Citra Mantra in Boston?

agree 100% with everything here, except i haven't had peak fresh cut.

it's not at all going for the same thing as hoponius union... both are excellent, but i think citra mantra achieves what it's going for better and is overall better put together. everything works about it. 100% perfect mouthfeel and carbonation, lots of great bready cereal malt notes, citra perfectly imbuing everything with citrusy/earthy hop goodness, and a very clean yeast with just a tiny bit of cologne-like lagery tang.

hoponius union is an IPA ("IPL, fine, whatever) with a nice malt backbone. the hops are good but more in the west coast "just put a bunch of strong, good hop flavors in, and you're fine" line of thought, rather than the "balance all the flavors together" line.

both are beers i would never refuse fresh, but still, they're not very alike beyond that.

 

Haven't had a chance to try Citra Mantra yet. Maybe tonight. But how would you compare it to Firestone Pivo, if you tried that one?

 

Tried it finally and liked it a lot. Clean, crisp taste. I think I have to agree that Citra Mantra is "more" lager than Hoponius Union, if one could put it his way (not that it should diminish HU in any way). Would be interesting to try it side by side.

 

I loved Citramantra. I love what Otter Creek is doing with this limited series. I hope they keep pumping them out.

 

no Citra in What Is Enlightenment, actually.

 

wow, you're right, my favorite hill farmstead beer and i misremembered what hops are in it.

though, simcoe/amarillo combo is even better than citra single hop. i think since my brain associates NEBCO fuzzy baby ducks with what is enlightenment i got confused.

thaaaat said, after actually having citra mantra, i think citra is perfect for a flavorful light lager, while simcoe and amarillo would probably be too much. the latter are, as you probably know, awesome in a pale ale though.

 

Yeah, I totally agree on the latter point. Citra Mantra is a bit too "lager-y" for me- which is my own personal taste and in no way reflects the craftsmanship of the beer. Citra does work well with that though - if it was loaded with Simcoe, I think it'd not taste too good.

 

Grabbed a 6 of it at The Craft Beer Cellar in Braintree.