Citra Hops
Yes, Citra hops. This is a new, popular hop with homebrewers and it is easy to see why.
Sierra Nevada used this hop variety in their Torpedo Extra IPA. I think beer lovers and homebrewers are impressed with its tropical fruit flavor and aroma and the complexities that come with that sort of flavor profile. I did some research into the variety and I present it here.
This is a compilation of the information that is out there about Citra hops:
It was bred as a hybrid of a number of different hops. The breakdown is as follows:
50% Hallertauer Mittelfrüh
25% U.S. Tettnanger
25% East Kent Golding, Bavarian, Brewers Gold, and other unknown hops.
Origin: USA! USA! Presented at the World Brewing Congress in August of 2008.
Aroma/Flavor: Lots of descriptors out there: Citrus, peach, apricot, passion fruit, grapefruit, lime, melon, gooseberry, lychee fruit, pineapple, mango, papaya and other tropical fruit flavors and aromas. So, ah, fruity.
I found one more: Guava.
Alpha Acid: 10 to 12%
Typical Usage: Flavor and Aroma. Plus, you could brew a pretty great single hop beer with Citra.
Beer Styles: So far, IPAs but I think any style where you want to showcase hop flavors and aromas.
Since I wrote this post, these hops have become widely available. You can find them for sale online at many homebrew shops.
Read About Other New Hops:
on August 25th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
There definitely is a citra hops bandwagon. I’ve had a bunch of beers brewed with them. I like them, but I have a feeling that we are just going to see IPA after IPA brewed with them and it won’t seem special anymore.
on September 19th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Last night I got to taste Homebrewer Mike McDole’s Citra hopped IPA. It is a facinating hop that lendt a delicate citrus and fruit quality with very little grapefruit. If this hop becomes available I think it will be a very useful adition to the other great IPA hops in use. I would specifically like it in low amounts to dry hop my pale ale.
on October 6th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Freshops.com has them now, I got a pound in the mail yesterday….probably will brew something with them next week.
on October 16th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I’ve had a lot of requests for these hops as well and plan on carrying some very shortly.
on February 13th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
I got some from Freshops and brewed an IPA with lots of late-hop additions of Citra, it turned out great, with lots of fresh tropical fruit aromas and flavor.
on March 15th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
I samples a beer made with Citra recently and it blew me away. I imagine these would be great not only in IPAs, but what about fruit and/or herb beers? Probably would taste weird in a stout.
on March 19th, 2010 at 10:52 pm
I think it would be good in fruit or herb beers.
on April 16th, 2010 at 11:40 am
I picked up a growler of ‘Hopzilla’ APA from Iron Hill, brewed with Citra (only?). I thought the taste was distinctively grassy and herbacious – not super resinous/piney/tangy – very drinkable and I really enjoyed it (although the ‘Hopzilla’ moniker belies a relatively mild beer).
on April 17th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Victory currently has an all Citra 5% ABV APA on tap right now – it is super… I must get my hands on some!
on April 22nd, 2010 at 10:14 am
I have just put a batch of brew in the primary that I used citra for bittering, flavoring, and aroma. I think it’ll be an english pale ale cause I used english yeast, but we’ll see. I am looking forward to it though!
on May 28th, 2010 at 2:26 am
Just drank a Widmer Brothers Sunburn, which is a summer ale, and very much not an IPA. It was delicious and I am literally going to the fridge to grab another one after I’m done writing this.
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on May 28th, 2010 at 5:38 am
Nice! That’s good stuff.
on July 9th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
I made an All Citra APA last November and let it age over the winter. Had a few over the 4th and I must say. BAM! IN YOUR FACE! Great Hop Nose, but not that overpowering bite from hops like Amarillo.
on August 12th, 2010 at 9:22 am
I just did a Honey Key lime Ginger American Wheat and threw some of my Citra in for the steep! Really helped in bringing out the citrus tones of the Key Lime. My wife spent a lot of her high school time in England and says that this brew reminds her of a Lime and Lager.
on November 11th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
I threw in .05oz of Citra to give some aromatic character at the finish to my Christmas ale this year, and it totally destroyed it. It now tastes like a Christmas beer mixed with grapefruit rind. It’s not horrible going down, but the aftertaste is atrocious. I can imagine this being fantastic in an IPA, but the flavor profile destroys more delicate beers.
on April 10th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Just tried the Widmer X-114 IPA. Part of their rotating special IPA releases. Loved the Citra hops. Very spruce-like both in flavor and aroma, Christmas in a bottle. One of my top IPAs.
on December 30th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Victory Headwaters Pale Ale is a citrate hops exclusive ale which has become my beer of choice for the piney citrus flavor