Anti-Venom - Citra
DuClaw Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

From a bomber into a Guinness pint glass.

A- Nice looking hazy copper color with a huge and fluffy, creamy, off-white head. The head tapers to a lasting film and leaves a good bit of lacing.

S-Bready malt, biscuits and grassy. Not much hop aroma, just a touch of citra-hop freshness.

T-Bready malt, dry yeast. A bit of caramel but not too sweet.

M- Good body and carbonation. A clean semi-dry finish. Very soft on the palate, no bite.

O- Lots of malt character a la Red Ale. Quite drinkable.

 

 

 

on tap at perch pub

Pours a hazy copper color with a fluff of white head. Retains well with some spotty lacing on the glass.

Grassy and hoppy in the nose with a pleasant smack of Citra hops. Toasted grain, bread and biscuit malts with a slight sweetness.

Bitter, dry hops up front driven by a juicy Citra-filled profile. Toasted bready malts with a touch of caramel sweetness. Finishes dry and lightly bitter with some lingering citrus peel.

Lighter medium body, somewhat higher carbonation, dry and lingering on the palate. The heavy-handed addition of Citra definitely gave this a boost over the regular version.

 

Poured from a 22 oz brown bomber into a Duvl tulip. No freshness date. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $6.99.

A: Copper hue with 1-finger oatmeal colored foamy head with below-average retention and rare spots of lace.

S: The aroma is more malty than hoppy with dense caramel, toffee, and toasted malt notes and only a faint muskiness with a bit of grapefruit.

T: The flavor is more hoppy, but not hoppy enough, and the crystal malts really mask the wondrous flavors Citra usually brings. Sweet caramel maltiness starts and ends the flavor profile, with some toasted malt notes and citrus and musky, somewhat dank hop character.

M: This brew has a nice creamy feel but still finishes very dry. The carbonation is active but not overdone. There is some tackiness to the feel but quite drinkable all around.

O: A ho-hum APA that bnrings way too much crystal malt character to the party. This hampers the Citra hops from shining and unfortunately leaves the beer mildly cloying by the finish. A decent beer, but definitely not worth the exorbitant price tag. This brew is less than the sum of its parts.

The beer pours a hazy amber color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a solid malt scent; pale, Carapils, and biscuit malts. The hop aroma is excellent. It has a crisp and refreshing citrus hop nose that compliments a solid malt character. The taste is good as well. I has a nice balanced taste that highlights not only a wonderful citrus hop nose, but also a mildly complex malt flavor. It goes down easy with a smooth, biscuity character in the finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking beer that highlights an excellent single hop variety.

 

Pours a translucent copper color with a soapy foamy off-white head that recedes to leave some really solid sticky lacing.

Aromas begin with mild amounts of citrus and a surprisingly decent amount of caramel. There's also some pineapple and tropical fruity hops in there as well. More malt that I expected in a pale ale though and I think it masks some of the Citra qualities

Tastes follow the aroma with slight citrus and caramel maltiness. Not much hop bite; toffee sweet maltiness is there and could/should have been retrained a little more to allow the hops to shine more.

The mouthfeel is medium-light bodied with medium carbonation. Finish has a light bit of citrus and sweet maltiness.

Overall this is a very good APA but not a stellar one. It gets negative marks for costing $8 and would be better served in 6 pack form to enjoy more of. Flavor profile is really straight forward, simple, and overall very drinkable. Have no negative comments but no high praise worthy ones either. A solid amount of flavor for such a low ABV offering.

P- AOH in 22 oz.

A-slightly hazy amber color. 2 finger carbonated head with poor lacing and stick.

S- strong citrus/pine hop aroma overpowers the malts in the nose.

F- citrus pine covers the tongu but i do detect some of the malts/vinegar like on the back end.

M- smooth and light bodied. Everything meshes quite well.

O- not a bad pale ale, it actually started off average but got better as i drank it.

 

Pours a dark copper. Darker than I expected for an APA.

Smells pretty good...fresh, bitter hops. Can smell a bit of maltiness as well, but definately about the hops

Taste is bitter and more intense than I expected for an APA. This does seem more like an IPA in taste.

The mouthfeel is thin, but not overly so. It is great for a hot day at the beach (which describes my day)...

I've had better, but this is a solid effort. I would drink this again.

Bomber into a matching DuClaw pint glass. The brew appears a clear copper with a finger and a half of yellowish stained tan head across the top. It appears silky and recedes leaving a full wall of patchy lace sticking to the glass. Rising bubbles of carbonation maintain a rich film across the top. When held to the light, this brew displays a lighter clarity around the edges.

The aromatics are absolutely juicy with that citra hop quality. Very tropical smelling with notes of pineapple and mango upfront. More smells bring out a bit of grassy, herbal and pulp to rind quality mixed with a hint of yeast. The alcohol is evident with a light solvent hint towards the back as it warms up. For an APA, you really can't ask for much better of a nose.

The flavor of this brew is all about the hops. Quite tropical just like the nose led on. It displays a fruity and floral quality that is something rindy, pitty and herbal. More zesty with each sip that turns grassy. A light note of toasty caramel grain is evident under the hops that produces just enough sweetness to really make the hop character pop. The mild toffee sweetness is a nice contrast to the modest bitterness. To be picky, there is a bit of yeasty quality about this brew that keeps it from being sharp and clean.

This is a medium to lighter bodied brew with a perfect level of modest carbonation. My only gripe here is that at times this feels a bit watery. Overall, this is a very solid american pale ale. Lots of depth to the hop flavoring with the bitterness being an afterthought. Keeping the abv below 6% is brilliant for this brew. It makes me want to have another. If you have access to DuClaw and havent had this brew yet, you are a jerk. Get it.