Origin: USA
Type: Rye pale ale
Color: Light amber
Alcohol content: 5.1%
Recommended serving temperature: 11ºC/52ºF
Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Today I have decided to write on one of the beers I brought back this Christmas from Charleston, the Westbrook Citra Rye Pale Ale.
This beer caught my eye when I saw it while browsing in a shop called the Beer Exchange. I was there with my girlfriend and her brother, looking for a Christmas gift from the latter, something to bring back with me to try at home, but was not set on anything specific. However, given how much I have enjoyed citra hop based beers, especially if they are exclusively citra hop based, and given the pleasant experiences I had had with other Westbrook beers, I immediately knew this one was a pretty safe bet as soon as I saw it.
It has a pale amber tone to it and abundant foam of a soapy nature, which dissolves about as fast as an Alka-Seltzer the morning after a party, leaving a thin white coat which, conversely, lasts more than your headache would without the Alka-Seltzer.
The smell of this beer is a fruity one, as should be from the citra hops. To me it is mainly that of a soft citric fruit at the beginning, such as orange or mandarine, but then once the bottle has been open for a bit longer and the beer starts to air, its smell starts to become more that of passion fruit, mango and other tropical fruits. In any event, these smells are softer and sweeter than those of other citra based beers, making the bitter and hoppy smells less pronounced. I am assuming that this may have something to do with the rye grain, which somehow balances it out like it does in the taste of IBU heavy beers.
The bitterness is nevertheless more noticeable in the taste than in the smell of this beer. In fact it starts off with a bang of hoppy bitterness, almost subduing the fruity flavors, which gradually come back over time as the bitterness fades and the rye grain gains some presence. It is once the initial bitterness fades, that you are left with the taste of tropical fruity rye grains, a taste almost like those bags of fruit flavored oatmeal some people enjoy for breakfast (I need not say though better, as this has alcohol).
The taste then goes from bitter at the beginning, to fruity towards the middle and dry at the end, to me the perfect blend for a well balanced beer, especially if you add a pretty fair amount of carbonation all along, as this one does, keeping your palate excited and entertained throughout the whole process.
Pair this with grilled seafood, such as calamari with a bit of lemon and parsley, and you are heading for the time of your life. The only thing though is, you might find yourself having to call the waiter back several times, because this beer is insanely easy to drink and very, very, enjoyable.
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