bit of earthy pine and a touch of the sweet malts to balance.

This is just a phenomenal beer all around, and right up my alley. I love what I've tried from Kern River, and I can see why both Tim and Derek both independently thought I should try this beer. Thanks, fellas!!
Dec 23, 2022
 
Rated: 4.44 by foundersasap from Michigan

Dec 19, 2022
Citra from Kern River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 1903 ratings