Double Crush - Fresh Hop
Reuben's Brews

really good, not normally the biggest fan of citra by itself in the bigger ipa styles, gets overwhelmed, catty at times, and can be one dimensional when a little more width and dynamic character is needed, but in this fresh hop context its exceptional, and the base beer seems built to support and accentuate the best aspects of these hops, i was stoked on this, and have been generally pretty stoked on reubens overall of late. this looks a little thicker than it drinks, pale and soft with some density, no visible particulate but definite starchy grain heft, straw colored, frothy white head with excellent retention. the nose is so obviously citra, pungent enough to be cryo hops, intense like that, but without it being stressed or forced to me, lemongrass, meyer lemon zest, white grapefruit, lemon verbena, kind of lush too like aloe maybe, incredibly fresh and not green or burning at all. the grain is surprisingly light in flavor, its a body thing, and there is no real sign of its alcohol strength in this. the hops pop, super fresh, oily on the palate and somewhat less delicate feeling and tasting than citra usually is, which is neat. i think it has more body than it needs, but its not way off. cleanish ferment, dry on the swallow, lemon candy and fresh herbal summery vibes on the finish, some dank character too, lovely hop profile and a little bigger expression of citra that is conventional. fun stuff.

 

Canned on 9/28/21, so it’s ridiculously fresh, crack the can open and loads of hop aromas batter your nose. A decidedly non-aggressive pour reveals a very hazy straw colored beer with a dense, creamy white head. HUGE citrus notes on the nose, with tangerine, grapefruit rind, mango, and pineapple most prominent. Yum.

The taste features all the citrus flavors already noted, and it’s the mango that keeps drawing me back for another sip - this echoes the best Tree House juice bombs, IMHO.

Full, lush mouthfeel, I understand why Reuben’s is so well regarded, because this is magnificent, IMHO.

 

 

 

Poured from a 16 ounce can into a IPA glass.

Look- Dull straw, hazy, frothy white head, above average lacing, average head retention, no visible particles.

Smell- Herbal, earthy, spicy, slightly citrus, slightly melon.

Taste- Spicy, herbaceous, resin, slight orange and pith at finish.

Feel- Full body, clean finish, low bitterness, soft, below average carbonation.

Overall- Absolutely fantastic beer, Reuben’s knocked it out of the ballpark!

 

Had on tap at Special Brews Lynnwood, WA.

 

2020-09-30
16oz can served in a large snifter. Dated 09/23/20. Bought it at the brewery a couple hours ago.

Pours a hazy pale yellow with a small to medium head, not a lot of active carbonation. Smell is dank. Lots of weed. Also some pine and lemon.

Taste is a little pineapple, and some orange/lemon citrus, and some pith.

Mouthfeel is thick, almost chewy, but it works well. Overall, very solid beer.

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2021-10-04
16oz can served in a tulip. Dated 09/28/21. Bought it at the brewery yesterday. I would describe this head a large and creamy. Smell is slightly dank, more melon, grass, and flowers with a bunch of citrus zest. Taste I described previously is pretty correct, although this is creamier than I previously described. I would give it slightly higher scores this year.

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2022-10-07
16oz can served in a big snifter. Dated 9/21/22. I would add in booziness on the flavor, amp up tropical notes. Nice, once again.

16oz (canned 9/23/2020, yesterday) into a tulip. Pours an opaque, not just hazy, pale yellow with a big frothy head that leaves behind some patchy lace.

Aroma is big tropical citrus. Grapefruit, orange, maybe even some lemon. Smells enticing.

Taste follows nose, just more so. A big punch of bright citrus overwhelms the palate. But there's not much bitterness here, just a hint on the finish, which I guess is true to the style. Basically grapefruit/orange juice with carbonation, but not as sweet.

Mouthfeel is smooth and easy drinking. Medium body, clean and refreshing.

Overall a really tasty fresh hop beer, one of my favorites of the season.

draught
Light cloudy straw appearance. Slightly sour grapefruit peel aroma. Smoother than usual citra flavor.

 

Poured from a 16oz can into a Speiglau pilsner glass.

Look is a pale hazy yellow with a head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma is straight tangerine grapefruit juice. Smells amazing.

Taste is absolutely incredible. An insanely good mix of sweet tropical mango tangerine juice with a slight bitter hop to balance.

 

 

 

Canned 23 September, purchased at ABV.

A hazy orange with a dense, white head with good retention and lacing, this looks good. The nose is juicy but with a delicate fresh hop character that comes through on the nose. Whether the wet hops complement the juicy flavors is debatable, but this is unmistakably a FH beers. Orange, peach, a little lemon, melon and honey are present, along with a nice, wet hop note. The palate opens juicy, and with the fresh hops pairing particularly well with the juicy hop flavors. Again, there's orange, melon, peach and some mango, but with a potent but delicately executed earthy, wet, fresh hop character, faintly bitter but decidedly fragrant. Mildly sweet on the finish, with a mild carbonic and mineral bite present. Medium-light in body and softly carbonated, this beer is quite delicious.

 

Pours a soft hazy yellow.
Smell is sweet, a little juicy and a bit hoppy.
Tropical fruits are dominant in the flavor, with a little bit of fresh hop leafiness trying to find it's way through. It is not overly sweet, just a wonderful balance in flavors.
Mouthfeel is fairly thick and sticky with a touch of creaminess.
Reuben's and their hazy ipa's, I just cant get enough.

 

 

Pale chalky orange. No head.
Nose was immediately star fruit. I hadn't even considered the existence of star fruit in a long time, let alone gotten it in a beer, but it was unmistakable off the glass. Some elements of soft tropical puree in there too, but nothing really stood out.

Taste was soft tropical fruits primarily but with a but load of bitter lime following through on the back end.

Sticky/chewy body... but not like thick chewy, more like the way toffee candies can pull out your fillings (but obviously not that pronounced... it's liquid). Also left an odd numbing effect on the mouth overall, kind of similar to eating eggplant.

Solid if you're into the murkbombs, but I kept forgetting it was fresh hop.