Citra DIPA
Big thanks to Jose for sending me this one from the heart of Sequoia National Forest. Shared with the Chicago crowd, served in a Hopleaf tulip glass. A - Pours with two-plus fingers of off-white foam that slowly dissipates to a chunky cap and leaves plenty of splotchy lacing. The body is a hazy, nearly opaque, golden peach color - I can just barely see my fingers through the glass. If the body glowed a bit more this would have been perfect. S - Smells like a ton of hops! Is this really a single-hop DIPA, because it smells like there are bunch of things in here? Lots of fresh oranges, citrus rinds, notes of pine and dank earthiness, maybe a touch of chive in the periphery. The malt bill adds only the slightest bit of sugary support. When it's warm there's the slightest hint of alcohol. T - The taste is nearly as good, with lots of juicy sugary citrus. It's still incredibly hop-forward but some of the complexity and depth has been smoothed out. Still, it's hands down quite delicious. The bitterness is surprisingly well-attenuated for the style - it's like that guy who makes a brief appearance at the party, but then cuts out long before it ends. I could actually have stood for a little more fierceness in this area. It's not quite at 4.5 level for me, but I bumped up some other areas a notch to compensate for the lower score here. M - Nice enamel coating resins. Medium-thick body with more than a sufficient amount of heftiness. Low, softer carbonation, and a light dry finish. Very good, but not game-changing. D - Once I opened this, I immediately regretted sharing it - I probably could have had it on my own (and then been falling-down drunk). This is up there with the most excellent Breakwater Maverick's for best DIPA of 2010, and was a little better than the fresh Dreadnaught we opened immediately afterward. Highly recommended.