Challenger and Citra together? | HomeBrewTalk.com - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Community.

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk by donating:

  1. Dismiss Notice
  2. We have a new forum and it needs your help! Homebrewing Deals is a forum to post whatever deals and specials you find that other homebrewers might value! Includes coupon layering, Craigslist finds, eBay finds, Amazon specials, etc.
    Dismiss Notice

Challenger and Citra together?

Discussion in 'General Homebrew Discussion' started by Nightshade, Apr 20, 2013.

 

  1. #1
    Nightshade

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 20, 2013
    Wondering if they would be a combo that works well together?

    Planning to use Challenger more as the bittering and some flavor with Citra as a flavor and aroma addition in an IPA.

    What say ye?
     
  2. #2
    BridgeBrew

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 20, 2013
    Try not to go too nuts with the challenger, it will get spicy on you and take away from the Citra. I make an amber with .5 oz of challenger and then Amarillo later on in the boil and they work well together. Ive gone as far as 1.3 oz of Challenger and then it gets into that English style IPA/ESB.
     
  3. #3
    Nightshade

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 21, 2013
    Thanks for the info, kind of on the fence about using Challenger for just that reason, don't want it to dominate the flavor of the IPA and allow the Citra to do a little talking.
     
  4. #4
    jonmohno

    Banned

    Posted Apr 21, 2013
    I thought Challenger was mild-medium and its even described as that. Citra is prety intense.I doubt it would overpower the citra. I think the citra would overpower the challenger and possibly almost mute it depending on how much you use of each. But they probably would work good together. I would stick with the plan. Let us know how it turns out.
     
  5. #5
    Randy_Bugger

    Banned

    Posted Apr 21, 2013
    I've used Challenger as a bittering hop and it doesn't seem to interfere with citrusy/tropical hops.

    I've used 1oz. of Challenger to bitter and 2oz. as a flavor addition and it provided a red grape or currant type of flavor.

    If you only use it for bittering, it won't interfere with Citra flavor.
     
  6. #6
    wort_bear

    Member

    Posted Jun 18, 2014
    I used challenger and citra together on an imperial IPA made with Jaggery and a lot of Vienna malt.

    Worked quite well, the three combined to make an earthy but crisp brew with a lot of aroma. But it wasn't meant to highlight citra, and certainly didn't have a typical nose for an american IPA.

    In most brews I would think challenger would kind of muddle the Citra - make the beer more complex, not just supporting the featured hop.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page

Group Builder