The craft beer renaissance of the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle is in a full upsurge. One of Washington state’s oldest, still-existing breweries, Redhook Brewery, first cut its teeth in an old transmission shop of this ‘hood in 1982. Another Seattle beer pioneer, Hale’s Brewery, also straddles theh line of this neighborhood and has for more than 30 years. Ballard, home to many proud Scandinavians, is also a residence to a resonant restaurant scene, bustling live music locale and, as of the last few years, a boffo beer community. With 10 breweries within a five mile perimeter, Stoup Brewing is in the center of it all. Opening in the fall of 2013, Stoup is still in its newfangled infantile stage when they are happy to experiment and experiment by demand. Their Citra IPA is back for another demanded rendition—a small batch IPA (with modest IBUs—50—and moderate ABV—5.9 percent) that uses a heavy shot of Citra hops for a vibrant beer of tropical fruit, citrus punch and a lush, smooth finish.
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