New Belgium Citradelic Tangerine IPA

There is no such thing as the off-season.  This apparently holds true for IPAs as well.  Now is supposed to be the time of year for stouts and barleywines; however, just last week I saw two new IPAs on the shelves of my local liquor store. I, of course, couldn’t pass them up, and I am featuring one in this week’s beer review; Citradelic Tangerine IPA from New Belgium.

The heavily used Citra hops and orange peel first assert themselves in the aroma.  The marshmallow, off-white head slowly fades releasing notes of freshly peeled oranges with a lean towards sweeter varieties as opposed to more sour ones.  Pine is also present in the aroma.  Hidden a little deeper you’ll find aromas of heather and sweet malt.

The mouthfeel is rather light for a 6.0% ABV offering.  The flavor, not surprising, is heavy on citrus.  This comes both from the hops and from orange peel added.  The tongue is immediately hit with flavors of clementine and tangerine.  Piney hops join with the citrus mid-tongue, but the overriding flavor here is that of an orange soda heavily influenced by the orange peel addition.  This flavor detracts a bit from the overall experience rather than complimenting as the sweet and bitter clash.  As the orange soda taste fades, the beer is back on point with a refreshing citrus bitterness which lingers before fading nicely into a pine aftertaste.

This is a just-released beer from New Belgium that is currently available in six-packs of bottles for around 10 bucks.  New Belgium’s blog promises bikepacking friendly cans later this year, but we can raise a glass at home until then.

Citradelic is an interesting fresh offering at a time of year not usually associated with new IPAs.  Crank up the fire, get the den toasty warm, and enjoy sipping this refreshing IPA.

Cheers,

Alex

Bikepacking Friendliness (bottles only now but look for cans later in the year)…6/10

Aroma (fresh with big orange and pine scents)…9/10

Flavor (orange peel clashes a bit, but overall a refreshing beer)…7/10

Style Appropriateness (bitterness is there but the peel somewhat masks)…7/10

Alex writes a beer review every other Friday. Two weeks ago he reviewed the Stone Ruination 2.0, check it out here.