Citra Flash Mob
Russian River Brewing Company

Here's another one in a series of new beers I didn't really see coming from Russian River.

Anyhoo, its a pretty standard ipa these days, loads of Citra, a little of bit of Amarillo and Simcoe to run some of those familiar bittering hop notes. Appearance is golden with ample clarity and a 3/5" white head on top. Aroma checks all those boxes. Brisk wintertime orange groves dominate the nose.

The taste and mouthfeel seem equally bouyed by the interplay of those bittering hops and the greater quantity of Citra. When the orange groves get close to freezing, they take on that Simcoe like bitterness. Then the light floral springtime budding of the Amarillo hits and you get the full fledged harvest time supplied by the Citra hop. Its a nice system when it all comes together so well. Good light and slightly dry despite a good quantity of Citra. If you like citrus hop flavors in a beer, this one really hits and improves on something like Lead Dog's all citra beer(s). There better be some drinkin' if you're thinking that you're gonna get paid.

L: Pours a pale straw yellow with a foamy rocky white head and thick lacing around the glass.

S: Lemon and orange candy mix with some honeydew and kiwi and a lighter sweetness.

F: Medium bitterness with strong lemon peel, notes of grass and hints of other tropical fruit.

T: Smooth medium body and good carbonation

O: Overall a very enjoyable IPA.

Great glass appeal, tasty, whiff of citrus. Unfortunately this bottle was way out of date. Probably really magical when fresh.

 

Poured from a 510ml bottle dated 7-8-25 into an IPA glass at 51 degrees.

Look- Straw, mildly hazy, sudsy white head, plentiful tiny visible particulate, above average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Mandarin, pine resin, pith, lemon, peach, high strength of scent.

Taste- Pine resin, herbaceous, pith, lemon, mandarin, between medium and high strength of flavor.

Feel- Between thin and medium body, slightly above average carbonation, highly bitter, moderately dry finish, mildly astringency, mildly mouth warming.

Overall- Appearance characteristics were top notch. Bouquet was vibrant and a mix of tropical and earthy notes. The flavor did not live up to the nose because it was unbalanced with too much of the earthy character covering everything else. The feel was good, but astringency and dryness of finish were detractors. Overall this was an average beer that could have been next level with better flavor balance.

very dry, crisp, sandy and the tiniest bit tart. straw, pine and fir, spruce tips and lemon peel. this is a senior Citra, very mature and well rounded; not aggressive like most IPAs with Citra.

 

 

 

 

 

Look: Clear yellow with a low white head that has fairly poor retention. Okish lacing.
Smell: Good strong scent of piney hops is present from the get go. Citrus comes through with time.
Taste: Follows the nose. Leans towards the bitter side with a sweeter citrus finish.
Feel: Low in the mouth.
Overall: Good beer. Has a rather disappointing look to it but the flavor is spot on. I would have this beer again.

 

Bottled 12/3/24. Pours a pale straw, lager-like head and lacing. Nose is floral-piney with a bit of yeast / earthy aromas. First sip gives a hoppy flavor, with clean citrus tastes and moderate bitterness. Dry and well-carbonated throughout. Long finish. Excellent quality, exactly as expected from Russian River.

 

 

 

 

 

Nicest head that I've seen on a beer in a while. It disappears slowly to a thin layer on the beer. Bright and golden color. The Citra doesn't shine as much as I was hoping, but it is definitely there.