Yuzu Juicy NEIPA
3 Ravens Brewing

 

Wow, 3 Ravens aren’t giving up on this Juicy business – there’s been about 12 Juicy beers now [exaggeration warning!] with this latest Juicy incorporating one of my favourite Japanese citrus fruits: yuzu. That fugly but most decidedly citric of fruits. Hot tip: yuzu flakes in a bowl of soba noodles with tamari, roasted nori, chilli flakes and rice wine vinegar = par excellence! The big question is: when will the Juicy goodness end? 3 Ravens is on a good thing here, I can’t see them stopping with the Juicy name anytime soon… though I do think Durian Juicy may be a step too far, bring on the Juicy beers – even Moussey Juicy was pretty tasty (despite being an odd flavour combination/ingredient list)… Citra Juicy wasn’t great though (didn’t even review that one).

Poured from a 375ml can into a nonic pint.

A: Cloudy body, looks a bit like yuzu juice, how ironic, with a yellow body and a nice white cappuccino foam head that leaves pretty hectic lace-work inside the glass, very much how I would expect a Yuzu Juicy to look – nice! 8/10.

S: Pure yuzu/citric acidity goodness right here. I really love the hard citrus aroma yuzu lends to food and 3 Ravens have captured that well, however, unlike Lemon Juicy, the base Juicy is completely supplanted by the yuzu fruit – yuzu is indeed a bold addition to any recipe and must be used sparingly… or not, it’s a wonderful zesty/tart flavour that can enhance or override over flavours. In the case of Yuzu Juicy it does a bit of both. 8/10.

T: Hmmm, bit of a hot mess here. Flavour starts out with an odd mix of sweet grain malts, then adds a touch of tart/citric yuzu, tries to blend in with Juicy’s normal orange/pineapple hops, finishes with a drying tart hint and a grainy aftertaste. Look, 3 Ravens, mate: this grainy character is out of place in a Juicy beer and messes with the formula. It also makes this brew a tad off-putting, is yuzu the culprit??? Tiny alcohol note too. It’s not often I regret buying a 3 Ravens beer but this is a real hit-n-miss (as was Citra Juicy for some reason I’ve now since forgotten). 5/10.

M: Mid-bodied with a light/dense carbonation, spot on NEIPA mouthfeel. 8/10.

D: This actually got a bit better as I got closer to the end of the can, maybe my palate adjusted to it, who knows, still this is one of the Juicy beers I would sooner forget [sadly – as I do like 3 Ravens “throw anything at the Juicy wall” attitude]. Here’s my Juicy suggestion 3 Ravens: Ossobuco Juicy, do it! 7/10.

Food match: Damn, got ossobuco on the brain now… soba noodles for this.