Moonshrimp Brewing Citrus Mosaic Hazy IPA

A Brand New Seasonal From Moonshrimp

100% Gluten Free Beer Brewed in Portland, Oregon

I learned about this beer directly from Dan, the owner and brewer of Moonshrimp Brewing. It’s called the Citrus Mosaic Hazy IPA, a summer seasonal from Portland Oregon. He let me know that one of my local markets had already ordered 2 cases and I should have no problem getting my hands on it.

Fast forward to my trip into Market of Choice to look for this beer. I find one of the beer managers stocking the shelves and she told me that she had just put in an order for 3 more cases of it, because someone here in Bend had walked in and bought the entire first two cases. Wow! How cool for them. There must be a serious Moonshrimp lover in my town.

But the reason I share this story is to remind everyone out there to support your local markets and communicate with them about what gluten free beers you would like to see on the shelves. Stores like to stock products that YOU will buy.

And yes, of course, there are often complications with distributors and access to certain brands you may be seeking…but at the end of the day, the only way the gluten free selection will improve is if the consumer continues to ask for it. My town may be a little “ahead of the times” over here in Beer Capital U.S.A., but over time things will improve where you live too. Speak up, ask for what you want, support markets that have your back, and don’t give up.

Now on to this new beer…

The Taste Test

Citrus Mosaic Hazy IPA

The Moonshrimp Brewing Citrus Mosaic Hazy IPA poured a little lighter in color than I expected. It has a pretty bright yellow hue when held up to the light. A slightly orangish-yellow in the dimmer light of my kitchen. (ONE day I’ll have a house with good lighting…one day.)

It did pour with a head, but like most Moonshrimp beers, it didn’t linger very long. As you might expect, the beer has some haze to it. You can see shapes pass behind it when tested, but there’s certainly no reading a label through this beer.  Edit: The second glass I poured was much more hazy than the first, so I must have not agitated it enough prior to pouring.

This Hazy IPA smells AMAZING. I must say, I am quite attached to Mosaic hops. They give off the most beautiful aroma. Incredibly fruity, but also with significant notes of pine. I hope it tastes as good as it smells!

So here we go. My first sip surprised me, just like the color did. The body was thinner than I was expecting for this Hazy IPA. The fruit bill is strong. Not necessarily in a sweet way though. It’s dry and tart. It tastes like oranges too–but not necessarily the juice of an orange. It tastes more like orange peel. Perhaps that’s coming from the bitterness imparted from the Mosiac hops. It’s very fruit forward, but that fades quickly, and the bitterness follows. Quite bitter. Lingering for a long while after.

The mouthfeel is similar to that of a beer loaded with grapefruit. Your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth a little bit after taking a swig. The flavors in this Hazy IPA are quite strong. I wish there was more body to back them up. There’s just something about it that seems a little out of balance to me. But I bet many beer drinkers are appreciating the lighter body on these 100 degree summer days. We’ve had a LOT of them lately here on the west coast.

Moonshrimp’s Citrus Mosaic IPA may be light on the body, but it’s not particularly light on the ABV. It clocks in at 6%. I have no idea what the IBU is, but the beer is quite bitter. That bitterness may also be contributing to the dryness I referenced earlier.

This beer is growing on me as I drink it, but it’s still a little thin for my taste. What I am absolutely in LOVE with is the aroma. It’s wonderful. I know I don’t often dwell on aroma much…and that’s because my nose is far from my strongest sense. In fact, as I’ve admitted in past reviews, there are entire categories of scents that I have trouble picking up at all, mainly flowers. Sad, I know. But this one seems to be all about the citrus, so I feel like I’m not missing anything in this brew.

One thing I’m partial to is the bitterness although, this is the same quality that may turn many of you away. I don’t think I’ve ever found a beer that was too bitter for me. (Anyone care to challenge me?)

And another thing. This Citrus Mosaic is literally one of the driest IPAs I’ve ever tasted. Anyone else agree? It’s intense! Tell me what you thought of it below in the comments.

Cheers!

P.S. Like what I do for the gluten free beer community? Consider buying me a beer for my efforts! ;)