Citra-Lingus DIPA
Basic City Beer Company

Poured from a 16 oz can into a Duvel tulip. 021218 with smudged #HOLDTONGUE on bottom of can.

A: Medium turbid yellow with 1-finger off-white head with leopard-print lacing.

S: Nothing bright or overly inviting. Grapefruit and papaya are the main aromas with a lean pale maltiness in the background. The aroma profile seems muddled. No straight-up yeast aromas, but obviously the yeast and hops are interacting in this style of beer.

T: Flavor is pleasant but a little underwhelming. The early palate is sweet and hops, a little candy like. Through the mid-palate there is a ”line” of yeasty slightly sulfur flavors that interrupts the flavor profile. Thankfully it fades and leave a little darkness in the finish as a nice surprise. Bitterness is too low for the DIPA style in my opinion, even for the NE DIPA style.

M: Smooth and light bodied with lowish carbonation.

O: Disappointing when matched up against the likes of Bask and Opera. Will pass on this one in the future but will update if there is a change with other cans in the 4-pack.

These BC DIPAs have been killer. I think this is my favorite. I'm not sure if this is single hopped, but the Citra is definitely the star of the show. Orange marmalade and grapefruit juice. Soft, but enough bitterness that I can drink several cans in a session. I hope this goes into the regular rotation. It really is a borderline World Class offering.

Pours a hazy, dark yellow-orange color with a white head that clings nicely to the glass. Immediate notes of tropical fruits. Lots of grapefruit and tangerine notes. Taste is oranges, tangerines, a little grapefruit, and maybe a little pear. Tiny bit of bitterness that's quite welcome. Very juicy, smooth, creamy, with a little light aftertaste to it. So easily crushable. Man, it's just a good NEIPA.

Something happened over at Basic City towards the end of 2017. With the release of several light (and one dark) New England style Double IPAs and an update to their flagship DIPA Bask, the beers got much cloudier and juicier compared to what had been done to date. This iteration of Citra-Lingus is a continuation of where Basic City left off last year and if it is a taste of what is coming in 2018, we are in for a real treat.

Beer is poured into a tulip glass from a 10 day old can. I had the pleasure of having a pint fresh at the taproom and it was even better than what I have reviewed here.

A - Pour is the color of dark orange juice. All haze, no clarity whatsoever. Cannot see my hand behind the glass when held up to the light. About an inch of head slowly dissipates down to a quarter and then hugs the top of the beer line during the sip. Absolutely gorgeous.
S - About an arms length away during the pour, I am immediately hit in the nose with loads of tropical fruit aromas. Orange, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, starfruit. Not picking up any piney resinous notes on the nose at all. Esters appear to be hidden until about halfway through completion of the glass but very subtle when they present themselves.
T - Has some hops; they remain in the back mostly but nothing too much up front. Not a very bitter beer, but a rediculiously juicy beer. All kinds of citrus all around. Matches the nose with orange, tangerine, pineapple, a little pear, apple, and a hint of papaya. Some minor grapefruit bitterness in the back. Not getting any saltiness that was noted about the beer at the bar.
M - Very creamy and bright. No bubbles or choppiness as it goes down. Incredibly silky smooth to sip; leaves a warmth behind.
O - This beer is really really good. It is incredibly crushable but has a body on it that makes you want to slow down, sip it, and take your time. A true to the style New England juice bazooka. Basic City is getting really good at brewing these...

It seems as if beer lovers in the central Shenandoah valley and beyond are getting a new double IPA offering every month from Basic City and the beers keep getting better and better. Not only are we all getting fresh quality tapped draft beers but equal quality canned beers to go. We are watching it all unfold before our very eyes.