Common Crown Brewing Co. Brighter Days Citra Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.0% ABV | 40 IBU (C$4.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-May-2020, reviewed 9-May-2020)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, bready malt, grass, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter mildly spicy finish. (3/5)
Fairly straightforward Pale, with moderate Citra character and an almost Pilsener-ish grassy/earthy note on the back end. Personally I’d like a brighter, juicer citrus character, especially for a “Citra Pale Ale”, and think it falls short of the “bold grapefruit aroma” the label promise, but it’s not bad. I’m interpreting the label art as grimly funny, with the “brighter days” ahead attributable to thermonuclear warfare – that is, the light at the end of the tunnel is the oncoming train – but of course I’m hoping that’s not the case, since then it’s just grim and not really all that funny…(14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
