Citra Ass Down! - Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from my growler into a pint tulip. The pour is clear, dark gold with a majestic head and outstanding lacing. The nose definitely says citra. I get notes of lemon, sweet oranges, and peaches. Nice!

The beer has a medium body and a nicely balanced flavor. I get a faint bread-and-buttery sweetness along the entire profile with nice tropical fruit bitterness. Predominant flavors include grapefruit and lemon. The hops are not overly assertive, but the finish is nice and dry and fairly well sustained. The only criticism I have is a mouthfeel that seems a bit thin.

Overall, this is a nice IPA from a brewer whose beers I buy whenever they're available. However, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would (i.e., as much as their ``Hoppy Seconds'' IPA). The nose and flavor are fine, but it could stand to be a bit hoppier and it could use a bit more sweetness in the front of the palate. Moreover, the mouthfeel just wasn't there for me. I hope to be able to try ``Citra Ass Back Down'' to see if they've improved on this.

Serving type: growler

07-24-2012 00:06:29 | More by deadonhisfeet

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.43/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The citra hop plant is one incredible herb to complement beer flavors. Such juicy citrus and tropical fruit flavors with a clean and mellow bitterness- it captures all the essence that is American IPAs. Now Citra ass down and enjoy a pint!

The hazy orange colored ale allows for the emmitance of a soft glow beyond the hoppy haze. Modestly carbonated, the beer forms a creamy eggshell white head that retains half the session and with mild lacing. While terse on life, the beer looks English-like with more visual weight.

The aromatics of caramel malt and citrusy hops give a rich and juicy scent that draws in aromas of musty malt, light hop leafy matter, butterscotch, and popcorn. The light buttery notes seems to deafen the scent and interfere with the clean caramel and citrus interplay.

Flavors fare better than aromas as the balance of caramel and citrus play out on better display. Ruby red grapefruit pulp, tangerine juice, apricots, papaya, pineapple, and mango flavors can all be pulled from the hop profile in a richer than usual way that only Citra delivers. Other herbal hop flavors edge on sweet onion, garlic, grassy, and even mild catty character. Hearty caramel flavor and sweetness seems lightly bready and biscuity and harks toward English-like brewing traditions. Even the moderate taste of butterscotch and rich toffee makes the beer very British-like or Scottish-like. Where these flavors offer complexity, they do deter from the clean American yeast-neutral flavor.

Full bodied for an IPA, the rich texture starts with low-lying carbonation that allows the malt to cling to the mouth's surfaces with an oily and somewhat fatty feel. The buttery compounds continue to play straight through the finish with limited dryness and crispness.

The yeast character of Citra Ass Down contributes a fairly high butter (diacetyl) character that I often enjoy in English and Scottish beers at restrained levels. But the crisp and clean American IPAs are severely compromised by this misplaced contribution and in such high levels. This IPA is still rather enjoyable, but bigger fans of Western Europe ales may find better comfort with this beer than me.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2012 17:18:02 | More by BEERchitect

samie85

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes, originally 2/20/12.

Pours a clear, light orange color with two fingers of dense white head.

Smells of huge grapefruit, and pineapple with some orange and almost catty note with some light malt notes.

The hops dominate the flavor profile as well with big notes of pineapple some grapefruit, orange and passion-fruit.

Medium bodied, yet has a certain slickness to it with a crisp, dry finish.

This a very nice American IPA, and perhaps the one that has best utilized Citra hops that I've had to date.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2012 02:49:37 | More by samie85

mrfrancis

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear, dark gold with a compact, thick white head.

S: Aromas of pine, spruce, juniper berry, biscuits, herbs, white onion, grapefruit, lemon, and bitter orange assault the nose.

T: A bitter, stinging entry reveals notes of pine, spruce, juniper berry, white onion, biscuits, herbs, lemon, lime, grapefruit, bitter orange, honey, and mango. The finish is bitter and herbal with strong flavors of citrus and pine.

M: Medium in body, firm, and dry. Carbonation is very firm, but not particularly prickly. Drinkable for the style.

O: This is a very solid American IPA from one of my favorite new breweries. I particularly appreciate their frequent use of new, interesting, and unusual hop varietals in many of their beers, as well as their willingness to tinker with established styles. While this ale would have been a bit better if the flavors separated just a bit more, it is still just as good as many commercial IPAs.

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2012 13:09:13 | More by mrfrancis