Citra Wet-Hopped Cask-Conditioned Pale Ale
Tröegs Brewing Company

 

 

 

On cask, via gravity fed firkin, at the brewery during the Splinter Blue release on 9/16/10. Served in a pint glass. This was the regular cask Pale Ale that was then dry-hopped in the firkin with wet Citra hops.

Pours a slightly hazed copper, with a finger of soapy looking bright-white head. This retains some foamy richness around the edges, leaving some thick spotty lace down the sides of the glass. The aroma is grassy and earthy, and even a touch dank, with the Citra hops putting off some fresh and vibrant smelling citrus flavors (grapefruit is probably coming out the strongest). Some sweet pale malt character sits way in the back, as the hops pretty much control this the whole way through.

The taste is bitter with grapefruit and rind, as some herbal and earthy textures weave themselves in as well and helping add a bit of softness to the hop profile. Much like the nose, the malts are a bit on afterthought here, with just some lightly toasted sweetness sitting in the back of the throat after each sip. The more this warms the more bitter it gets, lingering with deep notes of fruit, spice, and grit. The mouthfeel is lighter-medium bodied, with a soft and creamy feel in the mouth from the cask but there is still a good bit of sharpness present to this as well, prickling the tongue with hops.

The combo of not only the cask conditioning but also the fresh and wet nature of hops, really helped unleashed the full fruity bitterness of that Citra character. Luckily the cask also helps keep this moving easy, as the glass disappeared just as I was starting to get a little palate fatigued from the hops. It was delicious while it lasted though. :)

50TH REVIEW

on tap at troegs during the splinter blue release.

A - Pours slightly hazy with auburn and yellow hues. A bubbly white head leaves spotty lacing around the pint glass while drinking.

S - Slightly bitter hops with some floral qualities and a hint of pleasant citrus.

T - Tingly hops and citrus begin, eventually revealing a bitter, dry bite with a underlying hint of grass. The malty base is on the lighter side of the spectrum but remains flavorful while working harmoniously with the hops. Finishes smooth with a lingering sense of the bitter, tingly hops.

M - Oh so smooth! Somewhat creamy, but the dryness from the hops sticks to the palate and lingers for a minute.

D - Similar to the regular variety but definitely slightly dryer. Highly drinkable nonetheless.

Delicious version of the pale ale, as the added hop punch is flavorful but still goes down smooth. A nice treat from Troegs.

I had this on cask at the Splinter Blue Release day - served in a standard pint.

A - The appearance is good with a honey amber shade and slightly hazed from the wet hopping, the cap is light cream and leaves rings of lace on the glass. The bead is tiny.

S - The smell has a mild citra hop smell with a slight floral and grassy element w/ a mild citrus note and mild grapefruit element in the aroma

T - The flavor is smooth and bitter with a mild grainy flavor w/ toasted accent and slight citrus from the hops and mild grassy gently acidic flavor w/ a mild spice note and semi-dry finish w/ a generally balanced flavor between the malt and wet hops

M - The feel is what I liked best about this beer, the smooth resinous texture combined with cask conditioning really added to the base pale ale recipe

D - The drinkabilty is very good, I enjoyed the added flavor of Citra. I think the citra adds a different dimension and I enjoyed the way it blends with the other American hops in the recipe