New Belgium Citradelic Review

Name: New Belgium Citradelic
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6%
IBUs: 50

A couple weeks ago, New Belgium released a couple new beers to their existing lineup, both of which so happened to be Pale Ales. For this review, I've got their Citradelic, which is described by the brewery as a Tangerine IPA. Looking at New Belgium's website, they used "Tangerine infused orange peel" in the brewing process.

Doing some further digging, I found out that the inspiration of this beer may have been influenced by Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin, which apparently has been selling like crazy despite the (in my opinion) ridiculously inflated asking price. Then again, that beer in particular is causing other breweries to scramble for their own answer to Grapefruit Sculpin, so it means someone is buying it.

Appearance - Clear bright yellow color with a high amount of visible carbonation. The head is foamy but thinner in terms of overall volume and the lacing borders between that of sparse & moderate.

Aroma - True to its name, I'm getting some strong citrus & tangerine notes with some light grapefruit sweetness and mild yeastiness. I am also picking up on some mild floral & bitter hops but they're mostly overshadowed by the sheer citrus aroma.

Taste - Strong Tangerine & Citrus flavors upfront that remind me of Froot Loops, while the middle of the palate gives way to some mild bitter hoppiness. Towards the back is where that Tangerine sweetness makes a very brief visit while the yeasts and light citrus sweetness linger for a few moments after a sip is taken.

I can foresee Citradelic being a huge hit amongst the GS crowd as well as craft beer drinkers as a whole. I know New Belgium makes good beers but they aren't exactly known for making awesome beers with the exception of their Lips of Faith series. This, however, exceeded my expectations and I see this being a welcome addition to the New Belgium lineup.

The biggest drawback here is that it isn't as vibrant as GS in terms of overall flavor. However, it's still a very good and citrusy/tangeriney(?) IPA and it's literally $5-6 cheaper than GS. As such, I find this easier to recommend than Grapefruit Sculpin in terms of price point and that your getting more than your money's worth with the overall flavor.

New Belgium Citradelic - 9/10