Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL
Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #463/464) bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (bottled 07.26.2014)
Style/ABV: American Saison, 9.0%
Reported IBUs: ?
Tonight's Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™ is all about dat Citra. In a Saison? Hmm, I'm intrigued. Seriously though, this beer better be banging. About Pipeworks:
"When you need a break from fighting life's epic battles, unwind your nunchuckus, high kick off the ol' work booties, and get a good death grip on life's simple pleasures like a saison hopped generously with Citra hops. Move swift! Move stealthily! Pour this Citra Saison into your glass, and enjoy when the summer sun is HIYA! in the sky, or during a warm, shuriken filled night. Shiken Haramitsu Daikoumyo."
The appearance is an absolutely hazy, dark-yellow body, that almost borders a turbid brown/straw color. This one kicks up two fingers of substantial, egg-whites thick, white head. Head retention is great with a pinky lingering, and there's massive lacing on the glass. The body retains its juicy appeal in bright light, and peppery carbonation can be spotted with ease.
Oh man, if you love Citra...and let's be real, who doesn't love Citra...you are gonna like this beer's aroma. The aroma here features a HUGE blast of Citra hops right off the nose, with juicy citrus, tropical fruits, and funky apricot/mango. I'm getting orange, pineapple, and some big white pepper and zesty citrus. Beneath the Citra assault is a ton of Belgian funk, with barnyard, dry biscuit and bread notes, black pepper, clove, and a deep and dry Citra-band-aid funk that I can't really describe. This is legit, though. This is the most authentic smelling Saison Pipeworks has released to date. But will it taste the part?
Wow, this is a pretty big departure for Pipeworks. This is knocking on the door of Allagash or any other Belgian-inspired brewery that knows how to turn out a good Saison. This is creamy, but peppery and hoppy, full of Citra notes, and has tons of backdoor funk. I'm getting big splashes of citrus: namely orange, pineapple, some grapefruit. Then the beer dials up the black and white pepper, clove, and biscuity dryness. The back end shifts into deeply funky fun, with lingering black pepper and citrus. There are shades of mango in here, and the Belgian funk veers into a weird bubble-gum/barnyard/band-aid territory. It's really good.
This is refreshing and clean, and amazingly drinkable. The dry finish cuts through all the bloat, and this is supported by nice carbonation and a creamy-smooth mouthfeel. Pipeworks has a habit of cranking up the ABV when it isn't needed, but the 9.0% is welcomed here and goes unnoticed. This has fantastic palate depth, and is very complex. I'm calling this medium-bodied, but I'm finding it to be very easy-going. Up front: sweet Citra splashes with orange, grapefruit, and pineapple against some nice cracker/biscuit malts; the mids roll into biscuit, black and white pepper, clove, barnyard, Belgian funk, bubblegum; the back end continues with the bubblegum and funk, with lingering hop notes and biscuit...it finishes dry and yeah. This is nice.
Reported IBUs: ?
Tonight's Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™ is all about dat Citra. In a Saison? Hmm, I'm intrigued. Seriously though, this beer better be banging. About Pipeworks:
Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.
The Citra Saison is self-explanatory. The bottle reads:
"When you need a break from fighting life's epic battles, unwind your nunchuckus, high kick off the ol' work booties, and get a good death grip on life's simple pleasures like a saison hopped generously with Citra hops. Move swift! Move stealthily! Pour this Citra Saison into your glass, and enjoy when the summer sun is HIYA! in the sky, or during a warm, shuriken filled night. Shiken Haramitsu Daikoumyo."
 |
| Pipeworks Citra Saison |
The appearance is an absolutely hazy, dark-yellow body, that almost borders a turbid brown/straw color. This one kicks up two fingers of substantial, egg-whites thick, white head. Head retention is great with a pinky lingering, and there's massive lacing on the glass. The body retains its juicy appeal in bright light, and peppery carbonation can be spotted with ease.
Oh man, if you love Citra...and let's be real, who doesn't love Citra...you are gonna like this beer's aroma. The aroma here features a HUGE blast of Citra hops right off the nose, with juicy citrus, tropical fruits, and funky apricot/mango. I'm getting orange, pineapple, and some big white pepper and zesty citrus. Beneath the Citra assault is a ton of Belgian funk, with barnyard, dry biscuit and bread notes, black pepper, clove, and a deep and dry Citra-band-aid funk that I can't really describe. This is legit, though. This is the most authentic smelling Saison Pipeworks has released to date. But will it taste the part?
Wow, this is a pretty big departure for Pipeworks. This is knocking on the door of Allagash or any other Belgian-inspired brewery that knows how to turn out a good Saison. This is creamy, but peppery and hoppy, full of Citra notes, and has tons of backdoor funk. I'm getting big splashes of citrus: namely orange, pineapple, some grapefruit. Then the beer dials up the black and white pepper, clove, and biscuity dryness. The back end shifts into deeply funky fun, with lingering black pepper and citrus. There are shades of mango in here, and the Belgian funk veers into a weird bubble-gum/barnyard/band-aid territory. It's really good.
This is refreshing and clean, and amazingly drinkable. The dry finish cuts through all the bloat, and this is supported by nice carbonation and a creamy-smooth mouthfeel. Pipeworks has a habit of cranking up the ABV when it isn't needed, but the 9.0% is welcomed here and goes unnoticed. This has fantastic palate depth, and is very complex. I'm calling this medium-bodied, but I'm finding it to be very easy-going. Up front: sweet Citra splashes with orange, grapefruit, and pineapple against some nice cracker/biscuit malts; the mids roll into biscuit, black and white pepper, clove, barnyard, Belgian funk, bubblegum; the back end continues with the bubblegum and funk, with lingering hop notes and biscuit...it finishes dry and yeah. This is nice.
Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)
I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. This is probably the best non-Stout/non-IPA that Pipeworks has made. This is also the best Belgian-style Ale that Pipeworks has brewed. Far and away. This rings with some authenticity, and again, I'm reminded of bruisers like Allagash's Saison. Only with dat Citra twist and funk for days. Not only would I buy this again, but I would recommend you buy it (fresh). Pair it with a nice burger, gourmet salad, strong cheese, or a chicken dish. Good shit....yum.
Random Thought: Using Citra is like playing with wall hacks though.
I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. This is probably the best non-Stout/non-IPA that Pipeworks has made. This is also the best Belgian-style Ale that Pipeworks has brewed. Far and away. This rings with some authenticity, and again, I'm reminded of bruisers like Allagash's Saison. Only with dat Citra twist and funk for days. Not only would I buy this again, but I would recommend you buy it (fresh). Pair it with a nice burger, gourmet salad, strong cheese, or a chicken dish. Good shit....yum.
Random Thought: Using Citra is like playing with wall hacks though.
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