American Pale Ale Summer Citra Cerveza

[bigdaddybrew]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

Nottingham dry

Yeast Starter

None

Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter

None

Batch Size (Gallons)

5

Original Gravity

1.040

Final Gravity

1.008

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

24

Color

3 SRM

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

7 days at 60f then 7 days at 68f

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

None

Additional Fermentation

Cold crash 2 days 40f

Tasting Notes

Refreshing, strong citrus aroma, smooth, lager like cream ale lawnmower beer.

Ingredients:

5 lbs 2 Row
3 lbs Flaked Corn
1 lbs Flaked Barley (fluffy white head)

Mash at 149f for 60 minutes, 68% efficiency

1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min of boil

0.5 oz Cascade pellets 60 min of boil
0.5 oz Centennial pellets 20 min of boil
1.5 oz of Citra pellets at 150f of whirlpool

Procedure:
pre-heated mash tun with 5 gallons of hot tap water, drained
4 gallons of strike water at 159f
Mashed for 60 minutes at 149f, drained
Batch sparge 2 gallons at 180f, stirred, waited 10 minutes, drained
Batch sparge 2 gallons at 170, stirred, waited 10 minutes, drained

 

[branman]

Sounds good imma plan on giving this one a go!

 

[bigdaddybrew]

This is the most popular beer I brew. Gets chugged quickly by my homebrew buddies and even my macro-lager friends like it. Let me know how it comes out for you. Good Luck!

 

[branman]

Did a 10 gal batch yesterday (first brew with the all electric system) went well but had to alter it a little do to the limited ingredients @ lhbs. Had to replace the barley with torrified wheat and 2oz of Citra at the end instead of 3. All went well looks and smells good! I'll report after I get it fermented, carbed

 

[branman]

There is a shot from the sight tube on the conical.

View attachment 1425844202133.jpg

 

[bigdaddybrew]

Sound like solid substitutions.

 

[branman]

Well, tapped this recipe this weekend and the Citra sits right up front but not over baring. Went ahead and brewed another 10g batch saturday. Awesome brew to kick off spring! Thanks for the recipe

 

[bigdaddybrew]

Glad to hear it!

 

[MollyHatchet]

What yeast did you use?

 

[bigdaddybrew]

I have noticed the recipe template doesn't display on mobile phones but displays on my PC. I have used various yeast types for this recipe. Any clean yeast will do. Nottingham, US-05, Muntons Standard and Coopers have all worked well in this recipe. I try to keep it on the cool side but some esters compliment the Citra hops.

 

[branman]

I used us-05...

 

[MollyHatchet]

05 is what ll try, thanks for the replies

 

[MollyHatchet]

Going to go crush the grain bill for this one!! Will be brewing in the AM.

 

[MollyHatchet]

Brewed iron 4/21, came out at 1.052, still in the fermentor, I'll post a picture once it's carbed and conditioned.

 

[branman]

Please do, mine was a little hazy at first but as it sat in the keg for a while it's crystal clear

 

[kpr121]

Looks like a great simple recipe. Love the hop combination. Putting this on the list, and it might even be my next brew. IPA doesnt work well as lawnmower beer unless you have a small lawn.

 

[bigdaddybrew]

I have copied and pasted the entire template from my PC browser as I notice it doesn't display properly on phones and I didn't have Beersmith at the time so I adjusted efficiency...

Summer Citra Cerveza
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Nottingham dry, US-05, Coopers
Yeast Starter: None
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: None
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.040
Final Gravity: 1.008IBU: 24
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 3 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7 days at 60f then 7 days at 68f
Additional Fermentation: Cold crash 2 days 40f
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): None
Tasting Notes: Refreshing, strong citrus aroma, smooth, lager like cream ale lawnmower beer.

Ingredients:

5 lbs 2 Row
3 lbs Flaked Corn
1 lbs Flaked Barley (fluffy white head)

Mash at 149f for 60 minutes, 62% efficiency (leaving all the trub in the pot)

1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min of boil

0.5 oz Cascade pellets 60 min of boil
0.5 oz Centennial pellets 20 min of boil
1.5 oz of Citra pellets at 150f of whirlpool steep for 30 minutes.

 

[Biscuits]

I just brewed this today. Only question I have is about the citra addition. I began my cool down, I use an immersion cooler, and when it reached 150* I added my Citra and let the cooler continue to chill the wort. My question is, should I have stopped cooling and let the Citra sit in the 150* wort or did I do it correctly by continuing to cool?

Also, I got an OG of 1.060...but I think I underestimated my efficiency.

 

[branman]

That's a good question. I just added them @ flame out and left them in the whirlpool until I transfered to fermenter. (I also use an immersion chiller for the monent)

 

[bigdaddybrew]

My immersion chiller is not super efficient so they get a good 30 minute steep when I chill. The reason I add them at 150f is there is enough heat to release the aromas but not drive them off. I should add that to the recipe...

1.5 oz of Citra steep/whirlpool at 150f for 30 minutes.

Either way you both described that nice citrus aroma will be there. Flame out is good. Steep while chilling is good.
62% efficiency is low for most brewers. I was getting some grainy astringency so I adjusted my process. I don't tilt my mash tun, leaving that last quart of cloudy wort. I also drain the Mash tun of first running and then a single batch sparge. I also leave almost a gallon behind in the brew pot so I get more beer/less trub in my carboy. These changes hurt my efficiency but resulted in a smoother malt flavor and more beer at the cost of some additional grain. This seems to be especially important when brewing lighter styles. 1.060 will be good but you might mow the grass a little cooked

 

[Biscuits]

That's a good question. I just added them @ flame out and left them in the whirlpool until I transfered to fermenter. (I also use an immersion chiller for the monent)

I was tempted to add them at flame out as well but didn't want to deviate from the recipe. I think next time I will though and see if there is any difference...I'm sure, if any, it will be minute.

My immersion chiller is not super efficient so they get a good 30 minute steep when I chill. The reason I add them at 150f is there is enough heat to release the aromas but not drive them off. I should add that to the recipe...
1.5 oz of Citra steep/whirlpool at 150f for 30 minutes.
Either way you both described that nice citrus aroma will be there. Flame out is good. Steep while chilling is good.
62% efficiency is low for most brewers. I was getting some grainy astringency so I adjusted my process. I don't tilt my mash tun, leaving that last quart of cloudy wort. I also drain the Mash tun of first running and then a single batch sparge. I also leave almost a gallon behind in the brew pot so I get more beer/less trub in my carboy. These changes hurt my efficiency but resulted in a smoother malt flavor and more beer a boggling at the cost of some additional grain. This seems to be especially important when brewing lighter styles. 1.060 will be good but you might mow the grass a little cooked

Yeah, when I chill I stir a lot to make sure the wort in the center of the pot doesn't stay hot and after I hit the 80 degree mark I don't stir any more so that some of the cloudyness settles by the time it hits 70*, but I still transferred a bunch of trub into the fermenter, which is something I need to figure out for the future.

And fortunately for me, I live in a townhome, so no mowing for me. I will however, be in danger of over bbq'ing some brats or steaks.

 

[branman]

Waiting on my new brewers hardware kettles to come in and I'll be doing this one as my first batch on the new setup I'm interested in how well the tangential port works for cutting back on the trub. Other than that it's all good and the steaks will be well done lol

 

[bigdaddybrew]

My Summer Citra Cerveza recipe has gotten quite a bit of interest so I have updated the recipe to reflect changes in my brewing technique...

Summer Citra Cerveza Version 2.0
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Nottingham, US-05 or San Francisco Lager
Any clean neutral yeast that tolerates a cool fermentation.
Coopers is my favorite if you have to ferment at a warmer temp (>68F).
Yeast Starter: None, I even dry pitch (I know rehydrate yada yada.)
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.045
Final Gravity: 1.008
Brew House Efficiency: 70%
Higher OG reflects improvements in my sparging technique.
The Recipe stayed the same but my efficiency has gone up.
IBU: 24
Color: 3 SRM
Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7 days at 62f, then 7 days at 68f, then Cold crash 2 days at 40f.
Tasting Notes: Refreshing lawnmower beer with a citrus hoppy nose.

Ingredients:
5 lbs 2 Row (56%)
3 lbs Flaked Corn (33%)
1 lbs Flaked Barley (11%)

Mash at 148f for 60 minutes

60 minute Boil
1oz Cascade pellets (5.5% alpha) 25 min of boil
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min of boil
1oz Centennial pellets (10% alpha) 5 min of boil
1oz of Citra pellets (12% alpha), chill wort to 170f then steep for 30 minutes

Carbonate to 2.5 volumes using your favorite calculator.

My first version of this recipe was a scaled down 10 gallon recipe using 1 oz of Cascade, 1oz of Centennial and 3 oz of Citra so the first recipe is faithful to the original 10 gallon recipe. The new hopping schedule is adjusted for making 5 gallon batches using 1 oz packages of hops so there are no left overs. Because of the later additions of Cascade and Centennial less Citra is needed. For an even more aggressive hoppy nose I have dry hopped with an additional 1oz of Citra for the 7 days of fermentation at 68f. Might be a little much for some BMC drinkers but I really like it. Smooth, light and refreshing but a super citrus hoppy nose.

The flaked barley gives excellent head retention but may cause a bit of chill haze so don't forget the Irish Moss. You could reduce it to 8oz but it comes in one pound bags so I toss it all in. I have used 8 oz of Carapils instead of Flaked Barley with good results but it may raise the FG a couple of points. Others have used Wheat instead of flaked barley and report good results.

It is my favorite summer beer. Hoppy enough for craft beer drinkers but light enough for newbies.

Hope you enjoy brewing it. Let me know how it comes out.

 

[jcc4507fly]

Drinking one of the last pints of my first batch! Great beer! 5 gal gone in 2.5 weeks. [emoji15] No parties, dang this is good!

Just got done brewing my second batch. Only thing I've done different both times is skipped the Citra during whirlpool and upped it to 2oz 7 day dry hop! Beautiful nose, yet easy to drink! I didn't see your 'new' hop schedule until now, and my wort is in the fermenter. Next time! Thanks for the great recipe!

 

[bigdaddybrew]

I'm glad to hear your enjoying it. Citra dry hopped is a nice addition.

 

[MollyHatchet]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1433355738.138020.jpg just tapped a pint, very good beer, nice creamy head for days! I played with the hop schedule for the first batch, so it's VERY hoppy. I was worried it would be to bitter, but it's very nice, think hoppy Pilsner, or blond ale maybe. I have done another batch which is cold crashing now with perle and saaz. I have the ingredients for another batch I must decide what the next hop schedule will be!! A BIG thanks to the original poster, an excellent summer ale!! If you hadn't done this yet, please do yourself the favor and have fun with it.
PS: this was kegged 5/11/15, I am sure it will get better with a little more age.

 

[bigdaddybrew]

Glad you're enjoying it. Sounds like some good hop substitutions.

 

[MollyHatchet]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1433359582.676748.jpground two, really enjoy it, thanks again!! [emoji3]

 

[jcc4507fly]

Man, that is making me thirsty! Think I will rack to keg tomorrow and drop the Citra hops and start carbing! Must have this beer on tap again!!!
Side note, I just kicked my previous keg of this. What do yall think about skipping the cleaning and sani and racking right into the 'dirty' keg? Has anyone tried this b4? Pressed for time and it would be nice to not even pull the keg out of keezer and rack right into it. Thoughts?

 

[bigdaddybrew]

I have racked into the used keg assuming the previous beer was the same or lighter recipe and it had been cold crashed so it didn't leave behind a bunch of yeast trub. Call me lazy but I do it from time to time.