Combining Citra with other hops

[markstache]

As an impulse buy, I grabbed 4oz of Citra when picking up some other stuff I actually need. In looking at IPA recipes that involve Citra, many are single hop recipes. I could use all 4oz of my Citra on a single 5gal batch, I'm interested in spreading them across a couple of batches.

In the freezer I have Magnum, Cascade, Mt. Hood, Willamette, Columbus and Summit. Do any of these sound like good compliments?

 

[stpug]

Cascade and Columbus would be good late addition compliments. Magnum would be a great bittering hop for this combination. A small amount of summit might work as well. Lots of options.

 

[Yooper]

I'm not crazy about all-citra beers, but I do like it combined with other "C" hops like centennial and cascade, and columbus (which is "dank").

Columbus and magnum are great for bittering, so those would be good choices for that.

 

[hunter306]

Last brew I did combined it with Amarillo and Simcoe, VERY happy with the outcome. Big Citrusy/Grapefruit notes and a huge nose when you pour.

 

[markstache]

Thanks for the replies. For batch one, I'm thinking Magnum to really let the Citra and Cascade shine. Perhaps in batch two, I'll mix it up with some Columbus.

Anyone care to critique this hopping schedule? With a 1.065 OG, this nets 51 IBUs (using Brewtoad) with 0.78 BU/GU ratio.

Magnum (US) 1.0 oz 60 min Boil Pellet 13.0%
Cascade (US) 0.5 oz 15 min Boil Pellet 7.0%
Citra (US) 0.5 oz 10 min Boil Pellet 13.7%
Cascade (US) 0.5 oz 5 min Boil Pellet 7.0%
Citra (US) 0.5 oz 0 min Boil Pellet 13.7%
Citra (US) 1.0 oz 5 days Dry Hop Pellet 13.7%
Cascade (US) 1.0 oz 5 days Dry Hop Pellet 7.0%

On the malt bill: anyone want to offer opinions of including some rye flakes in this? Maybe on the order of 5 to 8 per-cent. In general, I like rye in an IPA, but I don't want to clash with the Citra. I was thinking of using flakes as they are thought to be less flavorful than malt.

For yeast, I was planning on using US-05, but I'm open to other suggestions.

 

[stpug]

I like what you've got going on there in terms of hop schedule. I think you can get some pretty good hop presence with that schedule without being excessive. The one thing I'm usually looking at for IPAs/IIPAs is the BU/GU ratio being closer to 1.0 (little more little less is fine). I feel like the bitterness helps to influence the aroma/flavor hop presence, but it's your call. Maybe you like a more subdues bitterness, or maybe you have a long hot steep at the end which will create a higher IBU value? I would recommend a hop stand around 175F for 30 minutes if you're inclined. I have found that to be very rewarding in the hop flavor/aroma department.

Without knowing your water profile, some gypsum added to this batch could help enhance the hop profile. I think a safe amount about be 1 tsp but you might go as much as 2 tsp.

I can't see where a little rye would be bad in this beer, but I don't know that it's needed either. At the 5% range I wouldn't worry about it clashing or being overly present. Closer to 10% and you'll have more presence, I would think.

US05/1056/wlp001/chico is a perfectly acceptable choice for this beer, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Other good choices would be: 1272, us west coast, pacman, nottingham at cool temps, and several others.

I think you could make no changes and you'll get a good IPA out of this.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

I recently made a pale ale with cascade for bittering, citra and cascade for aroma and columbus for finishing. I'm pretty happy with it. I'm with Yooper, all citra beers are a little over the top for my taste.

 

[markstache]

Thanks for the suggestions overall. One question:

The one thing I'm usually looking at for IPAs/IIPAs is the BU/GU ratio being closer to 1.0 (little more little less is fine).

If I did want to push up the bitterness, where would you stick it? More Magnum in the 60 minute? A 45 or 30 minute addition? Any particular hop?

I use a no-chill/slow chill technique. When the boil is done, I seal up the kettle and put in a bath tub over night. The next day I pitch. While I've given conventional boil times, I'll usually move my final additions to 10 minutes after boil and 5 minute additions to flame out. Not an exact science, but it seems to work reasonably well. I would like to get more control via a heat exchanger of some kind. I just haven't decided if a immersion chiller, counter-flow, or plate chiller would be best for me.

 

[stpug]

I would personally add them in your late additions that are already there. I would probably bump each addition (15, 10, 5, FO) by 0.25 oz. Without checking, my guess is that should get you close and increase the hop presence. If you're not quite there then a smidget more magnum would suffice, or you could leave it where it ends up. I would not put it further back than about 15 because, being an IPA, you would benefit most from the aromatics/flavors imparted later in the boil which may be driven off during the long part of the boil.

I like your equivalency match-up method, and it seems very reasonable to me. Your chill method seems reasonable as well.

Heat exchange chilling will definitely require you think through your process and what you're willing to add to your process (and afford). Each method imposes it's advantages and disadvantages.

 

[markstache]

I would personally add them in your late additions that are already there. I would probably bump each addition (15, 10, 5, FO) by 0.25 oz. .

The other variable, I realized, is the gravity. By dropping the gravity just a touch and upping the 15 and 10 minute additions, I got the ratio up to 1:1. I wanted to use 2oz of Citra total, so that I can save some for another recipe later.

Citra arrived today. Looking forward to brew day.

 

[Holter]

I use columbus in combo with Citra for my pale ale. I actually use Columbus for a ton of my hoppy beers but never as the predominant hop - I always use it as a kind of background hop - typically 25% of the dry hop. Let the other fancier hops like Citra have their day in the sun as the predominant hop, but a lot of those hops have what I think of as thin flavor/aroma and columbus in small amounts can beef that up and round out your flavors.

I also don't really like using single hop varieties for beers unless its a flavor/aroma experiment because they are just far too one dimensional. Of the other hops you listed Cascade, Summit and even Willamette could possible work in the same fashion - though I have never tried using Willamette as a late addition background hop. I think it could work though.

 

[plankbr]

Citra + Mosaic = Pink Grapefruit! YUMMMMMMM YUMMMMMMM YUMMMMMMM YUMMMMMMM

From my 10 gallon Fresh Squeezed IPA hop schedule (just cut in half for 5 gallons):
HOPS:
1 oz - Nugget, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.3, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 21.36 -- or your bittering hop of choice.
2 oz - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.5, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 19.92
2 oz - Mosaic, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 20.24
2 oz - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.5, Use: Boil for 0 min
2 oz - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.5, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days

 

[graduate]

Citra, Chinook, and simcoe.

 

[markstache]

I use columbus in combo with Citra for my pale ale.

I think I'll do a Columbus + Citra IPA for brew #2. For brew one, I'd like to get to know the hop a little more, so I'm bittering with Magnum for clean bittering and using Cascade to round it out. In #2, I expect I'll just use Columbus for bittering and aroma. Before I made the Citra impulse buy I was planning on Columbus SMASH as my next brew.

 

[Holter]

I think I'll do a Columbus + Citra IPA for brew #2. For brew one, I'd like to get to know the hop a little more, so I'm bittering with Magnum for clean bittering and using Cascade to round it out. In #2, I expect I'll just use Columbus for bittering and aroma. Before I made the Citra impulse buy I was planning on Columbus SMASH as my next brew.

Both sound like good brews. I think it was this thread, but someone said that Columbus is more Dank and I think thats a good description of its aroma contribution.

Good luck.
Holter

 

[ong]

Thanks for the replies. For batch one, I'm thinking Magnum to really let the Citra and Cascade shine. Perhaps in batch two, I'll mix it up with some Columbus.



Anyone care to critique this hopping schedule? With a 1.065 OG, this nets 51 IBUs (using Brewtoad) with 0.78 BU/GU ratio.



Magnum (US) 1.0 oz 60 min Boil Pellet 13.0%

Cascade (US) 0.5 oz 15 min Boil Pellet 7.0%

Citra (US) 0.5 oz 10 min Boil Pellet 13.7%

Cascade (US) 0.5 oz 5 min Boil Pellet 7.0%

Citra (US) 0.5 oz 0 min Boil Pellet 13.7%

Citra (US) 1.0 oz 5 days Dry Hop Pellet 13.7%

Cascade (US) 1.0 oz 5 days Dry Hop Pellet 7.0%



On the malt bill: anyone want to offer opinions of including some rye flakes in this? Maybe on the order of 5 to 8 per-cent. In general, I like rye in an IPA, but I don't want to clash with the Citra. I was thinking of using flakes as they are thought to be less flavorful than malt.



For yeast, I was planning on using US-05, but I'm open to other suggestions.

One of my best pale ales was Citra/Cascade with about 10% rye MALT -- never used flakes (the rest just 2-row and crystal 15). Dry and a bit spicy and wildly passionfruit/tropical aromatic. I find that Citra as a dry hop, while great, pretty much overwhelms everything else -- you might not need the 1oz of Cascade. Couldn't hurt, I guess!

 

[markstache]

One of my best pale ales was Citra/Cascade with about 10% rye MALT -- never used flakes (the rest just 2-row and crystal 15). Dry and a bit spicy and wildly passionfruit/tropical aromatic. I find that Citra as a dry hop, while great, pretty much overwhelms everything else -- you might not need the 1oz of Cascade. Couldn't hurt, I guess!

The rye flakes are simply because I have them and not rye malt.

I'm including the cascade precisely because Citra is said to be so dominant. My goal is to balance it against the cascade. We'll see if this strategy works.

 

[weagle]

I make a pale ale with 1/2 oz citra and 1/4 oz Columbus at 15 mins and 5 mins and dry hop with 1 oz citra and 1/2 oz Columbus. It tastes awesome and I think the added earthy/dankness from the Columbus really helps the citra .

 

[markstache]

The die has been cast. I brewed up the following last night. I got a whiff of onion off of the Citra when I opened it up. I've noticed this in Summit too, and it as never bothered me in the finished product.

Fermentables Efficiency: 75.0% Batch size: 5.5 gal
Fermentable Amount Use PPG Color
Pale Ale (US) 9.0 lb 74% Mash 37 3 °L
Flaked Rye 1.0 lb 8% Mash 36 2 °L
Bonlander Munich (US) 1.0 lb 8% Mash 36 10 °L
Pale Wheat (CA) 1.0 lb 8% Mash 36 2 °L
Roasted Barley (US) 0.96 oz 0% Mash 33 300 °L


Hop Amount Time Use Form AA
Magnum (US) 1.0 oz 70 min Boil Pellet 13.0%
Cascade (US) 0.75 oz 15 min Boil Pellet 7.0%
Citra (US) 0.75 oz 10 min Boil Leaf 13.7%
Cascade (US) 0.5 oz 5 min Boil Pellet 7.0%
Citra (US) 0.5 oz 0 min Boil Leaf 13.7%
Cascade (US) 0.75 oz 5 days Dry Hop Pellet 7.0%
Citra (US) 0.75 oz 5 days Dry Hop Leaf 13.7%
Yeasts
Name Lab/Product Average Attenuation
Safale US-05 Fermentis US-05 85.5%

Overall:
1.060 OG
1.009 FG
60 IBU
6.8% ABV
7 SRM
1.0 IBU/OG

 

[NZLunchie]

Used this in IIPA. Amazing mango/passionfruit/pineapple aroma. 90min boil. Needed a bigger hit of bitterness IMHO. Comes out to a 1:1.17 BU:GU

2.8 g/L Cascade - NZ @ 75 Minutes
0.4 g/L Cascade - NZ @ 30 Minutes
0.7 g/L Citra @ 30 Minutes
0.7 g/L Cascade - NZ @ 10 Minutes
0.9 g/L Citra @ 10 Minutes
1 g/L Cascade - NZ @ 5 Minutes
1.1 g/L Citra @ 5 Minutes
2.4 g/L Centennial @ 1 Minutes
2.5 g/L Citra @ 0 Minutes
1.3 g/L Centennial @ 5 Days
1.3 g/L Citra @ 5 Days
1.3 g/L Citra @ 10 Days

 

[markstache]

I'd like to try some NZ Cascade some time and contrast it with the US variety. I hear it is fruitier.

 

[NZLunchie]

I'd like to try some NZ Cascade some time and contrast it with the US variety. I hear it is fruitier.

I think it has a smoother bitterness as well, not quite as "dank"

 

[Pinebarrensbrew]

My most recent ipa which is in bottles now used citra and cascade and I wanted to mix it up a bit so I added cascade as the bittering and citra as flavor and aroma as well as dry hop. Yes I know the citra has higher aa. Oh we'll. it worked well an it tastes very good. Nice light malt flavor not to bitter with great pineapple/grapefruit flavor and aroma. Try it for an experiment. You won't be disappointed. Ill be posting my recipe on Saturday probably when I try a bottle after a bit over a week of carb. It's light abv as well. 3.9. Didn't want to be the typical ipa guy where low abv isn't in my dictionary


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[kable]

My favorite Citra beer is Kern River's Citra DIPA. The brewing network did an episode of "Can we brew it" based on this beer. Here is the recipe.

 

[markstache]

I've been drinking my recipe from a few posts ago for a few weeks. Ok, not great. Call it a 7/10.

I think the Magnum was too subtle. I'd try something with a little ooph to it instead.