# Citra Lager



## slcmorro (3/6/14)

Planning on throwing this down soon, to hopefully sit in the keg until it warms up at the beginning of summer...

3kg JW Ale
1.2kg Vienna
600gm Pale Wheat
120gm Caramunich I
120gm Carapils

15gm Citra @ 60
15gm Citra in cube
5gm NS in cube
NO-CHILL

Mash at 64c
Ferm with W34/70 @ 12c 

Should get me to 29.5 IBU OG 1047 FG 1012 4.62% ABV.

Hoping for an easy drinking, clean tasting and refreshing take on the usual megaswill crap minus the catpiss flavour.
Never used Citra before, but I've heard some good things. Figured I'd turf a small amount of NS in there to 'fruit' it up a tiny bit.

Anyone done anything similar?


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## marksy (3/6/14)

I love citra hops.


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## slcmorro (3/6/14)

I've heard nothing but good things, so I'm keen as mustard to give it a whirl. I have used:

Galaxy
Amarillo
Magnum
NS
Cascade
Centennial
Hallertau
Tettnang
Vanguard
EKG
Saaz

So keen to try more and more and more


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## Yob (3/6/14)

Personally, I'd leave the NS out, you'll get plenty of fruit from the citra, lovely hop and one of my favourites... Never tried it in a lager though.


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## menoetes (3/6/14)

I tried about 50g of galaxy in my first pilsner hoping to 'fruit it up" a bit too. It was three weeks in the fermenter with Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager) and 4 weeks cold crashing. I cracked the first bottle 2 weeks ago and to be honest, I don't get a lot of the hops in the taste. I did 20g @ 10min, 20g @ 0min and 10g dry hopped, so I don't know how I lost so much of the hop flavour.

Maybe it was my yeast, maybe the long cold crashing (lagering) period which is supposed to 'clean up & crisp up' the appearance and taste of the lager. I don't know but I'm not getting much of the galaxy passionfruit taste in my lager at all. 

You might consider up-ing your cube addition for more flavour depending on how punchy you want it.


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## dicko (3/6/14)

Citra in the wort smells like cats urine to me while it is fermenting but looses that quickly as the fermentation finishes and smooths out into a lovely fruity beer...
Personally I would lose the 24/70 as I find it leaves a small amount of sulphur.
I would consider the Wyeast 2001 which provides a sweeter finish, but my opinion only. 
Go for it mate, I would bet it will be a ripper


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## Spiesy (3/6/14)

Sounds interesting, Citra in a lager. 

May I ask why no Pilsner malt?


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## slcmorro (3/6/14)

Fair call. There's really not much NS (5g) in there to make any difference anyways, I might turf it.

No Pilsner malt for two reasons - 

1: I have more JW Trad left than JW Pils! 
2: This is loosely based on http://aussiehomebrewer.com/recipe/1230-citra-lager/ and it uses JW Trad too.

I could definitely use 2001, as I have a Czech Pils fermenting away with that exact yeast right now in the FC.


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## dicko (3/6/14)

I could definitely use 2001, as I have a Czech Pils fermenting away with that exact yeast right now in the FC.


Never let a chance go by with yeast mate...


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## slcmorro (3/6/14)

dicko said:


> Never let a chance go by with yeast mate...


I was planning on harvesting this yeast anyway. I usually try to harvest off every batch.


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## StalkingWilbur (3/6/14)

That sounds like my kind of lager! 

I love the fruity, hop forward lagers and pilsners. To Ol do a couple of fantastic examples. 

Let us know how it goes, will have to give it a crack at some point.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (3/6/14)

No worries with Citra in a lager I would think, but not NS - they don't always play well together (though I've got them too) - both tend to like the limelight and are a bit competitive when put together.

I did a Saison last year with Galaxy and it pretty much got scrubbed as far as much fruit went.

I remember a SMASH I did years ago with Citra (late hopped) and pilsener malt - it was very refreshing in a passion pop kinda way. I learned that you still need an adequate bittering addition on these beers.


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## slcmorro (3/6/14)

Can't wait to get this oe on the boil then by the sounds of things above


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## drifting79 (4/6/14)

What is ns?
I have used citra a few times but not in a lager I was using hop plugs and dry hopped with them 
It leaves a nice floral citrus flavour


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (4/6/14)

cooperville said:


> What is ns?


Nelson Sauvin - another very dominant hop of NZ origin, which tends to polarise people.

I love it and have brewed Citra and NS together, and it's a well regarded recipe, though I reckon the Sans-Nelson version shades it.


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## pat86 (5/6/14)

menoetes said:


> I tried about 50g of galaxy in my first pilsner hoping to 'fruit it up" a bit too. It was three weeks in the fermenter with Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager) and 4 weeks cold crashing. I cracked the first bottle 2 weeks ago and to be honest, I don't get a lot of the hops in the taste. I did 20g @ 10min, 20g @ 0min and 10g dry hopped, so I don't know how I lost so much of the hop flavour.
> 
> Maybe it was my yeast, maybe the long cold crashing (lagering) period which is supposed to 'clean up & crisp up' the appearance and taste of the lager. I don't know but I'm not getting much of the galaxy passionfruit taste in my lager at all.
> 
> You might consider up-ing your cube addition for more flavour depending on how punchy you want it.



What was your expected IBU? Doesn't seem like enough hops given your late schedule.




Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> No worries with Citra in a lager I would think, but not NS - they don't always play well together (though I've got them too) - both tend to like the limelight and are a bit competitive when put together.
> 
> I did a Saison last year with Galaxy and it pretty much got scrubbed as far as much fruit went.
> 
> I remember a SMASH I did years ago with Citra (late hopped) and pilsener malt - it was very refreshing in a passion pop kinda way. I learned that you still need an adequate bittering addition on these beers.


I made a citra Amarillo PA and I did think passion pop and fruit juice, although it should be close to 60 IBU so it is more the aroma and there is still the bitterness there which I think was a bit much for some others


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## Tahoose (6/6/14)

Citra is awesome, haven't had a citra lager before. But cricketers arms lager is an Amarillo lager, it doesn't taste of much but it's a plesent bitterness.

I'd disagree that Nelson Sauvin an citra don't go we'll together. I have an ale which is 100 JW trad ale, ns and citra for about 30 ibu and it's fantastic.


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## menoetes (6/6/14)

pat86 said:


> What was your expected IBU? Doesn't seem like enough hops given your late schedule.


I can't remember the goal as far as IBUs are concerned, it was a T. Coopers Pilsner kit so I had to hop late and I didn't want to go crazy hopping with something as high in AA as Galaxy. However, I've made several ales with the same amount of galaxy and they were bursting with the fruity flavor. I guess I just didn't take the process of making a lager and the effect it would have on the hops into account.

It was my first lager....


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## slcmorro (9/6/14)

So I ended up going with 10gm Mag @ 60 and stupidly decided against no-chilling (had a Wyeast 2001 starter ready) at the last minute. Turns out I almost forgot the Citra completely, which was already sitting in the cube waiting! Frantically while chilling, I drew off 2L of wort and added the 25gm to that on the stove for about 10 mins.

I also over-estimate my boil-off rates hugely with my new rig... ended up with 25L of 1040 wort giving me 3.9% instead of my intended 4.6%. Not that the ABV really worries me, it's just nice to hit your intended targets. I'll have a few to bottle and give away now too  

Keen to let this one sit until summer and then get stuck in. Should hopefully be a nice, easy drinking lower-ish alc beer.


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