Citra Cannon by Heavy Seas Beer was judged as an American IPA, BJCP category 21A.
The aroma presents a moderately high level of lemons and kumquats with some additional pithy citrus character and just a hint of dankness. The style calls for at least a low level of malt character in the aroma but alas, no malt is capable of making its way through the citrus. Clean fermentation. The beer pours a golden hue with a light orange cast to it. Supper hazy, NEIPA hazy, far too hazy for a standard American IPA. Big frothy white head with excellent retention. The lemony aspect of the hops is most dominant in the flavor but a slight grapefruit and some rather nondescript citrus pith come up mid-palate. There is some low-level, slightly sweet pale malt in the finish. Moderately bitter, somewhere between what is expected for an American IPA on the low end and a NEIPA on the high end. Medium dry finish with the lemon hops lingering into the aftertaste. A little pineapple shows up in the aftertaste and is a welcome surprise. The beer has a medium body with moderately high carbonation. There is just a slight hop astringency, which is expected in a beer with higher hop levels, but not unpleasant.
Very pleasant, enjoyable IPA that seems to straddle the line between a standard American IPA and a NEIPA. Not quite bitter enough as an American, too bitter and not “juicy” enough for a NEIPA. Increased bitterness and a touch more malt would have helped place it more firmly in the standard American camp. Overall, the beer is easy to drink but comes across as being rather simple. Perhaps as IPA’s have become more and more aggressive, providing a cornucopia of hop complexity, the expectations have grown larger than the style actually calls for.