Citra Oatsplosion
Central State Brewing

 

A - Light orange body, a bit hazy, with a modest white head. Lots of fine bubble lines of lacing.

S - Pungent hit of citrus, orange zest and flesh, pine and a touch of the dank.

T - A lovely range of hops, citrus and stone fruit, a mild malt backbone, and a nicely bitter finish.

M - Brisk and bright, with a lightly dry finish.

O - Superb. Delicious and drinkable. One variation that beats the original.

 

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass; no can dating, but was just released. Pours fairly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate oat/pale malt notes; with great strength.Taste of big tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate oat/pale malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero lingering hop astringency after the finish. Moderate increasing dryness from bitterness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is an awesome IPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate oat/pale malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Very vibrant, dank, earthy, and fairly juicy hop complexity; nice bready malt/oat backbone, with no residual sweetness. Liked this more than the base beer. Not as soft on mouthfeel, and more dank/earthy/resinous overall. Awesome Citra showcase as expected. A really enjoyable offering. The profile was identical to the cryo Mosaic on mouthfeel/dankness. Slightly different hop flavors. Equally impressive.

 

16 ounce undated can. This beer is pretty new to my market so assumed on the fresher side. Poured into tulip. Pours a pale golden yellow. Fairly opaque with fluffy off white head. Orange, lemon, weed on the nose. Big amounts of citrus, pineapple, and a wallop of dank round out the taste. The “absurd amount of flakes oats” needs to be absurder to make the silky smooth texture they were after. Still highly drinkable. Great beer