Hop Valley Citrus Mistress

Beer Name: Citrus Mistress
Brewery: Hop Valley Brewing Co. (Eugene, OR)
ABV: 6.5%
How sold: 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles; 22 oz bottles
Where bought: Total Wine & Spirits (Vancouver, WA)
Price: $1.79 for 12 oz. single

Date Bottled: March 5, 2015
Date Purchased: July 3, 2015
Date Opened/Drank: July 5, 2015
Best By Date: December 15, 2015
IBUs: 80

When brewed? Rotating/limited-time beer
Where distributed: Unknown; the brewery does ship to the Pacific NW, of course. Check to see if Hop Valley Brewing ships your area!

What's on the Bottle/Website: "Featuring 4 different hops, this IPA creates a bouquet of citrus, peach and tropical fruit with enough Munich malt to produce a classic burnt orange color."

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured a clear burnt-orange color into a pint glass. Some carbonation. Very little white head initially; generally sudsy on top after that. 4/5

Smell (25%): Lovely, unmistakable grapefruit aroma. Huge fan. 4.5/5

Taste (40%): Hop-forward, pleasing grapefruit and citrus-bitterness. Wonderful grapefruit experience throughout. Essentially made for the grapefruit fan. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, nice carbonation. Bitterness gradually dissipates after staying on the tongue for a bit. Extremely drinkable and welcome on a hot day. 4.5/5

Overall (20%): An outstanding IPA. I bought this because I'm a big fan of grapefruit overall. I'm thrilled that we have a more local alternative to Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin. While this beer is perhaps just slightly below Grapefruit Sculpin in my book, it will also be much lighter on the wallet than the California-based beer (at least here; a 6-pack of Grapefruit Sculpin will run about $13 at the cheapest). Citrus Mistress is delicious and scores a high recommendation from me. 4.75/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.625/5