Surly - Xtra Citra Pale Ale

helluva run, Eric_H

 

I feel like everyone is overreacting to the taste... It's a 4.5% pale that is light year's ahead of almost every other readily available 4.5% beer in taste. I see people comparing it to Abrasive, Furious, etc. and just laugh. That's like getting mad that your Diet Coke with Lime tastes nothing like your Cherry Coke.

Also, just to stir the Surly pot: I would honestly drink Xtra over this year's Wet.

 

Indeed some of the comparisons are silly. It was ok, even enjoyable for warm weather. A freaking fantastic session beer is Sisyphus's Citra Hop. How they pack that much flavor into 3.5% ABV (this last batch I had) is beyond me. Blows most session beers I've had out of the water.

 

Gosh. I guess I hope you are kidding. Xtra Citra is a slam dunk, and a worthy successor of Bitter Brewer, rest it's underapreciated soul. People want booze, they want body, they don't want subtle grahm cracker malt, beautiful citrus hops, and low abv. I get it. Good session beer is a bit of an acquired taste.

 

This is what I would call a post mowing beer. Sit on the patio and enjoy a quick cold one, nothing to crazy.

 

Don't be so arrogant. Just because you think Xtra Citra is fantastic doesn't mean everyone else has to agree.

 

The same can be said of the other camp.

 

Actually, I'd say that most session brews suck, because brewers can't hide any potential flaws behind a tsunami of hops or malt or barrel. Good session brews are rare jewels in my book!

 

Well, not for me. Most session beers I have tried are better, and many of them are MUCH better. In the IPA / APA categories, these beers are superior to Xtra-Citra to me (with the first three listed MUCH better): Summit Hopvale (4.7%), Fair State Pahlay'Ahlay (4.8%), Central Waters Hop Rise (4.5%), Founders All Day (4.7%), New Holland Carhartt Woodsman (4.4%), New Holland Paleooza (4.4%).

Broadening the style to include Bitters, Browns, and Lagers, these are also better (again, IMO) than the Xtra-Citra: Surly Bitter Brewer (pre-2015, 4.0%), Schell's Hefeweizen (4.8%), Northgate Wall's End (4.8%), Sam Adams Boston Lager (4.9%), Summit Summer Ale (4.5%), Insight Return of the Lambton Dragon (4.1%).

Now, in both lists, near the bottom they are not all that much more highly rated (by me) than the Xtra-Citra, but there is not a beer on that list that I would buy the Xtra-Citra instead of.

I do not review beers, typically, until I have at 2, each on a different day. I submitted my review of Xtra-Citra after 2. Truth be told, however, if I had waited until I finished the 4th, my rating would have been lower. I was like @Eric_H, I was avoiding finishing off the last one.

 

Apologies to @MNBeerGeek ... I misread your post. I thought you were saying all that about Xtra-Citra when I quoted you in the post above. (My comments otherwise stand, though).

 

I was just about to say, it seems like you perhaps misread my post. I agree with your post. I was just pointing out how excellently well-done Sisyphus's session beer is.

 

I heard they use Clarity Ferm in x-citra. Maybe that's why I don't get the stomach rumbles like I do after having a couple of Furious

 

I like Xtra Citra fine, but I'm really excited to learn that they're canning 'Merica. I'll be making multiple Costco runs for that for sure.

 

Just got word that Johnson Brothers has this in stock again.

 

It's been on the shelf up here in Grand Forks for a week or so now. I like this run better than the last one. More aroma, a little more flavor. Very well suited for summer drinking.

 

Had some on Saturday and enjoyed it more than the initial run as well.