Citra Hops

Beezer94 said:

It's really a different taste compared to cascade or centennial, no real spiciness; cascade and centennial are hot & citrusy, where Citra seems cool & fruity. .

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very well said! I like this hop alot for dry hopping. The bittering and flavor additions don't work for me though. I've been dry hopping with 1.5oz centennial and .5oz citra and the citra aroma is still very present.

greencoat said:

I just got 3oz of pellets at my LHBS for $5.25. I think a SMaSH is in order!

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10lbs Marris Otter and 30 IBU's is an unbeleivable treat.
These hops are wicked as a flavor addition.
I brewed an IPA with Warrior @ 60, Citra @20 , Willamette @ 5, Cascade Dry hop. The lush fruitiness works very well with the rest.

I have brewed my favorite Pale ale to date as well using Citra. I heard all the excitement about these late last year so a couple months ago I bought some to test out. Used JZ's basic american pale ale recipe and used Safale US-05 yeast with Citra being the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hop addition. No other hops were used and it came out fantastic! I heard that they taste like passion fruit, which I have no idea what that tastes like, but i know that it is very fruity and super tasty. I look forward to the sale at niko's shop!

Myke_J said:

I used some in my basic Single Hop Pale Ale recipe and the taste going into secondary was great. I didn't add any bittering hops, just .5oz FWH, .5oz @15min, and 1oz @ 5min. Now it's dryhopping with another 2oz for a week, then cold crash and into the keg. I also made an identical batch using Chinook on the same day. They are both very smooth with good flavor and aroma, but the Citra smells amazing.

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So I tasted 4oz samples of both pales yesterday for the first time since kegging and carbing a few weeks ago. Tried the Chinook first and it was great. Then I tried the Citra and the first thing I smell is onion. Like the smell of dried onions. It's in the taste too. It still has a lot of tangerine flavor and aroma, but that damn onion smell and taste is there. I didn't get any of this in the samples during primary and secondary. I'm going to give it a few weeks before I try it again, but I'm disappointed so far

I have a Citra pale ale kegged right now and I hyave to agree that while the aroma is great, these hops should be reserved for late in the boil, as overuse in the bittering/flavoring additions give a kind of catty flavor/aroma

i made another batch of jamil's IPA, but this time threw in 1oz of citra as a dry hop. the 1st time i made his IPA, it was awesome, but a very clean to no aroma. hopefully dry hoppin with a little citra will shake things up...

HellenicHomeBrewer said:

I just brewed an AG IIPA with all Citra during a demonstration today. Actually it sounds like i'm taking all the credit. I assisted the owner of my LHBS during a AG demo he did today where he put together an AG IIPA recipe using all Citra. I am anxiously awaiting to see how it turns out but one thing I can tell you that while we were brewing the wonderful scent of these hops kept turning my attentionto them!

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Did you do this with Mark? I was in the other day to pick up some specialty grains and I said how I was using citra in my next batch. Then he mentioned one of his friends recently doing an all citra IPA.

I plan on brewing mine monday. I'm planning on late additions of citra with cascade and then dry hopping with cascade and citra. I will probably do a smash after to figure out whether the onion/cat pee claims are true for my palate.

I'm drinking the last of a citra/centennial amber that I made a couple of months ago: vienna for the base malt, hopped up to about a 1:1 BU:GU ratio. Freaking delicious. This recipe will get tweaked going forward to become my house amber.

Well I brewed up my IPA with citra in it yesterday. Here's my hop schedule. The hop bill was a basic IPA base recipe ended up at 1.074. I'll update after dry hopping is done as to aroma/taste, then of course when it's drinking time.

2.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 68.3 IBU
1.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (30 min) Hops 39.4 IBU
0.75 oz Citra [12.00 %] (10 min) Hops 8.6 IBU
0.75 oz Cascade [5.00 %] (10 min) Hops 3.6 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.6 IBU
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] (5 min) Hops 6.3 IBU
1.50 oz Cascade [5.00 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -
1.50 oz Citra [12.00 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -

thelorax121 said:

I have a Citra pale ale kegged right now and I hyave to agree that while the aroma is great, these hops should be reserved for late in the boil, as overuse in the bittering/flavoring additions give a kind of catty flavor/aroma

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That's funny mine turned out great! Easily my most popular beer across the board of different tatses. Not one of my friends has not liked it. It tastes like a mouthful of flowers. I used 1.5 ounces at 15 min. Nothing remotely catty or oniony about.

As a matter of fact swmbo, who has a good palate and has drank a load of different beers told me to enter this one in a contest. First time she's ever said that.

last night I bottled my Jamil Hoppiness is an IPA,that I dry hopped with an ounce of citra. it smelled and tasted fantastic-really fruity and citusy. then later I had some fresh mangos, and wow, made the connection. that IS it-mango! greatness. and with such a great aroma/flavor profile, I don't think I'll use it for anything else.

I did a Simcoe/Citra IPA as my first AG over the weekend. I love SN's Torpedo IPA, which uses a lot of Citra, and a local brewer makes a Simcoe/Citra IIPA that I like too. So, I'm looking forward to getting this one done.

I just threw my dry hops in mine 1.5oz Citra and 1.5oz Cascade. I decided to go the safe route and pair it with hops I know I like rather than let citra alone. Next batch I'll do with all citra late/dry hop if I really like how it turned out which I think I will. I can't really say much for aroma and taste at the moment as my nose has a blockade inhibiting my ability to taste and smell properly. I did taste some hops when I took a little sample but I can't tell much because I can't taste anything unless it's a super strong flavor. Good news though is that my sinus infection is working its way out as we speak.

What do you guys think of the possibility of using citra late in the boil in a wit? With all the fruity flavors, I'm thinking it would pair nicely.

Wow, just opened a 1 pound bag of whole leaf citra. Smells amazing. I kept dropping some on the floor when i was packing them in small bags. Afterward I threw them in the trash and left....came back and the house smelled awesome! Hops direct has them in whole leaf, uncompressed.

AggieChemDoc said:

What do you guys think of the possibility of using citra late in the boil in a wit? With all the fruity flavors, I'm thinking it would pair nicely.

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I'll be making a wit possibly with some citra late in the boil and possibly a very small amount as a dry hop.

wildwest450 said:

That's funny mine turned out great! Easily my most popular beer across the board of different tatses. Not one of my friends has not liked it. It tastes like a mouthful of flowers. I used 1.5 ounces at 15 min. Nothing remotely catty or oniony about.

As a matter of fact swmbo, who has a good palate and has drank a load of different beers told me to enter this one in a contest. First time she's ever said that.

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Based on this description and having a few Torpedos I'm considering brewing a Bohemian Pils style beer with citra for flavor and aroma.....

Has anyone tried this combination?

wildwest450 said:

That's funny mine turned out great! Easily my most popular beer across the board of different tatses. Not one of my friends has not liked it. It tastes like a mouthful of flowers. I used 1.5 ounces at 15 min. Nothing remotely catty or oniony about.

As a matter of fact swmbo, who has a good palate and has drank a load of different beers told me to enter this one in a contest. First time she's ever said that.

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My LHBS told me to enter my MO/Citra SMaSH.

anyone in the vicinity of Burlington VT can try a citra pale ale at the Vermont Pub and Brewery, had my first one the other day and must say I loved it. Certainly a lot of complex citrus flavor.

Okay so I just tried my IPA which used citra. I love it. I need to cut back on the crystal a bit it's a tad too malty for me but the hops profile is good. I used Simcoe for bittering and you can certainly taste that. Then I splint the citra with cascade for late additions and also dry hopped in a split manner. Next time I'll try all citra if not all at least all late and dry hop. I have over 3/4 a pound left why not play around.

smokinghole said:

Okay so I just tried my IPA which used citra. I love it. I need to cut back on the crystal a bit it's a tad too malty for me but the hops profile is good. I used Simcoe for bittering and you can certainly taste that. Then I splint the citra with cascade for late additions and also dry hopped in a split manner. Next time I'll try all citra if not all at least all late and dry hop. I have over 3/4 a pound left why not play around.

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This is encouraging. I just did an IIPA with Citra/Centennial@15, Centennial/Cascade@ flameout and will dry hop Citra/Cascade

smokinghole said:

Okay so I just tried my IPA which used citra. I love it. I need to cut back on the crystal a bit it's a tad too malty for me but the hops profile is good. I used Simcoe for bittering and you can certainly taste that. Then I splint the citra with cascade for late additions and also dry hopped in a split manner. Next time I'll try all citra if not all at least all late and dry hop. I have over 3/4 a pound left why not play around.

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I am anxious to try a citra beer... I am thinking an APA of some sort tohugh - I might steal your bittering hop idea - that sounds fun.

Will be going this Sunday to pick up some Citra (along with Centennial and Amarillo) to dry hop my IPA. In the boil it was all Simcoe and Amarillo. I'm really trying to get a Bell's Hopslam like fruit flavor out of it. I'm excited for it to be ready.

Want to try one of mine, I'm not master homebrewer but I think it's pretty decent. You are damn close. Also I'm not sure if you already have the hops but they do have them at Scotzin Bros. I went looking for Sorachi but came up empty handed and they tried subbing me with citra but I have a ton in the freezer.

Just an update on my IIPA with citra/cascade for flavor aroma, and dryhop. I had a cookout on saturday and the 3-5 beer drinkers at the party went through a case of it and couldn't stop raving about the flavor. I love the beer and can't wait to brew it again with a little tweaking this time with just citra for flavor/aroma and dry hop.

smokinghole said:

Want to try one of mine, I'm not master homebrewer but I think it's pretty decent. You are damn close. Also I'm not sure if you already have the hops but they do have them at Scotzin Bros. I went looking for Sorachi but came up empty handed and they tried subbing me with citra but I have a ton in the freezer.

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They have them at Scotzin's, huh? How on earth did I miss that - I buy almost everything from them.

That is good to know, I will be stopping by on Wednesday or Saturday to pick up some base grains for my next brew. I'll have to check out the Citra.

Just brewed a simple pale ale last night, and used citra hops at end of boil. (3oz) its a test brew to see how close I can get to a beer I had at the Hart & Thistle in Halifax, Canada. A friend of mine and I were there for the 100 yr Canadian navy birthday. Anyway, we got to talk with Nash (owner/brewer) he explained how he uses citra in his Kryptonite DIPA. IBU's - 100+ (233 calculated). It was fantastic! I expected way too much hop, but it wasnt as bad as I was antisipating. I couldnt wait to get home and brew it up. I dont know if I got close enough, he said he uses a ton at the end of the boil. But it was big fruity citris pineapple aroma. Check out his brew blog.http://hartandthistle.blogspot.com/

I loved Torpedo when it came out and I picked up a pound of Citra at my lhbs, they are or at least were selling hops for 15 dollars a pound. My plans are tonight or tomorrow night to brew an IPA with Magnum, Cascade and Centennial then dry hop with the Citra and more Cascade. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

I just tasted a bottle of my first batch using Citra, a pale ale also using Simcoe and Amarillo. The Citra was added just before flameout and in secondary (along with the other 2) for dry hopping.

I must go on record stating that I do not enjoy what Citra brings to the table at all. It completely overpowered the flavor of the other two hops. It's overly fruity and has a particularly strong apricot/peach flavor and aroma. I don't enjoy it at all - glad the wife likes this one at least.

I agree, its very strong. I just tapped a keg this weekend that used a half oz at 5 minutes and another half oz dry hop, in a 'light' ale (1.049) along with approx 10 oz of amarillo/cascade/columbus (in a 10 gal batch) and the citra really stands out. In past brews I would have described it as more tropical fruity - this time the grapefruit taste was very pronounced. It was interesting, and good, but not really to my taste for regular continuous drinking. However I took it to a party, and it got wiped out in less than 2 hours, so someone liked it!
I like what it brings to a PA or IPA, but in small small doses.

I agree that it should be used in smaller doses. I try to let all of the people who buy them from us understand how potent they are. Not only is the taste up there with amarillo ans simcoe, but the alpha acid percentage is also high (12-13%). IMHO citra could eventually save us homebrewers alot of money by using them sparingly and getting a great tasting ale.

I think next time I just won't dry hop with them. Here's the recipe I used, I basically tweaked Dude's Lake Walk Pale Ale to add Citra:

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.41 gal
Estimated OG: 1.056 SG
Estimated Color: 11.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 50.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item
8 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US
2 lbs Toasted Malt
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
8.0 oz Wheat, Flaked

0.75 oz Amarillo [8.50 %] (60 min)
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (20 min)
0.75 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (5 min)
0.75 oz Citra [5.00 %] (5 min)
0.75 oz Amarillo [8.50 %] (5 min)

0.75 oz Amarillo [8.50 %] (Dry Hop)
0.75 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (Dry Hop)
0.75 oz Citra [5.00 %] (Dry Hop)
^----all 3 mixed together and dry hopped with two additions: half added on day 1 in secondary, then the second half added on day 5 for a total of 10 days

0.50 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min)
1 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-05)

Mash @ 152.0 F


The beer tasted great just prior to racking to secondary for dry hopping, but upon completion all I could taste/smell were stone fruits (apricot, peaches) from the Citra. I'm hoping if I age it for a little while the Citra aromas will die down a bit.

its funny you dont like the stonefruits, because thats exactly what im looking for. I remember the first time I have sculpin IPA thats what I got. A lot of peach/apricot/mango notes and I loved it. It was the most unique hop profile I had in an IPA. Lately, that beer has been missing it and I just think its the difference between crops year to year.

I just bought some and havent had a chance to use them. I like to only use 2 hops for flavor/aroma. I like my recipes simple. What do people think are the best single complimentary hops for it. Since simcoe/amarillo is such a great combo, i was thinking that. At the same time I was thinking using something like columbus or summit might be potent enough to stand up to the citra while still letting the stonefruit flavors shine. Or maybe, just go straight tropical fruit and blend them with Nelson Sauvin or Amarillo. Any thoughts? MA

I just added 1oz. of Citra pellets (11.1% AA) for dry hopping an IPA I made and I am looking forward to kegging this in 4 days and hoping the results are positive.

Salute!

I have a pound of Citra from Niko (thanks Niko!!!) and am planning to sub in my APA for either Cascade or Centennial. I am also considering it for an American Brown.

I'm brewing a fresh hop pale ale, and used chinook and centennial in the boil. I plan on dry hopping with citra. After reading these posts, I'm not sure what to expect. I'll have to try and let y'all know how it turns out.

Just to update on that Pale Ale I brewed - the Citra hops calmed down a bit over time and the beer is drinking quite well now. At first though it basically tasted like I threw peaches and apricots into the fermenter which I didn't enjoy. I'll still omit the Citra next time, but that's completely based on personal preference - I don't enjoy stone fruits.

How much whole leaf Citra would be a good amount for DH this recipe? 1/2 recipe will use Simcoe for DH. Other 1/2 will get Citra, but I have never used it.

Recipe:
American Indian in London

20# Maris Otter mashed at 154F for one hour.
OG: 1.054 measured. FG: 1.012 measured.
Hops:
USE TIME OZ VARIETY FORM AA
FWH 2.5 Columbus pellet 14.2
boil 60 mins 1.0 Simcoe pellet 12.4
boil 10 mins 1.0 Ahtanum pellet 5.2
boil 10 mins 1.0 Simcoe pellet 12.4
boil 10 mins 1.0 Centennial pellet 8.8
boil 10 mins 1.0 Amarillo pellet 8.2
boil 1 min 1.0 Simcoe pellet 12.4
boil 1 min 1.0 Centennial pellet 8.8
boil 1 min 1.0 Amarillo pellet 8.2
boil 1 min 1.0 Ahtanum pellet 5.2
Dry hop?

Thanks guys!

If you are going to DH 5 gal. Use 1 to 1.5 oz.

Looks like a 10 gal batch (unless you get 40% efficiency ) I'd use 2-3 oz each.