Big Citra Vibes

Tasting Notes

Big Citra Vibes leans hard into its namesake hop, delivering an aroma that reads as a fruit stand collision — fresh-squeezed orange, grapefruit pith, mango, and a touch of passionfruit. The palate is full and pillowy, with hop bitterness dialed low in favor of soft, juicy tropical and citrus flavors. Body is medium-full with a creamy, almost oat-forward texture from the hazy build. The finish is clean but lingering, leaving behind a pleasant citrus oil and ripe melon note rather than any sharp bitterness.

About the Brewery

Other Half Brewing is based in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2014, and has become one of the most influential hazy IPA producers in the country. They built their reputation on heavily hopped, fruit-forward IPAs and DIPAs released in small, frequently rotating batches with strong can-release culture around them. Their Denizens collaboration series, DDH (double dry-hopped) lineup, and Brewer's Choice drops have kept them a fixture in the hype-adjacent but genuinely craft-focused part of the Northeast beer scene.

Food Pairings

The bright citrus and tropical character here works well with spicy Thai or Vietnamese dishes, where the soft bitterness and fruit tones cut through chili heat without fighting the aromatics. Fish tacos with a mango or citrus slaw are a natural match, the beer mirroring the fruit in the dish while cleaning up any richness from the fried fish. A creamy, mild cheese like burrata or fresh mozzarella benefits from the contrast against the hop oils without being overwhelmed. Grilled shrimp with a citrus glaze follows the same logic — parallel flavors that reinforce rather than clash.

Style Guide

Hazy IPA, sometimes called New England IPA or NEIPA, is defined by its deliberately unfiltered, opaque appearance and its emphasis on soft bitterness and loud hop aroma over the drier, more bitter profile of West Coast IPAs. The style typically falls in the 6–8% ABV range, uses heavy additions of oats or wheat for body and texture, and relies on late or dry-hop additions that emphasize tropical fruit, citrus, and stone fruit character. It originated in New England — most often credited to The Alchemist and Treehouse in Vermont and Massachusetts — and spread nationally through the mid-2010s. Where a West Coast IPA is lean and resinous, a hazy IPA is round, juicy, and aroma-forward.