So Fresh & So Green, Green 2017 Citra
Terrapin Beer Company

Having CANpleted CANother brewery horizontal, now it is on to the next victim, er, brewery. Terrapin may have been sold to a corporation, but they have always been rather good to me. For insCANce, I received an erroneous E-mail from them & when I received an apology, I requested an embroidered cloth patch to salve the wound. They sent it forthwith! Onward.

From the CAN: "Ain't nobody hopped like me!"; "So Fresh & So Green, Green Beer Fresh Hop IPA Citra"; "Terrapin's 'So Fresh and So Green, Green' is a beer that celebrates the hop! Made with freshly picked, whole leaf 'wet' hops, these off-the-vine beauties will encourage you to drink fresh, drink local and drink now."

Well, I was not as encouraged as they had probably hoped for, but no time like the present! I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. It initially returned the favor by forming two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with excellent retention. It CANtinued by presenting itself as Amber to Deep-Amber/Light-Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was quite citrusy, but I found it leaning more towards orange/tangerine than grapefruit. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was deeply citrusy, with lemon-lime joining orange-tangerine & grapefruit lurking in the background. Mmm. This had a surprisingly low bitterness, surprising because that is a common knock against Citra hops being used alone without any offsetting supporting cast. I suppose that the question becomes how I felt about it as a self-avowed, self-described hophead. I was okay with it for a couple/few reasons: 1) I CAN be satiated without extreme bitterness, 2) there was an earthiness as a result of their use of wet hops that I found tasty & 3) it was a ChANce to try a single-hopped beer so whatever the outcome, it was worthwhile. Finish was dry in spite of its not being bitter, which I found really interesting. Had my inadvertent aging caused this? Was it attributable to whichever malt(s) they used in CANbination with the Citra hops? Hmm. A VERY interesting beer! YMMV.

 

 

 

Wet, wet, wet. Terrapin enjoys the drippy goodness of the freshest, brightest and most radiant hop character by collecting them field fresh and employing them in the brewing process before being dried and preserved. With this rendition, the Citra hop gives the yearly rotation a decidedly citronella character throughout.

Sof Fresh, So Green pours a rich caramel amber color and sheds a creamy ivory froth. The radiant aroma of citrus and herb resides slightly above a bold and toasty malt scent. Its malt sweetness is nutty, toasty, deeply caramelized and biscuity to bring an overall flavor of graham cracker.

More balanced than most IPA, the malt character lingers with those toasted cashew, granola and caramel flavors. While the Citra hops eventually dominate the middle palate, its does so with the brightness of tangerine, red grapefruit and mango. Moderately strong in bitterness, the finish is bittersweet with lemon verbena, fresh cut chive and an overall grassy herbalness that's not that far off of cannabis.

Medium bodied and finishing malty dry, the beer's linger of malt sweetness and body keeps the taste supported but does prevent the hops from shining. Its English malt influence trends largely pale ale-like to pair well with all American foods like pizza and chicken wings.