2nd Shift Brewing Sunny Cat
What the brewers say
"Brewed in honor and memory of our Sunshine Kitty. Brewed with oats, lactose, Amarillo, and Citra hops, and dried tangerine peel."
What our panel thought
"Delicate, tart citrus notes don’t make you guess—zesty aromatherapy. Tangerine peels stand apart from the crowd, working well with piney hops and bitterness. Light-bodied, slightly low carb, but full of citrus flavor. Base beer supports the heavy zest without distracting, and the bitterness balances the residual malt sweetness very well. The finish is like good marmalade—a mixture of sweetness and bitterness, with complex citrus-zest flavors."
What our editors thought
"Lightly fruity nose doesn’t clearly define where the citrus addition stops and hops begin—enticing interplay, sophisticated, with touches of citrus oil and grass beneath overt fruit. The sip is softer—moderately low sweetness, with a bitterness that could be all fruit if we didn’t know it was hops. That citrus-oil bitterness persists into the finish, with an earthy linger."