Citra IPA
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

Cloudy, apricot juice appearance. Superb head which lasts throughout the tasting. Blanket lacing throughout the tasting.

Decent malt base with a clean, lighter hop spice. Some band-aid.

There's a peach sweetness start. The body is quite rich for the style. The carbonation is also elevated. The hop is straight-up bitter creating a lengthy but well balanced aftertaste.

 

Probably the best NEIPA I've ever had. I'm not super crazy about their extra soft water thing. HF layers the hops is such a way that the aroma is intense but delicate at the same time. Worth the 2 and half hour drive from Southern VT during our last vacation in VT.

 

 

 

12oz can - dated 03/02/20 - poured into an IPA glass at 38°F.

Huge thanks to acurtis for this one!

Pours a hazy glowing oramge juice yellow. Not quite milky, like the super NEIPAs, but it has little translucency. Just enough clarity to let the light through and turn this into a glowing oramge lightbulb of a beer. A finger and a half of loose white head recedes fairly quickly to just a film, leaving half a finger of lacing behind.

Nose: Very classic Citra hop aromas. Juicy and succulent ripe papaya, melon, tangerine, orange pith, unripe grapefruit rind, lemon rind, pineapple, lychee, some yellow mango, a touch of green grass, and a very unique hint of spearmint on the back end, all wrapped up in a clean, simple pale malt base. Beautiful display of quality Citra hops.

Palate: Immediately, this beer greets the palate much drier than anticipated. It has that grainy pale malt character of a NEIPA - likely with some oat too, but there's a lot of classic spirit here too. Dry grainy malt supports a big bouquet of Citra hops that immediately kick down the door with pineapple, orange, grapefruit, some melon, some papaya, gooseberry, and a whole lot of ZEST! This is one zesty beer. Lemon zest, orange zest, grapefruit zest, pomello zest, lime zest... So bright and fresh. I haven't had many of these Hill Farmstead IPAs, but I'm starting to think there's something in the water. These beers have a huge minerality to them, which almoat hints at this gentle acidity, and it just makes them so bright and zippy. Like mineral water. There's some clean grassiness towards the back end, and then a nice drying pithiness comes in and really dries it out.

Mouthfeel/Body: The beer is medium-light in body - some softness from the malt, but much more crisp and snappy. Zero heft or stickiness, and it's incredibly refreshing - a trait that is only accentuated by the lively, zippy effervescence that keeps this light on its toes. Pithy drying finish. Clean.

Overall: Man on man... This is my 5th Hill Farmstead IPA, and I think they're onto something with these single hop offerings. Mosaic was what opened my eyes, but this just seals the deal for me. If I could actually get these, they might be my favourite East Coast producer of hoppy ales. This just ticks every box for me. And to drink this well after three months? Come on! If you've ever had DDH Pseudo Sue, this has everything that has, but takes it to the next level, rounds off the edges, and adds a special secret flair to it. One of the best displays of Citra I've encountered. This is phenomenal. You need it in your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz can, dated 11.25.19, poured into a 12oz Hill Farmstead willibecher glass.

The beer pours a cloudy and lightly hazy golden straw color, honey hues with a nice finger of soft white head that has good retention and excellent lacing. The aroma is pleasant, soft wildflower, citrus, pale grains, mineral water, light earthy and grassy green hops linger. The flavors are nice, soft and simple, lead by a nice citrus peel, valencia orange juice, lots of doughy pale grain, mineral water, bitter pine, grassy and raw green hop leaf with a nice bright wildflower character. The mouthfeel is great, coating and smooth medium body with nice carbonation that isn't too abrasive and feels quite smooth with a delicate finish.

Verdict: A nice IPA from Hill Farmstead. It's soft and more of a delicate IPA than a big booming dose of Citra, but the balance is great and it feels fresh and bright.

Poured from a 12 oz can into a tulip glass.

Pours a hazy golden orange color with a finger of creamy white head. The head leaves a beautiful crown of lacing before settling into a thin sheet.

The aroma is exceedingly dank up front. There's plenty of notes of tangerines, overripe mango, papaya, and grapefruit. The cracker malt is present in the back with some subtle spiciness.

The flavor brings loads of tangerines, grapefruit, mangoes, and melon up front, followed by a wave of cracker malt and grass. Finishes spicy and earthy. Very well-balanced.

The feel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Very soft and creamy. Surprisingly clean.

Overall, a fantastic IPA that is definitely one of the better showcases of the Citra hop. While it doesn't quite reach the level of Double Citra, it's still extremely flavorful and easy to drink.

Pours a creamy orange color. 1 finger frothy white head. Retention is quite good.
The nose is filled with citrus. I get some orange, I think some grapefruit also. Quite strong, and pleasing.
Taste - Nice and mellow orange, and some grapefruit.
Creamy mouthfeal. Full bodied.
Another solid IPA from HF.

14 oz draft pour at Churchkey in DC.

Hops: Citra

This is one of those beers I never thought I would have the chance to try. I always wanted to see what HF could do with a single Citra hop IPA. Sure I wish this was actually Double Citra, but I'm not complaining. I'm more into lower ABV beers anyway and this was sublime. Soft, juicy and as clean as a whistle.

On tap at the Mule Bar

 

I had this on draft at HF in Oct of 2015. I just found this on some notes I had made. I am putting in some review numbers so I can keep a list on BeerA so I can find what I have had at HF. So this rating really doesn’t count if you read this.
Actually here in Aug2019 I DO remember this. Wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/1/18 can