For the first View From The Pine beer review I’m sampling the New Belgium Citradelic Exotic Lime Ale, a crisp Golden Ale with more than a hint of lime, and no affiliation with View From The Pine. I had to buy this stuff myself.

Let’s let New Belgium handle the description:

A crisp, refreshing golden ale bursting with juicy Persian lime, freshly ground corriander and a hit of cracked black pepper.

My go-to beer when I need something light on a hot summer day is Lienenkugel’s Summer Shandy. It’s basically lemonade with booze. Which makes it perfect for standing over a hot grill or after outdoor activities in the Missouri summer. I bring up Summer Shandy because the New Belgium Citradelic Exotic Lime Ale is the lime to Summer Shandy’s lemon.

It’s got a light, yellow color and not a ton of head when poured out of the bottle. It looks an awful lot like a Bud Light, but with a bit more flavor. I couldn’t tell you how it compares to Bud Light Lime, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s better.

Citradelic is not very bitter coming in at 21 IBUs. Not a fan of hoppy, bitter beers? You might want to give Citradelic a shot. It has a faint tartness to it thanks to the lime, but it’s nothing close to a good sour beer.

Coming in at 5.2% ABV it’s a stronger than Summer Shandy, but it’s going to take a more than a few of these to knock a seasoned beer drinker on their ass.

The Verdict

If you’re looking for a lighter beer for a hot summer day this should do the trick. New Belgium’s Citradelic isn’t going to be replacing any of my go-to brews in the cooler. But if you need to throw in a beer that’s more of a crowd pleaser it’s worth a shot.

3/5 Birds.