Day 16 of the 2nd Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 16: Columbus Brewing Co. Citra Noel
Columbus Brewing brews one of our favorite IPAs, Bodhi. The name is an amazing Patrick Swayze reference, along with Dalton, their session IPA. They’ve won a couple of Great American Beer Festival awards (one for Bodhi) and they just started distributing bottles around summer, so we have only recently been so lucky enough to purchase their beers on the regular. Their brews tend to be more on the hoppier side so we’re sure this will follow suite. Their website says: “Welcome to a new holiday tradition. Our mahogany colored ale features tropical fruit notes from Citra hops and has a deep rich malt character.”
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: I love this brewery and so glad we’re lucky enough to have their beers in Cleveland now. This beer’s aroma immediately punches you in the face with a Santa’s sack full of tropical, citrusy, melony goodness. The flavor follows and is balanced by just enough maltiness to still make it a fairly dry beer, which I enjoy. Even though It was bottled on 11/7/16 and is just about to tip into oxidized territory, it still holds up nicely. This is basically just a great IPA they wanted to slap a Christmasy label on and I’m completely ok with that.
Broad: I’m so happy that this beer is delicious! It is light, flavorful and hoppy. It is a crisp, delicious IPA. I don’t really think it’s a holiday ale. I don’t get many holiday spice or maltiness from it. But that’s ok because i really like it. I could drink this while laying in the sun or running around in the snow. it’s one of my favorite beers from this list but not my favorite one.
Adam & Alex
Adam: I really really like this beer. Other than the piney and citrus nose it’s not very Holiday to me but I could drink a lot of these. They’re boozy and the perfect amount of hops. I could drink this in front of a fire or on a beach. Or anywhere really.
Alex: I really like this beer. It has the right amount of hops for my taste. I wouldn’t describe it as particularly “holiday-like,” aside from the piney-ness. I can taste the citrus as well. I would definitely drink this again.
Scott & CT
Scott: I love this beer! After the terrible brew from yesterday, Columbus Brewing came through with a newly discovered winter favorite for me. It’s got the taste of winter ale, but the hint of citrus knocks this one out of the park for me. O-H! I-O!
CT: I loved everything about this beer, from its Columbus Ohio origins to the present that was it’s flavor. The smell is all orange zest, cinnamon and vanilla. The taste is a hoppy citrusy delight. It’s one of my favorite, not THE favorite but still a gift. It’s like sunshine in a bottle and such a welcome surprise in this holiday rotation.
Lou & Jen
Lou: Always excited for a local holiday beer. Based on the name I knew this was going to be an IPA, and it definitely was. The nose like the ale’s name is very citrusy with notes of pine and hops. It was alright for an IPA and kind of refreshing actually, but I’d prefer this on a sunny day in July.
Jen: This was a hoppy one for me, but I didn’t mind it as much. It has a very citrus nose, and the taste follows suit with a smooth blend of orange, lemon and spices. It didn’t seem like a winter beer, but honestly it was a welcome change from our traditional holiday spices we’ve been drinking for the last 16 days.