One Citra at a Time
Stone Brewing

 

L - Somewhat hazy golden with an off-white head that dissipates quickly, leaving behind some lacing
S - Tropical fruit notes- mango and lime - with some floral hop notes
T - Sweet tropical fruit notes up front and throughout - mango, lime, grapefuit, pineapple - intermixed with slightly resinous, bitter hops, grassy notes, and some caramel malt
F - medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Soft and smooth
O - A decent NEIPA - though, not necessarily a NEIPA. Let's just say it's a decent IPA

Stone Brewing "One Citra at a Time"
16 fl. oz. can "packaged 06/13/23" and sampled on 08/12/23
$4.25 @ Wegmans, King of Prussia, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: This is a surprsingly clear "hazy" double IPA. It's not even as hazy as a glass of Hoegaarden. Let me shake it around and see if there's anything left on the bottom... no, not really. It's a deep golden in color beneath a finger's width of rocky white foam that seems to be holding well. The nose is hoppy with resins and spiciness, citrus, pineapple, and other tropical fruits over a grainy and bready malt base. It's fairly hoppy for a double IPA where the malt can sometimes overpower. On to the taste... it's still got a lot of malt character, which is great. The hops remain spicy and resinous, and citrusy and otherwise tropical. There's also a little bit of a berry-like note to it, and a bit of floral character which I'm not finding in the nose; perhaps it's being drowned out. It's solidly bitter with a dry and spicy finish. How much of that spiciness is due to alcohol I don't know but I'm sure it's playing a part. How strong is this? It's 8.5% so that fits the bill. As it warms I'm getting some grapefruit out of it, some peach, a touch of guanabana, and maybe some guava. The aroma is starting to show some floral character as well. I was expecting it to be more citrusy but I like it as it is. I like that they've kept the malt golden and basic as it allows the hops to come through more clearly. I'd call it medium bodied on the full side, and fairly crisp with a fine-bubbled just slightly lower than standard carbonation. It's interesting, and it holds your attention although I wouldn't go so far as to call it compelling. The head held up pretty well and it left a little bit of lacing which isn't bad for a beer of 8.5%. Should I dock its score for appearance given that it's not really hazy? Nah, who cares? If I give beers a break when they're hazy and really they shouldn't be, then I have to give a beer that's label as hazy but is basically clear the same treatment. I'd buy this again.
Review #8,706

Canned on: 06-13-23

A - Medium gold color with a moderate, even layer of creamy foam that's consistent across the top, carbonation is light, but steady.

S - Sticky malt base with nice old school spiciness over the top that's herbally and piney.

T - Consistent caramel malt base lays a nice foundation and is prevelant from start to finish. Over top is a wave of spicy, herbally citrus mixed in with the perfect amount of resiny pine that rides the wave all the way out for a pleasing bitter finish. Pine resin sticks around long after the sip.

M - Big medium body and a little dry on the finish

O - "East Coast Hazy", is this a play on words? The name leads you to believe this will be a fruity East Coast haze bomb and it's really quite the opposite. Callin' it for what it is: Old School West Coast. Bought one can to try it and went back to the store for a 4-pk. Dig this beer and even at (7) weeks out it's really good. Would have been awesome to catch it within the first few weeks of canning but thankful Stone opened a brewery here on the East Coast. Had this been coming from the West Coast, it would easily be two to three months old by now.

Pours a clear gold. Thick foam. Hoppy aroma. Big malty hop body. Medium bitter finish. Well balanced. This tastes more west coast than east coast but thats ok with me.