Citra Grove Dry Hopped Sour
Bench Brewing Company

Really really good wild fermented saison. Hop bitterness really balances the natural tartness. Very refreshing. This is pretty nuanced and not for everyone with the big lemongrass flavor but a super solid sour beer

 

 

 

 

Ottawa 2019. Hazy pale yellow with a strong head. Appealing Citra hop nose. Light, dry body with delicious spicy citrus notes. Great for the summer.

Appearance - Pours a pear gold with four fingers of frothy white head that dissipates.

Smell - belgian spicy yeast, citrus and tropical hops, pineapple, honeydew melon, and biscuity malts.

Taste - belgian spicy yeast followed by the citrus and tropical hops. The pineapple and honeydew melon are there followed by the biscuity malts.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes off dry with the hops and lingering sourness.

Overall - A well brewed dry hopped saison from the folks at The Bench. I like how everything works in unison together.

Really. Well balanced beer here. Just enough tart and enough fruit meets you in a pineapple golden brew

Appearance: Slightly hazy yellow that shows steady carbonation. Two fingers of head that produced good lacing, but didn't stick around for very long.

Smell: Citrus is by far the dominant note, as the hopping clearly pushes this forward. However notes of honeydew and cantaloupe and can be noticed behind the hops, along with a slight note of grain.

Taste: Starts with a note of pineapple that turns to a more orange citrus and some mild hops and a touch of papya. There's nothing really bad with this offering, but it just strikes me a lot more subdued then other sours I've had.

Mouthfeel: A very nice mixed aftertaste of pineapple, melon and lemon and orange citrus. I really like that the hops reign in the aftertaste from getting out of control and helps the transitioning. The carbonation seems to only help the start of the beer.

Drinkability: Light bodied and does a good job of hiding it's ABV. It's a bit on the gassy side after it goes down, but apart from that it's easy enough to drink, although the dry note did get a big out of control on this one.

Final Thoughts: I get the impression that they were trying to go for high class on this one, as it's fairly subdued. The problem, is as a a high class Saison, it seems too sour and and a more common sour, it's too subdued. There's nothing bad about this beer, and I wouldn't call it a run of the mill, but I think one bottle was enough for me.

 

 

Pours hazy blond with a frothy, huge head. Lemon, honeydew, peach in the nose. Harmonious mix of tartness and hoppiness in the taste. Guava, passionfruit, pineapple, lemon, lactic sourness all mixed together. The mouthfeel is light bodied with a prickly, moderate carbonation. Light bitterness and lingering tropical fruit and tartness in the finish.

A fantastic hoppy sour. Complex, but very well integrated. Excellent balance between hoppy and sour. A must try.

 

 

 

Tart & and then hoppy - just a lovely mix. Not overly carbonated like CA's Mash Up the Jam.

Nicely done. Was 6.95 @ LCBO - worth every penny.

 

Pours a nice hazy light gold in color with about a finger and a half of fluffy white head. Upon break there is a small island of foam. Alright lacing.

Smell is sour with citrus elements, pithy lemon and grapefruit. It is all quite mild.

Flavor is tart with hops coming across after an initial burst of the tart. The Citra is evident in that you get those typical elements of pithy citrus and some sweet grapefruit.

Feel is medium bodied with active carbonation. Finish is a slight pucker and dry.

I liked this. I enjoyed the pucker of the tart and then the pop of the hops. I would have this again.