Surly - Xtra Citra Pale Ale

I agree for the most part, but just want to add that hops/bitterness and ABV are always related. When we create our hop schedules (whether FWH, kettle, or dry hop) for any new recipe, the anticipated gravities (both starting and final) are always a factor. As a general rule, lower alcohol both dictates lower bitterness and requires less dry-hopping (assuming you want the beer to be drinkable). I think the point you're making is that lower alcohol doesn't necessarily mean you can't get a beer more bitter--it just might taste terrible--which is true.

There's a reason there isn't a great low ABV alternative to a beer like Sue. Lower ABV generally means lower finishing gravity. Lower gravity means less sugar and mouthfeel to balance the bitterness. If you're aggressively kettle-hopping a low ABV beer, it can become overly dry, bitter, and a weird-sort-of-thin in a hurry. There is also some thought that the lower the gravity of the wort, the more easily the alpha acids dissolve, which compounds the bitterness problem. Whether this is true or not is debated (we don't particularly buy into it, but it's something to consider).

I don't think there's any doubt that lower ABV beers seem to pick up bitterness and grassiness easier, especially during dry-hopping (the plain fact is, there is less to balance (i.e., cover up) these things). So dry-hopping is less effective at imparting only hop aroma and flavor. Likewise, FWH tends to result in an effect not unlike hops added at the boil stage--bitter, grassy, chewiness. This can be offset somewhat by adjusting chloride and sulfate ratios in the water, but that grassy chewiness will remain.

In short, if you start aggressively bittering a low ABV beer, you're more likely to end up with a thin, grassy, flavorless bitter bomb.

 

On a clean palate the main flavor I get is exactly as you describe it - a bready base. I'll drink it when on the golf course, but other than that it's not really my thing.

 

I tried my first one last night and enjoyed to the level of my expectations. I would probably choose it over Founders All Day IPA when going for a session IPA.

 

I would put it on the same level as Founder All Day as well. It's hard to beat though when you find their 15 packs for 12 bucks or less.

 

blend them!

 

Overrated.

 

Huh?

 

This stuff is pretty bad. But on par for session IPA's. I keep trying them hoping I'll strike gold but only get coal in my stocking. I'll just drink Pseudo Sue like I have been. Under 6%. $10 a four pack. Easily available in Iowa at least.

 

had my first can of this yesterday and it was just OK. Not amazing, not total shit. Hop aroma is there but the hops fade quickly in taste for it being Xtra Citra. Hop water is a good description. I'll keep at it, maybe it will grow on me with time.

 

Yep - this falls so low below the usual Surly standard ... Opened a can yesterday , this is a light watered down tasting beer , on the plus side it was really cheap $ for Surly. . I really wish they would just can the new Stout from the Beerhall which I think is a really superb stout and would fit perfectly into their year round range .

 

I'm guessing the colorful packaging and price will sell a lot of this beer for Surly. During my most recent trip to the liquor store, they were all out of Xtra Citra, but plenty of Todd in the cooler.

 

Todd's one of my favorite beers, but when its $300 per 4-pack it's a little tough to have in your regular rotation.

 

Ha- Agreed ! I live 2 miles from the brewery but can't justify paying for those 4 packs of Todd considering you can get a pretty great choice of beers now for under $10....also a convert to Sue here!

 

Selling out of a new Surly beer quickly is standard for most liquor stores. At my store we sold out in three days. Since then it has been sitting on the rail. I personally don't expect this beer to last very long in the Surly lineup, but that's just like my opinion, man.

 

In my 'fridge right now I have one Xtra-Citra left, a couple of the Unchained #21: Us & Them 2nd Thread left. Maybe I'll go out and buy some Founders All Day and Summit Hopvale and have a session play off. Any suggestions on the order to try them? (This is only a semi-serious wild hair idea...)

 

Side by side blind.

 

Yes, please do this blind.

 

The tasting part, right? I would hope you don't expect him to blindly go out and buy some beer. He's risking an accident, and there's a really good chance he wouldn't even buy the right beer.

 

Well, getting blind drunk isn't in the cards!

But, I've done the blind tasting. Here is the order of the finish (what surprised me overall is how much lower my scores were for each beer than when I reviewed them individually; this was true across the board! Doesn't speak well of "session IPAs" as a group, I guess...)

1. Founders All Day IPA was top rated, and it wasn't close.
2. Summit Hopvale, but 0.34 lower than All Day.
3. Summit Unchainged Us and Them Session, 0.04 below Hopvale
4. Surly Xtra-Citrus, in last place, 0.2 points below Unchained, and 0.6 below All Day.

Now, I've put a stopper in the bottles of All Day and Unchained, and I'm finishing off the Xtra-Citrus, with the Hopvale after that.

 

This is America. No guts, no glory.