Cruxtennial
Crux Fermentation Project

 

 

 

The 2015 version of this FH treat is an absolute stunner. Sampled at the annual Hood River fresh hop fest, I was stunned by the outrageous panoply of watermelon, orange citrus and tropical fruit. I've had plenty of centennial based pale ales before, and plenty fresh hop pale ales, but I've never tasted or smelled anything like this bad boy before. The nose is so fresh, sweet and juicy, that I assumed the beer would be on the sweet side, but it wasn't. The beer is incredibly fruit forward on the palate, with an amazing array of fresh, juicy, tropical fruit and watermelon. In a 6% abv. beer, this is nothing short of amazing. Mouth feel is fairly full, with the finish long, fairly clean, and lightly bitter. Alcohol is nothing more than an after thought in this great beer.

An absolute tour de force by the brewer at Crux. And the Crux-O-Rillo (made with Amarillo hops) was almost as good. When it comes to fresh hop beers, I'm not sure there is any brewery consistently hitting it out of the park the way Crux is doing it right now.

 

 

Pours two fingers of head on a clear straw body. The aroma is mild tropical fruits. The taste starts with mild lemon bitterness then aggressive pine bitter but backed by mango sweetness, finishes with a mild sweet note. The texture is crisp. A complex and balanced brew.

 

Earlier 3.5 rating was for the 2014 vintage, which used a belgian yeast and was not my jam. The 2015 was amazing, showcasing Centennials like I've never before tasted.