Citra is among the most sought-after hop varieties because it offers an intense citrusy flavor and aroma that revolutionized IPAs. These intense tropical notes make it the perfect candidate for a single hop IPA. It was released by the Hop Breeding Company of Yakima, Wa in 2008.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company helped popularize the Citra hop when they used it as a dry hop in their Torpedo IPA in 2009. When Sierra Nevada first used Citra in Torpedo, there were only four acres of Citra hops, but today, there are hundreds of acres dedicated to it.
| Usage: | Dual-Purpose |
| Country of Origin: | United States |
| Hop Growers Code: | CIT |
Where To Buy Citra Hops
Possibly the most popular modern brewing hop in the world. Citra hops are highly sought after for its intense citrus aroma and flavors, including, grapefruit, lime, gooseberry, passion fruit, and lychee.
Citra Flavor And Aroma
Citra is a dual-purpose hop that is often described to have the following aroma characteristics:
Grapefruit, Lime
Tropical Fruit, Lychee
Gooseberry
Citra Hop Oil Breakdown
Hop oils can vary year to year and farm to farm but based on our research, here are the typical values we have seen reported. This information comes from various hop farms, The Hop Aroma Compendium, and For The Love Of Hops.
| Alpha Acid % (AA) Alpha acids are what is isomerized when boiling to create bitterness in beer. | 11% – 13% |
| Beta Acid % Beta acids are what give hops their more aroma and flavor compounds. | 3.5% – 4.5% |
| Alpha-Beta Ratio This ratio of alpha acids to beta acids determines how quickly bitterness fades during aging. Lower ratios are common for aromatic varieties. | 2:1 – 5:1 |
| Co-Humulone as a % of Alpha Higher numbers are said to impart a harsher bitterness. | 22% – 24% |
| Total Oils (mL/100g) With more total oils, typically comes a more complex hop profile but these are highly volatile compounds. | 2.2mL – 2.8mL |
| Myrcene green, resinous | 60% – 65% |
| Humulene woody, piney | 11% – 13% |
| Caryophyllene woody | 6% – 8% |
| Farnesene floral | 0% – 1% |
| Other Oils: Includes beta-ionine, beta-pinene, limonene, linalool, geranoil & selinene | 8% – 28% |
| Hop Storage Index (HSI) The HSI indicates the percent of alpha and beta acids lost after 6 months of storage at room temperature (68°F or 20°C). | Retains 73% of its alpha acid after 6 months of storage at 20ºC (68ºF). |
| Hop Storage Index (HSI) Rating | Good |
Citra Hop Substitutions
Replacing one hop for another is seldom straightforward but sometimes you don’t have the right hop or the right quantity of hops for the beer you want to make. For those situations, we have made a comprehensive list of hops to substitute on brew day.
These substitutions aren’t perfect as hop chemistry is pretty complex.
We wanted to make this list of substitutions with varietals that are easy to find when possible. For Citra, we recommend substituting with the following hops:
Beer Styles
For the most part, any hop could have a place in just about any beer style. Based on popular beers, historical usage, and our own preferences, we would recommend using Citra hops for IPA, Double IPA, IPL, Pale Ale, and Wheat Beer. That being said, experiment and see what works best for you.
References
https://www.hopslist.com/
https://www.ars.usda.gov/
https://www.brewersassociation.org/
https://www.barthhaasx.com/
https://www.yakimachief.com/
Hieronymus, Stan. For The Love of Hops. Brewers Publications, 2012
The Hop Aroma Compendium. 2012
