Whoa Citra....

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smizak

smizak

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...smells like cat pee. I've never read that this hop has that "catty" character, but I brewed an APA with it today, yikes. It smelled very fruit salad-like in the bag.

I just googled "citra catty" and got a bunch of hits. Doh. Not a huge fan of that characteristic.

Anyone else use this hop yet?
 
Just wait it out, don't make your judgment until you taste the final product.

I do remember a distinct aroma with it, definitely not "catty" though. I in fact remember loving the smell, I was sniffing it for like a 1/2 hour before I sealed it up and put it in the freezer.
 
Yeah Simcoe is supposed to be catty. Yet I didn't pick that up in the Weyerbacher Double Simcoe.

I just smelled the hydro sample, and it's definitely catty and maybe a little "dank" if you know what I mean. Lots of tropical fruit aromas too. It should be an interesting beer. The Citra hops had some HUGE cones too, I fished one out to look at it when I dumped my bittering addition in, sucker was as big as a golf ball!!
 
It seems you either are sensitive to the catty smell of some hops or you don't notice it at all.

I love citra! This is an amazing hop. I did a all citra APA and am really liking the flavor and aroma. I used over 4 ounces in the 5 gals.

It is similar to simcoe in many ways, but throws a little lemon which is nice. Since they are similar to me, it doesn't surprise me to read about its catty quality.
 
I do not particularly care for Simcoe because of the catty flavors I get from it. I bottled an all Citra IPA today, I will try to remember to update when I crack one in a couple weeks, but the last couple oz in the bottling bucket tasted great. I didnt get any of that Simcoe flavor.
 
My Citra IPA turned out great!

I also used Centennial. The smell is more apricot and pink grapefruit, with the flavor being pink grapefruit (IMO). It's nice!
 
I have a MO Citra Smash dry hopping right now and I do not notice the cat pee.
 
brewed this to try the Citra hops.

SG1.065
60 IBU
MO,Crystal

Simcoe,Amarillo,Citra = FWH

Amarillo,Citra = 7min

Citra,Amarillo = 2 min

Citra,Amarillo,Simcoe = Dry Hop

Going be dry hopping today or saturday and I have to say the aroma while boiling was very different than Simcoe/Amarillo <-- a combo I really like.
 
Definitely notice the Simcoe cat-pee smells sometimes but it's my favorite hop right now, absolutely killer in a pale ale.
 
the IPA I have fermenting with citra smells fantastic, but I can believe certain hops have bad smells/tastes to certain people.

After drinking a Green Flash Imperial IPA yesterday which tasted like roasted garlic & onion soup, from the summit hops, I will definitely agree that some hops and some people just don't mix. I dumped over half of the 22oz'r which is not a common occurrence for me.
 
I got a few ounces and I'm trying it as a dry hop for my clementine extra pale. It is a 1.050 beer, and I first tried dry-hopping it with 1.5 ounce citra. WAAY too much.. it did give a certain catty character. On my new batch I am trying .75 ounce of citra, and some clementine zest. Hoping it will be much more subtle. I have not yet boiled the hops in any beer.
 
brewing an all citra IPA right now, think I should throw in some other hops, or is citra good alone? I think some hops might be too one dimensional to use them solely.


edit: Jesus H this stuff smells amazing! Definitely Simcoe like.
 
I've read Citra gives a tropical mango aroma, but if you use too much it can be "catty", like Simcoe on steroids (some guy from SN said this). I plan to use 2oz in a Citra Summer Wheat. I'm hoping for the tropical mango flavor by just using late hop additions.
 
alcibiades said:
brewing an all citra IPA right now, think I should throw in some other hops, or is citra good alone? I think some hops might be too one dimensional to use them solely.


edit: Jesus H this stuff smells amazing! Definitely Simcoe like.
Click to expand...

I've been drinking my all-citra IPA and I have mixed feelings about it.

-Aroma from dry hopping is fantastic, I will definitely reserve my remaining 4 oz for dry hopping only.

-The flavor is barely present. It's strange to me how strong the aroma can be while the flavor is so transparent. There is barely any flavor that lingers on the palette even from 2 oz of a 10 minute addition. This aspect certainly makes it a quaffer though, just not what I was expecting out of an IPA. EDIT: I used 1oz at 20 and 1 oz at 5

-The bitter quality was pleasant.
 
I wish I had some Citra pellets. All I have is leaf. I'm planning an ounce of Centennial for the dry hop.
 
jmo88 said:
I've been drinking my all-citra IPA and I have mixed feelings about it.

-Aroma from dry hopping is fantastic, I will definitely reserve my remaining 4 oz for dry hopping only.

-The flavor is barely present. It's strange to me how strong the aroma can be while the flavor is so transparent. There is barely any flavor that lingers on the palette even from 2 oz of a 10 minute addition. This aspect certainly makes it a quaffer though, just not what I was expecting out of an IPA. EDIT: I used 1oz at 20 and 1 oz at 5

-The bitter quality was pleasant.
Click to expand...

Hmm, makes me think I should add some other citrusy hops in the mix. I was really hoping for a mango-like flavor from them. Of course not smack you in the face flavor, just barely noticeable.
 
This hop aroma smacks you in the face. Actually, it ***** slaps you in the face and then hits you in the nose with brass knuckles. But that's a good thing...
 
im so torn between doing a SMaSH with citra, or adding other hops... I have about 30 min to decide as my boil just got going...

who knew brewing could be such a rollercoaster ride of emotions...(hint of sarcasm) (was the parenthesis necessary?)
 
I have an all Citra IPA that I made, and it is nice and bitter, the flavor is good, fruity (but I used WLP05, so I was expecting that) and the aroma is out of control. Citrus, tropical, and big. I also used WLP001 on half the batch and that dried out a lot more. A lot less fruit in the flavor department, but still nice. I think I am going to blend them.

Oh, but I don't notice anything catty about either of them.
 
i brewed an all citra IPA. not a fan of it. aroma is awesome, taste and bittering ... not so much.

i will reserve it for aroma from now on.
 
chefchris said:
i brewed an all citra IPA. not a fan of it. aroma is awesome, taste and bittering ... not so much.

i will reserve it for aroma from now on.
Click to expand...

This is my impression of Summit too - granted I only brewed one beer with it, but the flavor was a severe disappointment, especially after the promise of the aroma. For now, I'm going to stick to aroma additions for this as well. Good to know there may be some similar issues with Citra.
 
chefchris said:
i brewed an all citra IPA. not a fan of it. aroma is awesome, taste and bittering ... not so much.

i will reserve it for aroma from now on.
Click to expand...

I was going to go all Citra, but I chickened out. Mixed in 50% Centennial into the hop bill. Centennial is somewhat the opposite of how you describe Citra in my opinion. To me, Centennial has a more subdued aroma, but the flavor is more intense and spicy than say, Cascade.
 
smizak said:
I was going to go all Citra, but I chickened out. Mixed in 50% Centennial into the hop bill. Centennial is somewhat the opposite of how you describe Citra in my opinion. To me, Centennial has a more subdued aroma, but the flavor is more intense and spicy than say, Cascade.
Click to expand...

Can't go wrong with Centennial. It's my favorite hop by far.

Some people have all Citra beers and like them ... I'm thinking about dumping mine. To each their own.
 
While brewing yesterday I had a few glasses of my Citra hop test beer
The first aroma is pure citrus with a slight sharpness as to be expected for only being in the keg 1 day.



I guess obsessing the details (Revvy) pays off>> check out the foam:




 
jmo88 said:
I've been drinking my all-citra IPA and I have mixed feelings about it.

-Aroma from dry hopping is fantastic, I will definitely reserve my remaining 4 oz for dry hopping only.

-The flavor is barely present. It's strange to me how strong the aroma can be while the flavor is so transparent. There is barely any flavor that lingers on the palette even from 2 oz of a 10 minute addition. This aspect certainly makes it a quaffer though, just not what I was expecting out of an IPA. EDIT: I used 1oz at 20 and 1 oz at 5

-The bitter quality was pleasant.
Click to expand...

My mileage varies. My MO/Citra SMaSH has little to no aroma (could be I need to up the dry hop amount) and really nice, full citrus flavor.
10lb MO
.625oz Citra 12AA @60
.5oz Citra 12AA @ 5
.5oz Citra 12AA Dry Hop
Whirlfloc @ 15
Wyeast 1056
I definately intend to make something like this again although I think I'll cut the MO with some 2 row. Too much biscuit.
 
I haven't had citra yet, afaik, but I'm anxious to try. I have noticed a catty aroma from simcoe and chinook however. Not overpowering, but there nonetheless.
I made an all amarillo pale once and the aroma was amazing, but the flavor was sorta metallic or something. Not horrible, but I'm gonna use it for just aroma additions from now on.
 
JLem said:
This is my impression of Summit too - granted I only brewed one beer with it, but the flavor was a severe disappointment, especially after the promise of the aroma. For now, I'm going to stick to aroma additions for this as well. Good to know there may be some similar issues with Citra.
Click to expand...

I so agree about Summit. I really don't like that hop at all flavor-wise. Aroma, I can take or leave also. Might use my remaining stash for bittering only.
 
Just cracked open one of my all citra IPAs. Its not the first, but its been bottled about 6 weeks, and I think its probably in its prime. It is definitely piney and citrusy, almost resiny and reminiscent of its less legal cousin. I dont get the catty Simcoe flavor, however it is similar. Not as off-putting to my palette, but not as good as my all centennial IPA made with a similar recipe.
 
Glad to hear it turned out well. I blended mine with centennial.

Hard to beat a centennial-based IPA. It's like a spoon and reach-around from the one you love.

Errr... I mean it's really good!
 
I call my Citra pale ale the Sunset Sipper. I think it is a great hop. Have never heard of cat pee with it until here
 
Doing a Citra / Chinook APA this weekend. Did a Citra only APA recently and appreciate the unique tropical fruit flavors and aroma. Very 'gentle' hop - too fruity for me personally as a stand alone variety. This is why it's getting paired with Chinook in this next brew, which is anything but 'gentle'. I didn't get catty aroma - just got fruit and no pine or spice notes which I personally missed.
 

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