Citra Lager
Bières Demory - Paris SAS

 

Appearance:  Bright golden color with a bit of a haze. A centimeter and a half of fizzy white head that bubbled itself quickly down to a light frothy coating. Once the foam found its comfort zone, it never went away. No lacing though.

Aroma:  Good notes of light, sweet grains. A slight hint of metal that overpowered any citrus.

Taste:  The grains and metal from the nose but with the addition of mild hoppy bitterness and some indiscernible citrus. Some base malts but nothing on the dark side.

Feel:  Soft and moderate weight but with plenty of carbonation. No residual stickiness.

Overall: It doesn't have enough citrus to be billed as a citra lager, nor does it have enough malty sweetness to be called a Munich helles. Yet both terms are used by the brewer to label this beer. Perhaps there was something lost in translation from German to French. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad beer. But it's a little confused. It isn't super far off from some standard American beers, which makes me agree it wouldn't be a bad choice for someone new to craft beer.

Pairing: I poured it alongside baked cheesy bread with tomatoes, and the slight citrus notes of the beer made the whole combination reminiscent of pairing pizza with a citrusy pale ale.