Holy Citrus
Shock Top Brewing Co.

 

 

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle. Sampled on November 12, 2018.

The appearance is a slightly cloudy yellow or light amber tone with a blast of carbonated fizzy white head the dissipates fast.

The aroma is like sniffing a carbonated fruit drink with its esters of lemon, lime, orange, and clementine. Some vague breadiness but the malts are near non-existent.

Thin, fizzy body.

The taste is so much like drinking a Fresca rather than a beer. Sweet and overly fruity. Zesty. Not my thing at all. I suppose for the style it is acceptable.

 

 

 

 

Shock Top Brewing Co. "Shock Top Holy Citrus"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, production coded but without freshness dating

It appears that Shock Top is following along with the citrus craze created by so many citrusy pale ales and IPAs; and given the name of this new version, "Holy Citrus", I was expecting it to be quite tart - it's not. It's perhaps not as sweet as some of their other "citrus" versions, but it's not really that sharp either. Does it have a citrus flavor though? Well, yes, but so do most Belgian-style witbiers. I'd call this one mainly lemony, but there are some other flavors, one of which explains the name. Firstly there's Bergamot. That's the orange that's used in Earl Grey tea and a lot of perfumes. I wasn't sure how that would work but it's nice, it's not too strong and it gives it a floral character that helps to round it out. There's also lemon which I pointed out earlier, and I should also note at this point that these are all "natural flavors" that are added, not actual ingredients. Finally, there's Buddah's Hand which is another citrus fruit from Asia that's mainly used for its fragrance, although the zest is sometimes eaten atop other dishes - and that's probably where the name "Holy Citrus" comes from, although Buddhists would probably object to the term "holy". It's minor and you probably won't even be able to pick it out. Unfortunately for me, it's used as a fragrance in a soap that I get from China which leaves me thinking of soap rather than citrus! It's medium bodied, gently crisp, and nicely balanced. The additional flavors give it a unique character, and it's enjoyable and easy to drink. For fans of the Belgian witbier style I think it's worth checking out, and I think it would make a great summer quencher.

 

This almost tastes like a cross between the ruby fresh and the lemon shandy. I like citrus beers and if you do as well you'll enjoy this beer, I mean the name tells you everything you need to know. and when there's pulp in the beer you know it's gonna be citrus.