Style: IPA
ABV: 6.8%
Nick’s Take
One of my favorite ways to beat the Monday blues is to share a new “NC Beer of the Week” post! Today, Joe and I are trying a citra IPA from New Anthem Beer Project, called “Over Burning Ground.” I took my first trip to Jarvis Street Bottle Shop here in Greenville, and I was super impressed with the available selections! I will definitely make my way back there soon (after I make some progress on all of the beers currently in my fridge, of course).
I grabbed my Spiegelau IPA glass, one of my cans of “Over Burning Ground,” and gave it a solid pour. I was pleased with the production of foam that I had, as it almost erupted out of the glass; luckily, this glass could hold all of the contents from the 16 oz. can, and the glass does well with retaining a creamy collar at the top. This beer is a very hazy IPA, with virtually no light getting through. It’s a dull orange color that looks like juice, and I was hoping the taste would resemble that. As I noted, the head was prominent and it left some lace as it fleeted.
On the nose, this citra IPA packs a lot of fragrance that promises a refreshing and bright beer. I was getting some orange zest, mild notes of lemon/lime tartness, and of course, some hops, which I’d categorize as floral and juicy. It was so enticing that I may or may not have gotten my nose wet from getting too close. I didn’t detect any distinguishable malt aromas, and on deeper inhales, there was a slight dankness to it.
“Over Burning Ground” has a bright and crisp mouthfeel, which I was anticipating and hoping for. Mild carbonation, medium body, and a little mouthcoat for this IPA; a noticeable bite on the finish, but the hops were not producing too much bitterness in my opinion. I think this was a little drying on the back end, but it only made me more eager to take additional sips.
There are some good juicy flavors that develop on the taste buds. For me, orange citrus was the most prevalent, but I could get little indications of some lemon as the beer coated my tongue. It was not sour or overly bitter in my opinion. While I didn’t detect much malt in the aroma, I did get some light malt notes on the back end/in retronasal olfaction. I think this contributed some sweetness to offset the citrus hops, and made for a nice balance.
I think this could be sessioned for a couple of pints and I had no problem drinking “Over Burning Ground.” My palate was not so overwhelmed that I wouldn’t have been able to switch to a new beer immediately following my tasting, which is a nice quality if you are planning to have a few different brews in succession. I don’t think you could go wrong with food pairing, but this made me crave something salty. This citra IPA definitely enticed me to make the trek to Wilmington soon to visit New Anthem in person.
Appearance: Hazy orange, prominent head that leaves some lace. (4/5)
Aroma: Orange zest, some lemon/lime notes, and fragrant, floral hops. (4.5/5)
Mouthfeel: Mildly carbonated, medium body, good crispness. Slightly dry finish. (4/5)
Taste: Citrus hops, not too bitter. Lemon peel and juicy orange. (4/5)
Drinkability: Flavorful and enjoyable to drink. I recommend pairing with salty foods. (4/5)
Total: 20.5/25
Joe’s Take
Another case of the Mondays, but for us that means we get to try another delicious beer and let you know what we think about it. Suddenly Mondays have become much better to me.
This week we are trying “Over Burning Ground” by New Anthem Beer Project (love their twist on a brewery name) in Wilmington, NC. We definitely have to make it out there one of these days but for now we will have to keep picking them up at local bottle shops. Nick so graciously picked up a 4-pack of these from Jarvis Street Bottle Shop this weekend and split them with me for this week’s tasting. Not too long after I got a hold of the beer I cracked it open, poured it into my favorite IPA glass, and got to drinking.
“Over Burning Ground” poured a nice pale yellow-orange color, reminding me of light colored OJ. It was hazy and completely opaque, no light was able to penetrate the liquid. On pouring, a bountiful white fluffy head spilled out and almost ran over the edges of the glass. After a moment, this died down but remained present throughout the tasting. As the level of beer in the glass dropped, a nice delicate lace was left behind.
Aromas were ever present and easily detectable and to me, really enhanced the experience. Bounds of volatile hop compounds flew out of the glass to hit me right in the nose. I started to smell the juicy tropical hop aromas before I even finished pouring the beer and these smells opened even further when fully in the glass. I detected some hop dankness but primarily juicy hop aromas that contained notes of sweet tropical fruit, pineapple, and melon.
The mouthfeel of “Over Burning Ground” was a bit confusing to me as the beer itself was smooth and medium-bodied, but this sensation was short lived as the bite of carbonation soon overtook this sensation. I think the level of carbonation played into the flavor nicely, but at times made it difficult to fully appreciate the characteristics of the beer. As the beer exited the mouth, it left a mild drying sensation.
I truly enjoyed the flavor of this beer and it was an easy tasting on my end. I loved the strong juicy hop flavors that gave off notes of tropical fruit, melon, and maybe even some sweet stone fruit. The beer is hopped with solely Citra hops and the flavors of this hop variety came through strong. Even though there was plenty of juicy hop flavor, there was still a nice balance of malty sweetness to round out the beer on the palate. I found no aspect unpleasantly overbearing and this made the beer wholly enjoyable. I would love to sit down with this beer and a juicy burger. I think it would be a great pairing and melding of flavors (not to mention I like juicy beers and juicy burgers).
Drinkability was high with this beer as the flavor and balance make it easy to take down. The powerful aromas enhance the experience and make it a full sensory indulgence. I could easily see myself drinking a few of these without issue (except that they are almost 7% alcohol and come in pint cans).
New Anthem hit it out of the park with “Over Burning Ground” and I’m looking forward to drinking the other can Nick gave me…If Lauren doesn’t get to it first.
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Appearance: Pale yellow – orange. Hazy, opaque – no light shines through. Fluffy white head, persistent, lace left on glass. (4/5)
Aroma: Super juicy, noticeable right when pouring. Tropical fruits, pineapple, sweet hop aroma. Some dankness pulling through. (4.5/5)
Mouthfeel: Smooth initially, medium-bodied. Stinging carbonation. Slightly drying. (3.5/5)
Taste: Juice bomb, tropical notes come through strong. Possible sweet melon and mild hop dankness. Notes of sweet malt come through as well. (4.5/5)
Drinkability: One drinkable boi. I would enjoy having a few of these in a session, just keep in mind that ABV. (4.5/5)
Total: 21/25
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