All Citra DIPA Critique

I'm thinking about taking the Pliny Clone recipe and swapping out the hops for all Citra. What are your thoughts on this idea?

Recipe: Citra DIPA TYPE: All Grain
Style: Imperial IPA
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 6.5 SRM SRM RANGE: 8.0-15.0 SRM
IBU: 197.5 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 60.0-120.0 IBUs
OG: 1.070 SG OG RANGE: 1.070-1.090 SG
FG: 1.010 SG FG RANGE: 1.010-1.020 SG
BU:GU: 2.811 Calories: 227.9 kcal/12oz Est ABV: 7.9 %
EE%: 72.00 % Batch: 6.00 gal Boil: 7.74 gal BT: 90 Mins

---WATER CHEMISTRY ADDITIONS----------------


Total Grain Weight: 15 lbs 7.2 oz Total Hops: 13.00 oz oz.
---MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5.40 ------
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
13 lbs 4.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 85.8 %
9.6 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 3.9 %
9.6 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3 3.9 %


Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 4.77 gal of water at 163.7 F 151.0 F 60 min

---SPARGE PROCESS---
>>>>>>>>>>-RECYCLE FIRST RUNNINGS & VERIFY GRAIN/MLT TEMPS: 59.0 F/63.0 F
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD BOIL CHEMICALS BEFORE FWH
Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun, , 4.96gal) of 170.0 F water

---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.054 SG Est OG: 1.070 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
16.0 oz Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 4 6.5 %
3.50 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 5 136.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 45.0 min Hop 6 33.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 7 28.0 IBUs
3.50 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 8 0.0 IBUs

You could definitely do it, although I tend to think that using citra at 90 minutes is a waste (even though it has a pretty high AA% and works well as a bittering hop). Use CTZ, Warrior, whatever. Of course I recognize this ruins the purity of the experiment. Since you're just using one hop variety, I guess I think it's a little funny to have separate 45 and 30 minute additions, too. But the difference between a 45 and 30 minute addition of the same quantity of the same hop is going to be pretty subtle.

As for the grain bill, yeah, it's a tried and true take on the DIPA. You pretty much can't go wrong this way.

Will you also dry hop?

I would not have ANY Citra in the boil until the last 20-25 minutes. This is purely from an economics perspective as it is more expensive than several of the clean bittering hops. If you have money to burn, then go ahead with your recipe. I would use either Magnum or another clean bittering hop at 90 and add nothing else until the Citra at 25 or so. Could also use hop resin like HopShot or the like for bittering additions to preserve the Citra only quality. I would also do at least 2 hop additions post fermentation, maybe one of those at the end of primary. I like to do this in the keg, post primary, but I know Vinnie likes to add hops in while the yeast is still a little active as this adds some flavor compounds, potentially, that you would not get otherwise. When I brew this, I am usually north of 1.080 and ABV of 9.5 or so.

Yes, Dry Hopping with 3.5 Oz. I basically just took the times and weights of the Pliny hop additions and subbed them with Citra.

motorneuron said:

You could definitely do it, although I tend to think that using citra at 90 minutes is a waste (even though it has a pretty high AA% and works well as a bittering hop). Use CTZ, Warrior, whatever. Of course I recognize this ruins the purity of the experiment. Since you're just using one hop variety, I guess I think it's a little funny to have separate 45 and 30 minute additions, too. But the difference between a 45 and 30 minute addition of the same quantity of the same hop is going to be pretty subtle.

As for the grain bill, yeah, it's a tried and true take on the DIPA. You pretty much can't go wrong this way.

Will you also dry hop?

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