Citra Ninja
Imperial IPA
9.5% ABV
Batch #109
Appearance: Pours a deep, hazy sunset orange with over two fingers of white, rocky foam.
Smell: A somewhat subdued and soft aroma of tropical fruit. Grapefruit, pineapple, and candied orange peel. The nose seemed to gain potency as the beer warmed a bit. This was not quite as pleasantly pungent as the last batch I had back in December but it's still quite good.
Taste: Mellow pine bitterness, soft grapefruit, tangerine, and blood orange with just a touch of lemon; sweet, caramel malt backbone and a slightly nutty finish. Alcohol remained hidden until the beer warmed up significantly.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. It seemed to get progressively thinner and a bit watery as the tasting went along. Still an incredibly smooth and easy drinker for 9.5%.
Overall, this is an excellent double IPA from Pipeworks that deserves all the praise it has received but I did find this most recent batch just a tad disappointing. The aroma was much more subtle than the two bottles I had in December, which blew me away with a huge blast of pungent tropical fruit. However, I did find the flavor to be smoother and more balanced this time around so I suppose that makes up for it. In any case this is a must try if you're lucky enough to find a bottle (not an easy task). I really want to give this a perfect score based on a combination of this most recent batch and the December release but that wouldn't be entirely accurate. I have one more bottle in my fridge so depending on how that one strikes me, I may be back to revise my consensus. For now, though, I'll settle on a...
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