North American hops have some serious character, and the Huge Citrus Pale Ale from Moody Ales proves that. This beer is a perfect representation of what North American hops can bring to the game. Moody Ales, a member of Brewers Row, showcases this American Pale Ale with North American hops nicely.

B.C. Beer Reviews with Nic Hendrickson: Moody Ales – Huge Citrus Pale Ale

Not only does Brewers Row continue to churn out good breweries, but the breweries that are a part of it keep churning out good beers. Moody Ales is no exception to this statement, and neither is their Huge Citrus Pale Ale. An American Pale Ale that uses the fantastic notes of North American hops to entice you, it is truly worth picking up.

Let’s take a look at what this beer has to offer.

Colour

The clarity is fantastic in this one. You can see everything right through this beer. It brings a new meaning to beer goggles. It pours a nice golden colour that is trending towards being a very light amber colour. It is much of the same in the glass.

Nose/Aroma

Just like the name of the beer, the nose/aroma is huge citrus. You get almost nothing at first other than citrus notes. The orange and grapefruit notes come through very strong in this one. This is a common characteristic of American hops.

The other notes that are purported to be in this beer are tropical fruits and pomelo. I have never had the pleasure of having the latter, so I will not speak to that. However, the citrus and fruity notes coming out of the can and glass could certainly be construed as having an indistinguishable tropical fruit note.

There are the typical fruity and citrus notes from American hops in this beer. Truly a strong representation of what North American Pale Ales and IPAs are becoming. Very much a hop-forward and a very tasty nose/aroma.

Tasting Notes

There is a very strong and smooth bitterness to this beer. The IBU being listed at just 35 is rather surprising, as this one comes off like it could be more in the 45-55 region quite easily. It does not overpower anything, but it is certainly a strong level of bitter notes. The bitterness might come off as being stronger due to the prominent grapefruit notes as well.

The citrus and tropical fruit notes follow through the nose/aroma and into the tasting notes. You get strong notes of citrus fruits and a very slight tropical fruit taste from the hops used in this one.

This is a very hop-forward beer in the tasting notes, something you certainly caught on to in the nose/aroma. The malt/grain bill imparts virtually nothing but colour on this beer, which is certainly nothing worth complaining about.

Overall, a very smooth-drinking and cleanly bitter beer that presents strong notes of citrus and tropical fruits.

Other Notes

The labeling/branding is smooth and appealing. The pastel pink complimented by the curved yellow lettering is reminiscent of a movie or music label in the 1970’s. It looks like it could be a disco label, and it is very appealing for this beer.

The carbonation level is borderline effervescent. There is a very crisp and slightly biting finish to this beer with the level of carbonation present. There are bubbles cascading throughout the glass.

This beer pours an above average head in comparison to other beers categorized as a Pale Ale. The retention of that head is rather impressive as well.

There is also an above average level of lacing on the glass from this beer. Certainly not as much as you would expect from the strength of the hops, but still a fairly decent amount of lacing throughout.

Final Grade

A smooth-drinking beer with a crisp finish. Represents what American hops can offer to a beer nicely. Strong notes of both tropical and citrus fruits in both the nose/aroma and the tasting notes. Overall, this is a very quaffable beer and your four-pack/bottle/pour off draft will go rather quickly.

Grade: 8.3/10

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