OK, so I reviewed Kernel’s Double Citra a little while ago and so all I need do is republish half that review to save time.
But I won’t.
The Kernel continue to impress, continue to brew simple beers with depth and charm and character and excitement.
This beer has an immense smell.
It’s catnip and oranges, lemons and mint, chewy sweets and pot pourri.
Citra sits in your glass a gloriously blazing ball of marmalade, absolutely sure of its own power.
And the taste is something else again.
You get a backbone of caramel that’s light and soft, and it has some roasted pine nuts stuck in it, along with handfuls of biscuit crumbs.
But the Citra, and let’s face it that’s what this beer is about, is huge.
Astringent, sharp, lime juice heavy, elderflower soft, driven by the muscular ABV the finish is dry like a proper English summer and as long as watching a field being combined.
Big, impressive, a little bit scary, but hugely thrilling.
Happy IPA Day 2012.