Creekside Citra IPA
Creekside Brewing Company

NOTE (09-20-2010): As with many of the beers at Creekside, this recipe changes (sometimes drastically) from batch to batch. I just sampled the newest batch last night, which hardly resembled the first two batches described below.

Had this on-tap at Creekside yesterday during their all-day happy hour. Following review written from notes.

Served in a standard pint glass.

Appearance: One finger's worth of dense, sudsy, white head sits atop a cloudy, orange-banana body. Body looks great in the sun (Zach and I were sitting out on the balcony), but the opacity just seems odd. Head retention and lacing are both exceptional.

Smell: Tangerine, candied orange, and sweet herbal hops. I'm not familiar with Citra hops, but I'm pretty sure I've identified them in this smell. Not my favorite smelling hops, but they're alright. Sweet and mild.

Taste: Sweet lemon and orange transition to pine and then earthy bitterness. The initial sweetness dissipates really quickly, leaving nothing but earth in the aftertaste. Kind of odd. Strength of the bitterness is decent. Seems like a good IPA for those new to the style.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied with mild bitterness and moderate carbonation. Very easy on the palate. Mild earthy bitterness clings to the palate for a good while, but this actually feels pretty clean for an IPA.

Drinkability: Zach and I both thought this IPA was a little boring, but it worked well for our first beer of the afternoon, especially given the warm weather. Very easy going.

EDIT (06-05-2010): Just sampled batch 2 of CItra IPA and it was all around much better! Smell and taste were more assertive and bitter. Will be ordering a full pint of it soon!