Name: Citra Blonde

Product of: Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, Ore.

Serving Size: 12 fluid ounces, 4.3 percent ABV

Serving Style: Glass bottle to pint glass

This summer, I’ve come around to enjoying just about any ale with the word blonde in it. Citra may not be my favorite of the style, but it’s worth trying for those looking for a refreshing beer with muted flavors.

Smell: Perhaps simultaneously its greatest strength and its greatest weakness, the enticing aroma seems to leak out before the hiss of carbonation can even finish, bringing lemon, grass, grapefruit, bread, and orange to your nose. I only cite the fantastic aroma as a weakness because, unfortunately, it sets a precedent the taste doesn’t live up to. 4.8/5

Appearance: The Citra is as pale a yellow as possible for a beer and sports an almost nonexistent head that quickly dissipates. The lack of visible carbonation is made up for by the particles sitting on the surface of the beer — which can literally be blown around — and some truly sticky glass lacing. The appearance is nothing to write home about, but it’s not disappointing, either.  3.5/5

Taste: Bold and rather simplistic citrus flavors transition into bread, malt, and finally caramel flavors. The mouth-feel is thin and leaves a chalky kind of residue that I didn’t particularly care for. I’m familiar with Citra hops and was surprised that their flavor wasn’t more pronounced. 2/5

The Citra Blonde promises a lot with its delicious aroma, but the taste ends up a little bland and wanting. While I won’t be averse to trying future brews of the same beer, I probably won’t buy another six pack of Citras this summer.  10.3/15