Citra hops are one of the most popular hops out there right now and is personally my favorite hop to brew with. It is a very fruity and citrusy hop that works great for Aroma and flavor and can also be used to bitter. I have made a few IPA’s with this hop they have been the best IPA’s I have ever made. I have used them in dry hopping, in the last five min and at a twenty min boil resulting in very delicious beer.

This specific breed was the result of mixing 50% Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, 25% U.S. Tettnanger, and 25% of a few other assorted hops. It comes in around 10-12% on the alpha acids. The aroma is super fruity and the flavor is fruity with a very light herbal hop flavor that you might see more in a bittering hop.

Though this hop is primarily used for IPA’s I have experimented with it in porters and Ales as well. Though it was in smaller amounts than the other beers, it still brought a little fruitiness to the beer and gave it that amazing aroma the hops are known for.

I enjoy black IPA’s in the cold weather so I figured why not make the most fruity light IPA I can dink in the summertime. Even IPA’s can be a good thirst quenching summer beer and I intend to give it a try. I really haven’t found anything that this beer can’t do. In fact I have heard that it can be used as a standalone hop in a beer. I plan to put it to the test using only Citra to make my next IPA. The recipe is still in the works but it will probably have 5 Oz of hops for a 5 gallon batch. I’m going to use them as bittering, flavor, aroma and toss one last one in the fermentation for dry hopping. Now I just need to think of some clever name for the all Citra IPA. Happy brewing!