Upslope Citra Pale Ale
Of the two samples that I recently received from Upslope brewing, it was the newly announced Citra Pale Ale that garnered a majority of my attention. While their Craft Lager is a damn fine brew, I’m a sucker for hoppy pale ales — and this 5.8% ABV example delivers the goods nicely as it focuses on all that the Citra hop variety can provide.
Despite this particular can opening rather anti-climactically, Citra Pale Ale is a lively and refreshing brew. It’s packed with grapefruit, a hint of pineapple, a solid amount of resinous pine and a hop bite that belies the rather low 55 IBUs attributed to it. This beer is also not so one-dimensional despite its singular focus on the hop variety — bread, grain and a soft caramel note are all there to provide balance to the experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to Upslope Brewing with not just this tasty and refreshing Citra Pale Ale, but also that unassuming lager (that I would go to in a heartbeat after a long day in the Summer sun). This pale ale is a solid offering with a well rounded flavor profile and just the right amount of hop bitterness to go along with that Citra-forward character.
This is a review of a promotional sample.