CitraBus
Riverwalk Brewing

 

 

 

Draft at eviva in Marlborough

Nice creamy rich head fades slowly, nice lacing, hazy burnt orange color

Nose big juicy citrus, orange juice, tangerine, pith, little rind and mango skin, mild sweet malty aroma

Taste lots of citrus, big pith and rind bitterness, tangerine juice, orange popsicle, little mango skin and grapefruit notes, fair creamy slight malty flavored base, bit toasty wheat, very bitter spicy finish, little cracker too, and s bit astringent on the drier finish

Mouth is med bod, nice fluffy carb

Overall not bad, nice citrus, little too crazy spicy bitter on the finish without much balance at the end.

 

RIVERWALK CITRABUS IPA 9/9/17

Bought on sale cheap, canned 8/9/17, a month old.

Poured from the 16 oz. can ito a Tree House stemmed tulip.

a: Translucent yellow gold, inch thick white head receded to thick even surface foam and initially dense lacing.

s; Slight citrus and bready malt.

t; Good citrus/pine resin hit with light to moderate hop bite over a biscuit and dry finish.

m; Medium, good body and some carbonation tingle.

o; An excellent session American pale, refreshing and tasty. The citrus leans more to orange than grapefruit, which is especially pleasant. However it is of course better consumed cold, preferably below 40 degrees. Another one where my rating is substantially higher than the average here, leaving me wondering if a month of aging sometimes is not such a bad thing for a hoppy brew. Usually it is though.

Pours a cloudy yellow color with a 2F head in a Stone Imperial pint glass.

Moderate but very good aroma: earthy citrus.

I especially like the MF in this beer. Crisp, tart, very spicy and bitter. The MF doesn't overshadow the taste.

The taste, like the aroma:earthy citrus.

Another highly drinkable beer from Riverwalk. They seem to specialize in drinkable beer with distinct flavor profiles. Not over the top, unbalanced, nor overdone. Plain old drinkable with character.

16oz can served in a small tumbler. Beer pours surprisingly pale in color, slightly hazy, with a nice white head. Mild aroma. Flavor is deliciously hoppy without being remotely overbearing, with spicy and fruity and citrusy notes all at once. This is a simple, neat "session" or single American IPA without obvious flaws. My first experience is not terribly exciting here, although I can tell there was some serious attention to detail here, in terms of refinement and balance. But I would have to revisit the rest of the 4-pack with a clean palate to decide if this is an outstanding session IPA or just an average one.

 

Consumed 7/4/17

A: Golden yellow with some hints of pale tangerine - some chill haze but mostly clear - pours with a medium sized white head, fades to a wispy cap, leaves spots and a few streaks of lacing

S: Not as hop-forward as I would have guessed (based on the name), but definitely some nice Citra and Columbus in here - orange and grapefruit zest - touch of lemon - floral citrus - pine and pine needles - some earthy notes - some peach - some pale malts and pale grains at the base

T: Orange zest, grapefruit flesh - touch of lemon and maybe some lime zest - not really getting many tropical notes from the Citra, the Columbus is more prominent - pine, pine needles, herbal and leafy hops - some bitterness - malts are very light, some pale grains and light bread

M: On the light side of medium, mostly smooth, some residual oil

O: The imperial version should be CitraTank

An American Pale Ale with Citra and Columbus? Fort Point Pale Ale this is not. This is not a hoppy pale ale. If it didn't advertise itself as one, that would not be an issue. The Citra, in particular, is very subdued. It's not bad - it's very drinkable, actually - but it's not really outstanding in any way.

Another very interesting product from Riverwalk. Can indicates it could be considered as either a Pale Ale or an IPA and I'd agree although leaning slightly towards the Pale Ale classification. Regardless of classification, the blend of Citra and Columbus hops works out well from a taste standpoint and the 4.9% ABV is hardly noticeable. Hope Riverwalk markets this as a year-round product as it's more versatile than to just be considered as a seasonal. A definite candidate for repurchase whatever the season.

Blonde and clear in appearance. Hoppy with a sharp forward tongue hop. Lighter in the finish than I expected from an IPA. Aftertaste is sour--not in a good way.