12 days of IPA: The Ones With Citra In Them

The wonderful thing about Citra is that Citra's a wonderful thing.

100% Citra hopped beers can be sublime - I'm thinking Oakham Citra at the Barton's Arms in Birmingham, or Thornbridge Larkspur at the Coach & Horses, Dronfield. Or Fyne Ales Jarl at the same place. Mmmmm, Jarl...

...anyway, let's stop drooling. All-Citra IPA is something I hadn't tried so thought I ought to rustle some up. Couldn't find the one by Nøgne Ø. Beermerchants had sold out of Kernel's. So the idea was withering on the bine until a moment of happenstance: Tom Fozard (cheeeseboiger on Twitter) offered up some homebrew and Brewdog started selling their 'IPA Is Dead' series that featured a Citra single hopped beer.

The results?

Tom's homebrew - Baby Faced Assassin - had a great fruitbowl aroma, sharp flavour with plenty of bitterness and just a touch of acetone lurking in the background. Brewdog Citra was earthier, more malt-forward, softer. Both tropical; Brewdog in a freshly-blitzed smoothie way, Fozzie's in a Chewit stylee.

Let's remember - one's a homebrew. One's the product of a major brewer's incessant experimentation programme. So which one impressed me more?

Baby Faced Assassin. If Tom Fozard can knock out stuff like that in his kitchen - and manage a cool label as well - he's doing better than half the professional brewers I Reluctantly Scoop around Sheffield and Derby. Sure, I've had better homebrew. But they've been homebrews by professional brewers.

Brewdog Citra was a competent beer. But compared to other beers of a lower ABV that lead with the hop, it underplays its hand. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the 'IPA Is Dead' series measure up later in the week.

Today's Obviously Made Up Fact About IPA:

The first hop variety grown specifically for IPA brewing was East India Excess Isohumulene Ordinary developed in the village of Hadder by the ninety-year-old farmer Jeremiah McDonald. Brewing ledgers from the mid nineteenth century stipulate the use of “Old Mcdonald Hadda Farm E.I.E.I.O”