Citrango
OEC Brewing (Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i drank three of these coolship and dry hopped lagers from these guys yesterday, amazing that they are all making it out this way! this one was maybe the least dramatic of them, but still tropical and vibrant, perhaps a little more malty in terms of color and flavor, but in texture it seems as light and dry and sessionable as any of them, really well made beer, built upon this special decoction mash and lagering process, so authentic and rustic and old worldy, but then the modern hops too. this one has less bitterness and also less over the top fruitiness to it, although orange and dried apricot do come to mind. i pick up some dried herbal character too, a grassiness that hints at a noble hop too, and some zesty lemon brightness. the lager yeast is bready and doughy and has fermented this down to bone dry, the carbonation is amazing, seems can conditioned in an expert way, the texture of all of these have been money! super drinkable for being as subtly complex as it is, these guys are positively on fire with their lagers, i cant get enough!

I don't see a date listed on the can.

Appearance: The body is hazy and has a medium shade of gold for color. The haze only allows very fuzzy shadows through the glass. The head is medium-large in size, white, and has whipped peaks that form into cobwebs of lacing on the glass. The beer has very good head retention and lacing. Although the beer is hazy it has a lot of visible carbonation and the bubbles are tossing around small grains of solids in the glass.

Aroma: It has a very catty scent with notes of garlic and onions. There is a strong scent of lemon pepper with a hint of lime zest. The aroma is strong and pronounced with good characters which makes it enjoyable to sit and smell.

Taste: Up front there is white pepper and bay leaf. Towards the middle of the mouth there is this slightly floral taste mixed with an oddly bitter tasting herbal tea. The back of the palate is pretty non-eventful but the aftertaste has more of that bitter tea character mixed with some bay leaf. It is a very herbal tasting beer.

Mouthfeel: Bitterness in this beer takes the stage, which is strong and herbal in nature. The beer is soft and a bit chewy with a medium-light body and a somewhat gritty aftertaste.

Overall: The label states that this is a "CITRANGO TROPICAL LAGER" and that it is a "Dry hopped Lager." It doesn't seem to state what the base style of lager is but it doesn't seem to fit any typical styles. The bitterness and herbal notes might appeal to some but most lager lovers would likely be turned off by this because of both the appearance and mouthfeel. The beer does have its merits, mainly the aroma which is complex and lovely, but as a whole this isn't a beer I would recommend or buy it again. It might be worth trying for those who are looking for something on the experimental side or enjoy oddities.

 

 

 

A: The beer is a little hazy yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head that left a narrow collar around the edge and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of passion fruit and stone fruit are present in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of stone fruit along with notes of lychee and passion fruit.
M: It feels medium-bodied, clean and rather smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This lager is very fruity and easy to drink.

Serving type: can

On draft in Warren RI.

A moderately bitter, slightly citrus-y lager (if you can imagine such a thing).

Appearance is clear, on the orange side.

Smell is classic lager with a slight hint of general ‘fruitiness’.

Feel is fairly unremarkable, ‘denser’ than a typical IPA, less bubbly than average.

Taste, I love OEC’s beers and whole approach, but this one was a little disappointing. It tasted like a bitter lager, with slight general citrus fruit notes (similar to the smell). Heavier and less crisp than an ale, not as bready/malty as you’d expect of a lager.

 

 

 

This one pours a clear orange-ish color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like bready malt, dry pithy citrus, and slight general fruitiness.

Like nearly all OEC lagers so far, this is excellent. The Citra character is nice here, some stone fruit, tangerine, grassiness, etc, along with a nice crisp and bready malt backbone.

This is light bodied, with a softly carbonated feel to it, and a very good drinkability.

This really is the sort of beer I want to drink most these days. I like this a lot.

L: Pours a pale gold color with good clarity. There is a bit of hop and/or yeast particulate visible in the matrix. A gentle pour results in a finger of fine, white head with good retention. As the beer goes down it leave a nice ringed and webbed lacing on the glass.

S: Bready, grainy malt with a touch of honey. I am also getting oranges, light notes of grapefruit, and light notes of tropical fruit.

T: On the palate I get mangos, oranges, grapefruit pith, a restrained grainy sweetness, and a touch of grass and herbal character that lends a very restrained bitterness.

F: This has a medium body with a medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is smooth with a light dryness on the finish.

O: Another great lager from the folks at OEC. Very similar to Django, but the citra is very noticeable as it amps up the citrus and tropical qualities of the nose and palate. Maybe it could have used a bit more dryness on the finish. Recommended!