Monday, December 19, 2022

BlackStack Citra ...But Make It Pop NEIPA


 BlackStack Citra ...But Make It Pop NEIPA.

7% ABV, BlackStack Brewing, St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Another Neepa from BlackStack is in my glass, and drink it I must. 

All clouded-up, bright golden hue, huge head, long lasting, lace leaving. 

In the nose: bold and citrusy, big lemon, orange, grapefruit. Big and beautiful. 

In the mouth: Juicy and just a little bit bitter. All fuzzy and yeasty, with bitterness dying on the palate. Tasty and bright, to a point, but ...lacking necessary pizzaz. Yeah, I need an IPA to have pizzaz, but the kneepas never do. 

I mean, they’re okay, I guess, but I still don’t get the fuss. Meh. 

A new series dedicated to our hop suppliers & their tolerance for us during selection. It’s a running joke when we go out West to rub hops each harvest… “Yeah, I like everything about it… I just wish it popped more.” It turns out that “popping more” can be an incredibly difficult thing to quantify for a lab that is trying to screen hop lots as they come in. Showcasing some of our favorite selected lots and putting them out to pasture with Cryo Pop, a blend from Yakima Chief Hops specifically formulated for dry hopping during primary fermentation. Yeah, I like it… But can we make it pop?

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