Why does my beer taste like cat pee?

I'm not kidding, it tastes like cat urine smells. Maybe it is because it has not been bottled long enough? Or maybe I am not used to that much Citra either.


I brewed this on feb 17th
bottled it on March 13th
zombie dust
Batch Size: 6 gallons
Estimated Original Gravity: 1.065
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.018
Estimated Color: 8.5 SRM
Bitterness: 65.9 IBU
Mash Temp: 154 F
60 min boil
My numbers came out really close to the stated recipe.

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
11.75 lb 2 Row (2.0 SRM) Grain 81.7 %
1.13 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 7.8 %
0.50 lb Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 3.5 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3.5 %
0.50 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 3.5 %
0.75 oz Citra [12.40%] (First Wort Hop) Hops 17.0 IBU***
1.25 oz Citra [12.40%] (15 min) Hops 21.1 IBU
1.25 oz Citra [12.40%] (10 min) Hops 15.4 IBU
1.25 oz Citra [12.40%] (5 min) Hops 8.5 IBU
1.25 oz Citra [12.40%] (1 min) Hops 1.8 IBU
3.00 oz Citra [12.40%] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -
I used California Ale yeast WLP001 on the reccomendation of my LHBS instead of US-04.
Hopefully it will get better over time.

If you bottled it on march 13th, that is not enough timed for the CO2 build. Typically when I bottle I let it sit @ room temp (68 deg) for 21 to 30 days. I can't vouch for why it taste like cat urine smell but it seems your beer is not fully carbonated. Let it sit for another 14 days and give it try.

I am assuming you used some type of priming sugar when you bottled? Sorry to ask but I am a tech guy and the first thing I ask when someone has an issue does your device have power?

Citra.

I find it to be a fairly divisive hop: People either love it or hate it. Those who hate it find it smells like cat pee, as you described. I get that from it as well but it doesn't bother me. I'm on the "love it" side of the hop. I get all the citrus from it that outweighs the pee.

As an aside, I have wondered if there is a genetic thing to the love/hate of Citra. I think there has been some research done on a similar thing with Cilantro. People either love that or hate it as well. Those who hate it find it smells/tastes like soap. Again, I get that but I do love the herb.

Just some extra thoughts for your day.

pcollins said:

Citra.

I find it to be a fairly divisive hop: People either love it or hate it. Those who hate it find it smells like cat pee, as you described. I get that from it as well but it doesn't bother me. I'm on the "love it" side of the hop. I get all the citrus from it that outweighs the pee.

As an aside, I have wondered if there is a genetic thing to the love/hate of Citra. I think there has been some research done on a similar thing with Cilantro. People either love that or hate it as well. Those who hate it find it smells/tastes like soap. Again, I get that but I do love the herb.

Just some extra thoughts for your day.

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This^

Some cold conditioning in the fridge for a couple of weeks killed most of the smell in my beer though. Good luck!

Do you have a Cat?

You're sensitive to Citra. I don't get cat pee from it but some people do (I get mango/lychee/grapefruit/pineapple). Avoid using it in the early boil for future beers. And dryhopping for less time will also help. I've found that this is a hop that works best in the late boil/flameout and a dryhop of just 5-7 days. Another tip is that Citra works better when paired with other hops... Amarillo being the best pairing for it. On its own, Citra can be rather underwhelming.

If you bottled March 13th, keep at 65-70 F for 2.5 to 3 weeks. Then, place in the refrigerator for another 0.5 to 1 week before drinking.

I've been on a Kona Big Wave kick and there is a HUGE difference in taste depending on the bottle date. Had a bottle recently that was 10/01/12. Hardly any fruit flavor at all. Last night I had a bottle dated 02/26/13. Crazy fruit explosion with a catty background. I've had bottles in the past that were at about the 1.5 month range or so that were nicely fruity and I didn't detect any cat in them (although maybe I didn't look for it hard enough, hard to say at this point).

So, I think it will mellow with time. Although you did use a TON of citra.

Thanks folks, I amjust happy to know that other people notice this in Citra also. I have used it before with good results, but Ihave never used more that 2 ounces in a brew. I will let it condition a couple more weeks and then put in cooler for a few days.\Ron

That looks like a zombie dust clone. Try some of the real and see if you get cat pee.

how do you know what cat pee tastes like?

I had a citra smash that I had to age for three months before the cat pee dissipated. Was great after that though!

thirsty4cider said:

how do you know what cat pee tastes like?

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I don't have a cat, so I wouldn't know. Would dog pee be a good substitute?

Something like 90% of your sense of taste comes from your sense of smell. I've never tasted cat pee, but I know what it smells like, and I definitely can relate. I recently had a Founder's All Day Session IPA that tasted like straight feline urine. I've never considered citra to taste that way, though.

It tastes like the smell of.... I say it all the time and people look at me funny. It's a weird concept for some people to grasp.

tgmartin000 said:

That looks like a zombie dust clone. Try some of the real and see if you get cat pee.

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I copied the recipe from a post on this site. I tried to find the real beer but was unable to do so. I think it will straighten out, as the brew day went smooth and the numbers came out really close too. Time will tell.

mlinc said:

Sorry to ask but I am a tech guy and the first thing I ask when someone has an issue does your device have power?

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hahaha I'm a service tech also and most people can't believe how many times I have "fixed" their problem simply by asking if the unit has power. LOVE IT!

I use 1.25 total ounces of Citra in my APA recipe, and hit 47 IBUs, with plenty of bitterness, flavor, and aroma.

I can't imagine using 8.75 oz of Citra, like in your recipe.

thirsty4cider said:

how do you know what cat pee tastes like?

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Well, we've all had budweiser, and cat pee is just a little milder than elephant urine.


WHAT??? Urine was in the title. I am under contract to make a BMC joke by page 2.

TopherM said:

I use 1.25 total ounces of Citra in my APA recipe, and hit 47 IBUs, with plenty of bitterness, flavor, and aroma.

I can't imagine using 8.75 oz of Citra, like in your recipe.

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What's your abv?

I've made this recipe before and have one fermenting right now. Fantastic beer. Some people just don't like Citra as crazy as that sounds....

Well, I like Citra under most circumstances and I agree thats a lot of Citra...however that was the recipe and I have been guilty of modifying recipes before with bad results. This time I stayed with the recipe almost to the letter. If it does straighten out later on I will make it again, maybe with half the hops.

What's your abv?

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High 4s/low 5s.

BreezyBrew, I'm in St. Pete too....are you in PUB Guild?

I add used cat litter in my mash. Love the cat pee!

thirsty4cider said:

how do you know what cat pee tastes like?

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Ahhh, a very interesting question! Let's get to the heart of the matter.

I believe it was Bobby who said "Citra smells like two cats pissing on a pine tree... its awesome!" So it looks like you just found out you're a Citra hater.

I've brewed 4 batches of a Citra IPA recipe that's been only slightly modified with the version of crystal used. First batch was a ton of mango, second was cat piss and third was a bit of both, the fourth a bit more fruity again. I liked them all in their own way. Maybe the hop is sensitive to fermentation temps, as I just use my basement, but it's a steady 63-66° all year round......or there's just a lot of variation in the harvests. I'm thinking the latter, which makes it tough to guess what you'll get. Then again, 3F's is consistent with it.

thirsty4cider said:

how do you know what cat pee tastes like?

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I second this comment

Hope beers better by now. But um, why wait 4.5 weeks to bottle a PA. Maybe has something to do with it sitting on that much hops?

My batch of Zombie Dust clone has been all over the board depending on a lot of things. It's tasted/smelled like mango, pineapple, grapefruit, stone fruit... For me it seems to have a lot to do with these variables:

Temperature
How it's poured
Glassware
Freshness (not 100% sure about this, might just affect the magnitude of aroma overall)

It's not good! Send us all out a sixer so we can taste the cat pee! Lol