We’re headed to Oregon in a couple days and I’m getting excited. I though I’d open another beer from my friend @Bettywriter in preparation for the trip. She sent me one of their beers at Christmas and I’m hoping to stop at the brewery while out there. The bottle says, “By adding citrus zest to fruit and citrus forward hops, we’ve boosted the fruit flavors in pFriem Citrus Zest IPA. Notes of melon and papaya, and a zesty finish will have you puckering up with joy in no time.” It was bottled on 2/16/18.
Location: Poured into a pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 6.3% ABV, 45 IBUs, ~200 Calories
Ingredients: Malts: Rahr Pale, Simpsons Caramalt, Simpsons Crystal Dark; Hops: Chinook, Mosaic, Citra; American Ale Yeast; Tangelo and Grapefruit zest.
Appearance & Aroma: It’s bright golden orange in color and somewhat hazy from the yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle. It has a ton of carbonation, giving it a huge rocky white head that left some great lacing before settling in to a thin fluffy white head. It has a bright citrusy aroma with a lot of lemony and grassy hoppiness.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium and the mouthfeel is smooth and a bit creamy with some oiliness from the hops. There’s a lemony maltiness up front, with a little bit of spiciness. In the middle, it has an almost tropical fruit juiciness with some melon, lemon, and mango-like flavors. These flavors open up and get brighter in the finish with lots of mango-papaya-like bitterness, and some spicy lemongrassiness in the background with a lingering lemon citrusyness. The aftertaste is mostly the papaya and lemon-like flavors and bitterness, which last for a couple minutes.
Food Pairing: This beer has a lot of tropical and citrusy flavors. It’s light enough to pair with a solid salad. However, I think the perfect pairng would be Mexican food, and specifically, it would be perfect with fish tacos.
Overall Impression: This is a great, light, tropical beer that’s thirst quenching and refreshing. I can just imagine sitting out on the Columbia River on a hot day watching the kite boarders with a light, bright beer like this. I enjoyed the tropical juicyfruit flavors and the lemony citrus, which added to its refreshment. Overall, I thought this was a great beer, and I can’t wait to try more of their beers while in Oregon this weekend!
My Rating: 
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