Citradellic Tangerine IPA
There's a new store in our neighborhood. It's called Sprouts. If you're not familiar with Sprouts, it's sits somewhere in between Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in the marketplace. There have been so many people begging Trader Joe's to put a store here for years, but TJ's has refused to do it. I've heard that our average household income isn't high enough... I can attest to the fact that is definitely true in this household.
Anyway, it's a very nice store. Lots of the kind of thing you'd expect - big bins of granola, gluten-free this, gluten-free that, lots of things in brown or green packaging, weird looking fruits and vegetables, and about 50 kinds of trail mix. But if you're reading this, you know what I was interested in: What kind of beers do they sell?
Their beer section was tucked into the corner, behind the wine section. I almost didn't see it. I headed back there, making my way through the kale, free-range chickens and spelt flour. The selection wasn't huge, but it was OK for a store that size. I began to scan the shelves. I saw a few interesting choices, but the Citradellic Tangerine IPA especially caught my eye. Perhaps because I have fond memories of my hippie days, or maybe because I thought "tangerine" and "IPA" was an unusual combo. I saw that it was from New Belgium, a brand that I seem to lean toward often despite my dislike for their flagship Fat Tire ale.
So I get home and pour a glass. You can see in the photo that it's a very nice color and has frothy head. I took a sniff of it before I tasted it, and there is a nice, subtle aroma of tangerine. I took a drink. It was a very interesting flavor - and I mean that in a good way. Something about the hoppiness and the citrusness worked in perfect harmony. The illustration on the label visually describes the taste pretty well. It's hops sliced open to reveal a tangerine within. Understand that the tangerine flavor is very, very subtle. There's more of a tangerine smell than there is a taste. It's not like a "fruit beer" at all. It is quite delicious.
I welcome Sprouts to my neighborhood, and I welcome Citradellic Tangerine IPA to my refrigerator (and my belly).
