Hazy Rotation - Citra And Mosaic
Great North Aleworks

Can from the source.
Hazy lightly murky lemon yellow in color with a decent sized off white head that persists. Earthy grassy lemony citrus and island fruits with a bit of bready malt to back it up.

 

Pint can dated 10/22/19. Pours a hazy straw gold with 3 fingers of head that settles fast. The initial aroma was very nice of fruity and citrus hops, but it seems I pretty much became nose blind to that halfway through the can. Taste is a good blend of citrus and pine with a bit of mango, not too bitter. Feel is very good - medium body, smooth, a modest tingle of carbonation. Overall this is a very good NE IPA, pretty close to the center of the style IMO.

16oz can dated 10/22/19.

Pours hazy yellow with an inch of white fluff. Decent retention and lacing. Peaches, garlic, and weed in the nose. Medium bodied with a thinnish mouthfeel. Plenty juicy on the palate with peach and grapefruit. Finishes dry with zero malt and a medium bitterness.

I really enjoyed the only other Hazy Rotation series entry I've reviewed here on BA, and that was earlier in the Summer of this year with their Motueka, Waimea, Amarillo, and Centennial version. Though I recall thinking the recipe was a little too heavy for what the beer was, the combination of hops was very interesting. This newest one features probably the most commonly-paired duo of varietals in modern brewing: Citra and Mosaic hops. I doubt they're going to rock the boat with this one, so it should be an interesting comparison.

Comparing the pour of this one with my notes of the HR I had back in June, it seems as though this one might be a little more straight-up NEIPA-ish... it's dense and opaque looking with a slightly-small head of eggshell-white foam sitting atop an orange-pineapple juice hued ale. Very nicely tiered lacing and alright legs with a hazy but uncrowded surface of small bubbles. Can't tell what kind of carbonation activity is present below, but I assume this will have a medium feel and slight prickles of CO2 like a lot of smoother NEIPAs these days.

The nose is straight-up in its devotion to Citra and Mosaic. The slightly-catty and hugely aromatic, tropical elements of the former meet in the middle with huge dankness and pine resin from the Mosaic. Mango, passion fruit, and fresh-cut grass combine with elements of grapefruit peel and orange rind. Very slight red berry-type deviations from the Mosaic, and some of that funky guava and earthy, green-oniony goodness coming through as well. Smells like I'm about to go on a very fun, satisfying ride, for sure!

Detailed flavors of mango, orange, pomelo, dank pine resin, and grassiness right upfront combine with a slight cereal-grain feel toward the mid-palate, all while the smoothness of oats and the earthy hops pull a one-two punch toward the finishing moments. Tangerine, raspberry, light blueberry, and aggressive resin collide with the passing of each sip... a lot going on here, but it all congeals well as Citra/Mosaic is wont to do. I feel like the base beer here is a little leaner'n'meaner than the prior one I had, as well. Much drier with a lasting finishing bitterness on the palate. Moderate carbonation (in line with most beers in this style, though this feels a tad more well-attenuated than some examples I've had) and a nice body that feels detailed and well-put-together. Would definitely reach for this again.