Need some ideas from the hopheads: Citra, Cascade and Amarillo

[MaxStout]

I have an abundance of those 3 hops and would like to use them in an IPA. I'm considering a fairly basic grain bill, though nothing set in stone there. I'd like to end up with a balanced IPA, with lots of hoppy goodness in bitterness, flavor and aroma. It would be a 10-11 gal. batch, BIAB.

Any thoughts on how best to incorporate the three hops varieties?

 

[bpgreen]

I don't know if there's a bad way to use those.

 

[SEndorf]

Agreed. But I wouldn't bitter with Citra.
Dry hop with that one.

 

[thehaze]

I would bitter with Cascade, then add Cascade, Citra and Amarillo as late additions ( a few oz ) in the last 15 minutes, cool down to 150 F and add a lot of hops and do a whirlpool. ( at least 10 oz )

Dry hop for 3-5 days with Amarillo and Citra. The ratio you can determnine yourself, I like Amarillo in the focus and Citra in the back. For 10-11 gallons, you probably need around 10-15 oz hops for the dry hopping, but it depends on how much you have and how much you like it.

 

[ESBrewer]

I haven't used them at all but based on drinking commercial beers hopped with these varieties, I would not flavor/aroma hop with Citra alone cause I find it somewhat overwhelming and annoying when used excessively. So I would try bittering with Cascade/Amarillo and late/dry hopping with a mixture of those three hops.

 

[Miraculix]

I love Amarillo, that's why I wouldn't use it prior to ten, maybe 15 min addition. I would bitter with cascade and throw the rest in at flame out. Half of it being Amarillo, a quarter citra and a quarter cascade. Then after three or four days, I would dry hop with the same ratios and hops.

 

[RM-MN]

Each of those three hops has its own flavor/aroma. I get mango from Citra, orange from Amarillo, and grapefruit from Cascade. To me, adding Citra to either Amarillo or Cascade enhances the aroma of either of those and I no longer notice mango flavor. I have not tried all three together.

 

[MaxStout]

I'm getting the idea that Citra isn't the best choice for bittering, so I'll probably use Cascade for that, then Amarillo/Cascade/Citra for late addition and dry hopping. My previous IPAs and APAs tended to use one, maybe two hops, and it was simpler to put together a good recipe. I have three to use this time and wanted to make the most of them.

Thanks, all!

 

[day_trippr]

Citra has a reputation for being "catty" when used as an early addition.
Plus there's the intrinsic tragedy of using what has to be considered a premier aroma/flavor hop for IBUs

I agree with using Cascade for the early addition, then a round of the three strains very late, another round for sub-170°F WP hops, some more for "bio hops" (24 hours post-pitch) and even more for the conventional dry hop round (four-five days from pitching).

Keep the O2 exposure low throughout and you'll end up with a juicy neipa - modestly bitter but a gob-smack of hops...

Cheers!

 

[robcj]

I have an abundance of those 3 hops and would like to use them in an IPA. I'm considering a fairly basic grain bill, though nothing set in stone there. I'd like to end up with a balanced IPA, with lots of hoppy goodness in bitterness, flavor and aroma. It would be a 10-11 gal. batch, BIAB.

Any thoughts on how best to incorporate the three hops varieties?

For what it’s worth, I recently made a Citra and Amarillo pale ale—I bittered with Magnum and used a 2:1 ratio of Citra and Amarillo at 5 minutes and in the fermenter. It was pretty tasty. Additionally, Fortunate Islands by Modern Times uses 2:1 ratio of Citra and Amarillo and I think it’s great.

If you want a newer, juicier style of IPA then just use the Cascade for bittering and a 2:1 Citra / Amarillo ratio late in the boil, ideally as a whirlpool or hopstand. But if you want a classic American IPA, then you could use it late in the boil too for a 1:1:1 Citra / Amarillo / Cascade ratio. In both cases, dryhop with same ratio as your late boil addition.

 

[ircbrewing]

My house IPA used Simcoe as bittering and I start adding citra at 20, cascade at 10 and citra and flame out. Then dry hop with citra. Makes for a juicy combo.