The Best Citrus Beers
The five best beers with a citrus flavor profile.
The Five Best Beers with a Refreshing Citrus Profile
Citrus and beer go together like cold drinks on a hot day.
If you enjoy a refreshing hint of citrus in your cold beer, these five candidates lead the pack. Best of all, these brews are widely available so you should able to find at least a couple of these no matter where you live or travel.
Note: All beers in the photos below were poured in the same way (at approximately a 25-degree angled glass) in order to generate a foamy head for comparison purposes.
The Top Five Citrus Beers
Here are the five best citrus beers, in no particular order. All of these citrus beers are at their best when well chilled before serving.
Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc.
Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc
I have been a fan of Kronenbourg Blanc for years. This wheat beer from France is very refreshing and easy drinking. The flavor profile features citrus, along with notes of peach, honeysuckle and even hints of florals and tropical fruits. While not overly fruity (it is well balanced), Kronenbourg Blanc is the most fruit forward of the five citrus beers on this list.
Blue Moon Belgian White.
Blue Moon
Blue Moon is a relatively well-known Belgian-style wheat beer (thanks in part to the extensive ad campaigns run for the brand). Good thing, then, that Blue Moon lives up to the hype. This beer is brewed with the peels of Valencia oranges giving a vibrant and natural citrus flavor profile. It is unfiltered and has a slight hint of coriander and a very refreshing finish. It is a very creamy and smooth brew.
Kona Big Wave Golden Ale.
Kona Big Wave
Kona Big Wave hails from Hawaii and is a refreshing golden ale that features wonderful notes of citrus and other tropical island flavors. In addition to citrus and pineapple, you may notice the complexity of toasted nuts, grains and even the slightest hint of pine. It is a little hoppy (in a good way, not bitter) in the aftertaste. It all comes together in what Kona describes as "Liquid Aloha." Truly a taste of Hawaii.
Hoegaarden Belgian Wheat Beer.
Hoegaarden
Hoegaarden (pronounced who-garden) is a similar beer to Blue Moon in terms of style and flavor profile. Where Blue Moon is creamy and smooth, Hoegaarden has a crisper feel on the palate. As the story goes, the Hoegaarden monks of Belgium were the first to create the orange and coriander flavor profile in beer. The result is a very refreshing wheat beer brewed with orange peels and coriander. Hoegaarden is well worth discovering.
Samuel Adams Wicked Easy Lager.
Samuel Adams Wicked Easy
From the makers of Sam Adams, comes the very refreshing Samuel Adams Wicked Easy. This is a surprisingly easy drinking lager-and-ale hybrid that offer citrus and tropical fruit notes in a slightly hoppy but very smooth (not bitter at all) brew.
Where to Find More Citrus Beers
Many local craft beer brewers also make citrus beers across North America and Europe (blood orange is a very popular flavor profile in this segment, it seems). I have tasted a number of good craft citrus beers (and some not-so-good ones) in my travels. So in addition to these five widely-available citrus beers, don't hesitate to try some local citrus brews to compare and contrast the variety of citrus-based flavor profiles.
Beer review by Mike Belobradic
Wine, Spirits and Beer Virtuoso
Grand One Lounge