Heavy Citra Use=Dirty Cat Litter Aroma

[Brewmegoodbeer]

Ive had too many IPAs at breweries the past couple weeks that smell like a garage with dirty cat litter in it. Citra is great in smaller quantities but heavy late additions and dry hopping with it guves this nasty smell and even taste. Whats the max one would use in a beer to avoid this?

 

[beerlover77]

I use a tone of citra and have never had that problem. I heard if you dryhop for a very long time you may get some funky flavours from it though

 

[histo320]

I made an all Citra with bittering, flavor, aroma, and dry hop and it did have little of a cat piss aroma.

Still tasted awesome.

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

What makes heavy hopped citra beers smell like cat piss then? I just want tk be able to avoid this in my own beer. Ive made a heavily galaxy, citra, and mosiac hopped beer and it didn’t taste like that. What are these breweries doing wrong?

 

[Sammy86]

I use Citra in my American Wheat beer...use it at 15 and 5 minutes and dry hop with it and cascade for 5 days...never get the cat piss

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Oh yeah! Brewed a smash and cat piss galore. Seemed to be the only one bothered by it. Different sensitivities I guess. Using Citra in combination tho, never had a problem.

 

[V-Fib]

See if you can get your hands on a Zombie Dust to try and see. Its 100% citra made by 3 Floyds. The home brew recipe varies for it but it normally uses 2-3 ounces dry hopping and another 4 to 6 in the boil per 5 gallon batch.

The one I use has 6 total ounces in it and I never picked up cat piss or ammonia from it.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

I make a Lone Pint Yellow Rose smash with Mosic with 6oz total. I don't get the pee smell but others do. Of all the trades I've done, still no Zombie...

 

[Pkrd]

Some people are sensitive to cat pee smell, some aren't.

 

[raysmithtx]

Doesn't take much Citra for me to smell cat piss. I gave up completely on Citra.

 

[beerlover77]

 

[PADave]

See if you can get your hands on a Zombie Dust to try and see. Its 100% citra made by 3 Floyds. The home brew recipe varies for it but it normally uses 2-3 ounces dry hopping and another 4 to 6 in the boil per 5 gallon batch.

The one I use has 6 total ounces in it and I never picked up cat piss or ammonia from it.

Same here. I've done this one a couple times using 8 oz total, never any cat piss. But IMO this is one that gets better after a little time.

To the OP, everyone has different taste. The infamous cat piss seems to be a have it or not sensitivity. They might not be doing anything wrong, it might just be you.

 

[chris000]

done all citra IPAs which turned out great. hence, I bought citra by the pound and the more I used it the more I noticed issues during dry hoping. I don't know if it's citra itself or if something happened during storage. anyway, I have stopped using my stuff for dry hoping some time ago.
since, I wasn't going to throw it out and I started using it early/mid boil which seems to work okay.

 

[brew703]

I brewed a NEIPA (braufessor's latest) and I find it has an oniony taste. I find Citra in lower quantities to be better for me.
I brewed a Saison using Citra and Amarillo late and DH with Amarillo and there is no oniony or funky smell or taste.
I guess everyone's palette is different

 

[brewcat]

I picked up a slight cat pee smell when I dry hopped with it. It was just funny to me. It tasted good.

 

[beerlover77]

Citra and Mosaic together are magical. Late and Dry hops... I never dry hop for more then 7 days

 

[DonGavlar]

I just drank my first bottle of a zombie dust clone I brewed. All citra additions, heavily dry hopped citra. Was meant to dry hop for 5 days but ended up 10 days due to commitments. Amazing smell amd taste, not getting any cat piss