Kama Citra (Høst Citra)
Beer Here

Copenhagen 24/5 2017. 50 cl on tap from Gaarden & Gaden, Nørrebrogade, Kbh. N.

Pours slightly hazy copper brown with creamy off-white head, Settles as 1 cm thick layer of dense foam. Massive lacing.

Aroma is quite citric and bitter with a solid whiff of exotic fruit. A little caramel just to remind me that this is a brown ale.

Medium strong carbonation and medium thick palate.

Flavor is lightly sweet followed by heavy bitterness. An orgy of grape fruit. Aftertaste is bitter with a solid dry finish.

Not the typical brown ale - but a brutal citra bitter version of the Classic style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance:
Pours a very dark brown, borderline black, body that allows little to no light to penetrate. Huge, cream-colored head with the best retention I've seen in awhile. Plenty of lacing.

Aroma:
For the style, this one is a head-scratcher. Sweet caramel malt provides a backbone to a rather potent wintergreen and grass hop presence but it doesn't really remind me of the citra hop. A light peat character is also noticeable. This one is interesting and pleasant enough.

Taste:
Bitterness is dealt with swiftly right up front - it's not potent, however. Just as quickly, sweetness kicks in with plenty of nuttiness. Caramel and roasted malts and, of course, plenty or earthy hoppiness. Lingering in the back of every sip, you'll get a bit of tart raisin. Very interesting concoction.

Mouthfeel:
Medium bodied and carbonated. Finishes pretty clean but it's pretty dry.

Overall:
I'll be honest, when I grabbed this on a whim, I thought I had grabbed an IPA. Boy was I surprised when I started sipping... Silly me. I'm not typically a fan of brown ales, but, thankfully this one is a unique take on the style and I'm glad I mistakenly snagged it. HOWEVER, I'm not sure I would grab it again.

 

 

On-tap. Shaker glass @ Animal Bar (Madrid). Dark copper color, ruby to the light. Beige & creamy crown shows fairly good retention. Toasted & floral aromas mixed with very subtle chocolate hues. Toasted malts & crispy bitterness at first sip rounded by chocolate notes. Medium body. Moderate carbonation. Oily texture. Dry bitter finish. Sweet/bitter cocoa on the aftertaste. ABV well hidden in a well balanced, no flat beer.

A: Pours a clear but opaque very dark brown (almost black) in color with light amounts of gentle visible carbonation along the edges of the glass and some cola brown + dark amber highlights. The beer has a two finger tall dense foamy tan head that slowly reduces to a very thick film covering the entire surface of the beer evenly. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of chocolate malts with moderate aromas of coffee and citrus/lemon hops.

T: Upfront there is a moderate flavor of lightly roasted chocolate malts with some hints of cocoa. There are lighter notes of coffee with some light to moderate flavors of citrus/lemon hops. Moderate amounts of bitterness which fades pretty quickly.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly creamy.

O: Good amounts of complexity to the flavors and aromas of this beer and the citra hops do not compete with the flavors of this brown ale - kind of a unique pairing of hops and malts but I think it came off quite successfully. Enjoyable and easy to drink.

 

Citra gives this old brown ale recipe an interesting twist, tangy fruit followed by a crisper mouthfeel than one usually gets from such a dark brown ale. I don't review many beers, only about 1 in 50 that I try, or maybe even less than that since I don't think it fair to review on a 2 oz pour. So this big bottle came my way, pleasantly surprised at the mixup in styles, and I recommend you at least try it if you get the chance.

This would be great with food like hamburger or steak and fries, BBQ,; it is snappy enough to cleanse the palate and the brown malts would complement meat well.

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 16.9 oz bottle into a TBBC pint glass.

A: Quite a dark brown, just barely translucent. Half-finger's worth of mocha head and good visible carbonation.

S: Citrus hops, roasted and brown malts, pine hops - but not huge on the nose.

T: Coffee and chocolate toasted malts, hop bitterness that's lightly citrus in flavor. Hop and mild roasty bittersweet in the hang. This is closer to being a balanced beer than I expected.

M: Creamy mouthfeel and a thicker body for I usually find in a brown ale, but a good amount of carbonation. The alcohol noticeable but remains in the background.

O: This was decent. Nothing I'd seek out again, but recommended to try once.