Citra Snaps
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

 

 

cool to get to try this variant of this, to me it seems hoppier than the poetry snaps, but im thinking its a reworking of regular snaps, which i have not had, more pils than japanese lager, but a bigger dosage and presence in this overall than the one i have had, aroma and flavor, easily recognized as citra, more modern and new world, still real clean and tidy and drinkable, very good beer, love how light it is, and for a hoppy beer, my dad even liked it, which says a lot about how good the base lager here is, cant forget that even with the citra leading. pretty good clarity on this yellow bubbly brew, a lasting inch of almost shaving cream thick white head and tons of rising carbonation, impressive look. nose and taste of soft citra, lemony and grassy at the same time, with some lightly skunky weed and some oils in the middle and on the palate, somewhat high intensity for citra, but i wouldnt quite call this west coast pils, as the flavor doesnt bring much bitterness despite the hop dose, there is an easy about it still, trace coconut flake as it warms. the pils identity remains central, the grain is crisp, lightly european, and the ferment has just enough personality, a high hop balance is achieved, the minerality and water overall is great, and there is a nice lightness to the whole thing, dry as a bone too, lemon late again, so obviously citra. its really good beer, objectively and technically its better than i have scored it in some respects, but personally i have never loved citra in a single hop context, it has a tendency to make things samey and a little one dimensional, and even though this is an expression of it closer to its best, it still doesnt quite make this complete, robust as it is in here, if that makes sense, personal preference i know, but a little bit of noble bitterness and late kick would add to this, add to the snap that it has as its namesake, i dont know, i liked it a whole lot, but stopped short of loving it. versatile as a food beer, thats a citra attribute, great carbonation, refreshing and poundable, would love to try the riwaka edition they do!

On tap at Fattey Beer Company in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a light golden yellow color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like orange, lime, and grassy hops.

I like the Snaps series a lot. They’re especially nice considering Other Half is really not a lager focused brewery. This has a nice light and not overwhelming hop character to it. There’s a clean bitterness to it – spicy, with some pine, and a touch of orange juiciness. There’s a snappy malt backbone, too – crisp and crackery.

This is light bodied, crisp, with a nice little bite on the finish. It’s very drinkable.

Any Snaps variant is an instant order for me when I see them.

 

On tap at Rochester. Japanese rice cracker with sesame seeds taste of base, plus the citra finish. Kind of cute and drinker, but nothing to seriously seek out.

 

Very pale translucent gold with a small head. Not much aroma at all, a bit of citrus. Reasonably tasty, some citrus and a decent bitterness. Light feel appropriate to what this beer is going for.