3 Ravens Lemon Juicy NEIPA
3 Ravens Brewing

 

Appearance: 3.5 - Cloudy, opaque, light orange juice colour and opacity. Thin but solid head

Smell: 3 - Citrus, sweet orange juice, fruit cordial, sugary sweetness. This smells Amazing.

Taste: 2 - Orange or lemon pith, a hop bitterness mixed with yeast spice. A strong Saison-like yeast character. Finish is a lingering hoppy bitterness.

Mouthfeel: 2 - Light carbonation, rather smooth despite the bitterness and yeast spice.

Overall: 2 - Really unsure. This particular can isnt as good as the normal Juicy IPA. I really want to try this again and I hope this one was just not good.

In the beginning there was Juicy, then God saw fit to beget Extra Juicy, now the Lord, in all his infinite wisdom has bought upon this Earth: Lemon Juicy, which thine tasted of the fruit of lemon - the most yellow of fruits, and reminded the Lord of pub squash which he dranketh at his local Merthyr Bowls Club - for the Lord enjoys a game or two of barefoot bowls. He also liketh the meat raffle every Sunday night, once the Lord won a giant platter of thin sausages - there was a glorious barbeque that next weekend. Ahem, so yeah, I didn’t get my hands on Extra Juicy when it came out (people told me it wasn’t great so I gave it a miss), but this time with Lemon Juicy the temptation is too great - I must have this version of Juicy with organic lemon zest added to it, for you see I am a fan of lemons (the fruit).

Poured from a 375ml can into a nonic pint.

A: Even looks a bit lemony [snicket!] with a cloudy AF mango-coloured body and a white cappuccino foam head that slowly descends to a blanket of goodness. Light flecks of lace on the side of the glass, decent enough protein action there. 8/10.

S: Basically regular Juicy (orange/pineapple/passionfruit) with a nice big wedge of lemon thrown in for good measure. The original formula was pretty damn tasty in the aroma department so there’s little to detract from again with Lemon Juicy. Perhaps it’s getting borderline fruit salady, not that there’s anything wrong with that, and frankly if you’re quaffing a New England IPA that’s what you signed up for. 9/10.

T: Well it really leans in towards that lemon character BIG time. Hints of the above noted fruit salad mingles with a slight grassy hop note - Lemon Juicy is a bit more hop aggressive than Juicy then. Still has a classic NEIPA restrained bitterness in the finish, though I suspect citric acid from the lemon zest has given this NEIPA some teeth (though nothing like a full-on West Coast IPA). Tasty as Lemon. 8/10.

M: Nice body Lemon Juicy! Medium, not quite as heavy as I remember Juicy being, but still a decent mouthfeel from the oats and triticale (a wheat/rye hybrid) used in the brew. 8/10.

D: Totally fulfilled the brief: Lemon Juicy. Lemon juicy this is. TBH it’s almost a flavour preference decision from 3 Ravens - do you want fruit salad or lemons? You decide. Juicy just has a slight edge in appearance and mouthfeel, but other than that it’s game on Donkey Kong. 10/10.

Food match: It’s lemon chicken for me mate.