Wedge Issue (Citra/El Dorado)
Carton Brewing Company

 

A- hazy yellow green in color. one finger head that is foamy with poor lacing on pint.

S-strong dominant grapefruit pungent aroma. light on the malt

F- grapefruit and bready malts

M- dry and bready with pungent grapefruit

O- ok but the grapefruit was too strong in this one. decent but had better.

16oz can purchased from the fridge as a single from a local bar/bottle shop for $8. There is a canned on date, but it is illegible. I assume that this is pretty fresh (within a month or two) as these Carton beers don't get much distribution to PA, and there is high turnover.

Look: Very hazy. Has an orange glow to it. The head has receded to almost nothing.

Smell: Interesting and somewhat weird mix of aromas. There is a pungent, oniony note that came through initially. Also, tangerine citrus juice and peel, along with a distinct note of celery on the finish. I've never found a celery note in a beer before. Some other tropical and stone fruit punch aromas along with a bit of green bell pepper. It's interesting and it makes me curious.

Taste: Initially, this tastes like a delicious beer to me. I was not expecting this to be nearly as drinkable as it is, so that it very impressive. It's pretty juicy, and it also has a strong yet restrained bitterness. The finish is very pithy, lots of grapefruit oil coming through. Also some pineapple notes. That being said, the green vegetal notes are really building after I have drank about half of this and it is becoming tired and boring. My palate feels like I have been chewing on celery stalks. As I got into it, the bitterness became too much for me.

Feel: Mouthfeel has a medium body to it, not particularly soft or fluffy.

Overall: My first Carton beer. I've been looking forward to trying this brewery for a long time. This is an okay beer. I guess I would probably like it more if I wanted a more "vegetal" experience from my IPAs/double IPAs but I personally don't. There was also a lot of sediment at the bottom of the can, so perhaps this is not so fresh after all?

Imperial oat/wheat pale ale with Citra and El Dorado.

A: Dirty lemon-orange pour is dank and juicy in the vessel like a glass of o.j. Thin white head is compact and quick to collapse. Thick, dank and juicy visual checks all the boxes.

S: Sweet peaches and grapefruit. Fruity, lemon jolly rancher and watermelon. Some tropical notes, apricot and a small dank citrusy touch. Fresh and wet aroma, very good and above par for style.

T: Sticky citrus resins and grapefruit grind. Dank up front, dry on the follow through. Grassy dry citrusy tropical coating. Tart oranges, with some dank grapefruit and a peppery flair spicing. Slight tart pineapple with a dry flowery touch.

M: The oats and wheat provide a great chewy and soft base combining with sticky hop resins. Don't understand why more brewers utilize oats and wheat into their malt base for more complexity and fullness. Big body for an pale, sticky resins and chewy soft malts leaves a flowery dry finish on the tongue.

O: Overall a big dank bite of citrus and jolly rancher fruity nose, grassy and sticky resins for the mouthful. Big drinking experience, hoppy and above par in almost every category. Listed at 30ibus shows you how insignificant this number rating is, drinks much bigger in flavor, hoppiness and body then many 80 ibus. A beautiful blend of oats and wheats only brings a vast new spectrum to this pale in the mouthful category.

 

this one was just s little too weird for me and overly floral...so i will look elsewhere foran Imperial IPA.

 

 

 

 

Pours thick and opaque. Dark orange. Horrible at describing smells but it has a strong hop aroma. Bitter and sweet clash, in a good way. Pretty thick mouthfeel. I’m a fan of Carton’s wedge issue beers. I’ve enjoyed every one so far.