MY ACCOUNT
CONTACT
BLOG
A PROJECT ?
Registered as a trademark by the Hop Breeding Company (HBC 394), Citra® hops have, in just a few years, become the global benchmark of the craft brewing landscape.
For a professional brewery, offering recipes focused on IPA, NEIPA, Session IPA or Pale Ale styles almost inevitably means integrating this flagship variety into its permanent range (“Core Range”).
Renowned for its explosive aromatic power and batch‑to‑batch consistency, Citra® is both a major sales driver and a formidable technical tool.
To secure your supply, explore our full selection of professional Citra® hops for breweries.
1. Physicochemical profile and organoleptic signature
Citra® dominates brewhouses worldwide thanks to its exceptional analytical composition, in particular a very high concentration of volatile essential oils (often between 2.2 and 2.8 mL/100 g):
- Myrcene (50% to 65% of the oils): Responsible for the very pronounced notes of fresh citrus (pink grapefruit, orange zest) and pine resin.
- Linalool and Geraniol: Two key compounds involved in biotransformation during primary fermentation, bringing those characteristic aromas of passion fruit, mango and lychee.
- Alpha acids (11% to 15%): Although mainly used for its aromatic properties, Citra® has a high alpha acid content with a low cohumulone level (22–24%), ensuring a very smooth, refined bitterness with no harshness (“smooth bitterness”).
2. Brewhouse versatility: How to optimise Citra®?
Citra® is one of the rare hops capable of carrying a beer on its own (Single Hop) while pairing beautifully with other complementary varieties (Mosaic, Simcoe, Galaxy, Motueka). Its technical versatility is expressed at every stage of production:
| Addition stage | Target sensory outcome | Pro technical recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool / Hop Stand | Ripe citrus profile, grapefruit and highly integrated noble bitterness. | Add below 80°C–85°C to preserve myrcene and avoid evaporation of volatile aromatic compounds. |
| Dry hopping (Fermentation) | Intense biotransformation: highly expressive notes of tropical fruits (mango, passion fruit). | Add at the end of primary fermentation (2 to 3 gravity points before final) to let the yeast rework the monoterpenes. |
| Dry hopping (Cold conditioning) | Punchy nose, burst of zest, “straight‑to‑glass” freshness. | Perform cold dry hopping (12°C to 15°C) for 48 to 72 hours max to avoid extracting astringent vegetal notes. |
3. Choosing the right Citra® format: Securing your range’s profitability
As a highly sought‑after premium variety, optimising how you use Citra® is essential to keeping your beer cost of goods under control:
- Citra® Pellet T90 (1 kg and 5 kg): The universal format. Favour 5 kg bags for your regular brews to benefit from the best price per kilo, and 1 kg bags to maintain absolute freshness for your limited releases.
- Citra® CRYO (1 kg): Essential for your Double IPAs or NEIPAs loaded at more than 10 g/L. Cryo Citra® halves vegetal matter input, eliminating the sponge effect at the bottom of the fermenter and gaining you precious hectolitres of finished beer.
- Citra® Spectrum (Liquid extracts): The zero‑loss solution for dry hopping. It is added directly into cold beer to deliver the exact aromatic signature of Citra® without creating a single gram of sediment.
Rolling Beers Pro Technical Team Insight
Think Cryo + T90 blend for a complete profile! To get the very best out of Citra® while maximising profitability, we recommend not relying solely on T90 pellets for heavy dry hopping. Combine 60% to 70% Citra® Cryo (for oil saturation and volume gain) with 30% to 40% Citra® T90 (to provide the polyphenols needed for mouthfeel structure and foam stability). This ratio guarantees a juicy, balanced beer and maximum optimisation of your margins!
Have a technical question about our hops or need a quote?