Greetings again all craft beer brothers and sisters, advocates and aficionados, I hope you all have been enjoying the bit of cooler weather we have received thus far this week. It’s been a great, albeit a bit hot, summer thus far. Prime season for outdoor shenanigans: camping, fishing, sailing, hiking, golfing, and… Canned beers!
Today we’ve got a deliciously hoppy double IPA from the most famous Kentucky brewery: Citra Ass Down! From Against The Grain Brewery. That’s not a typo, yes this beer comes from Kentucky, and yes it is damn good. Although we are spoiled here in the PNW with delicious, high quality, and readily available beers, I still believe that it is important to try new beers from all over the country and the world. Although it is also safe to say that you could happily drink only PNW beers and be none the worse for it. I still encourage others to branch out and try new beers, if it looks good, drink it!
The beer up for review today is a great, if not a bit hard to track down, double IPA, featuring the ever popular Citra hop variety, which are notorious for strong citrus fruit tones, including grapefruit, lemon, melon, passion fruit, and guava. Sounds good to me! Let’s see if these come across in the review.
Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse — Louisville, KY
Beer: Citra Ass Down! — Double IPA
ABV: 8.2% / 68IBU
Cost: $3.99 / 16oz Can
Appearance (4.0/5) — A rather unique looking can starts things off, Against The Grain label artwork has always been eye catching, if not down right humorous, this can has a nice dark turquoise hue. As it pours out it forms a nice and clear orangish amber hue into the tulip glass. There is a somewhat puffy, and off-white colored head that forms on-top of the beer, leaving behind a consistent and sticky lacing pattern along the inside of the glass.
Aroma (4.0/5) — The aroma of this beer almost fills up the room just upon pouring it into the glass. Big notes of grapefruit, tart line, a bit of honeydew and melon character. Just smells deliciously sweet, resinous and hoppy. Underneath all the juiciness there is a clear and present slightly sweet malt backbone and foundation.
Taste (4.0/5) — Much like the nose, this is dominated by some terrific juicy hops. Major presence of grapefruit juice, flesh, and zest, leads way to a slightly bitter melon character as well. Finishes with a bit of a peachy and lemony finish. This is super juicy without being overly sweet, there is a bitter piney component that helps to balance out everything.
Mouthfeel (3.75/5) — Medium bodied, if not a little bit on the sticky side, simply due to the higher ABV. Overall this is very drinkable and quite refreshing.
Overall (4.25/5) — A great beer here, and from KY, who would have expected it? This is a great representation of the style and stands very well on its own.
Cheers!
