Fresh Hop Citra IPA
Blackwater Draw Brewing Company

32 oz. half growler filled on-tap at the brewpub in Northgate; poured into tulip at home

L: crystal clear and gold incarnate — looks like they melted a gold bar and turned it into beer; pushes up nice 3/4-inch to 1-inch head of white/offwhite foam that sticks a little; keeps a thin but consistent collar of offwhite foam; and tight little column of bubbles is flying up the column right in the middle of the glass; overall the beer puts on a good show

S: onion bomb! green onions, garlic, strong white onions, onions sauteeing in a skillet on the stove ... some might call this "dank" and it does have a green grassy/cilantro thing going on, but mostly I smell good fresh onion strong enough to come off meaty, like a steak and onions getting seared in that skillet on the stove

T: grapefruit peel, spinach, bitter bite is relatively strong and raw, like chewing into a fruit peel sapped of all sweetness — in other words, earthy; has a thin layer of biscuit malt trying to offer some balance; aftertaste is dirt-bitter with only a light lingering citrus flavor; as it warms and the palate adjusts, the hop bite takes on a very "green" flavor ... cilantro, the tops of green onions, even a hint of grass, but the grapefruit peel note still leads

F: fluffy soft and light with good carbonation bite at end of each swallow; pleasant with a "moreish" quality that has me reaching for the glass quickly

O: comes off a bit "raw" with the hops giving it a very vegetable-like flavor note, like kale or spinach, but frankly I was looking for something like that; the menu at the brewpub lists its IBUs at 19, but that's surely a misprint — this thing bites, and the malt backbone is very light, allowing that lingering bitterness to carry like a Dustin Johnson driver ... I wanted a good hoppy biting IPA and I got one, and at BWD it's always served with a smile, so this half growler is a full success