Citra
Citra is, by many measures, the most important hop of the modern era. Released in 2008, it more than any other variety defined the flavor of the contemporary American IPA and remains the backbone of countless hazy and West Coast recipes.
#Variety Statistics
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Alpha acid | ~11–15% |
| Origin | USA (Yakima, Washington) |
| Year released | 2008 |
| Breeding | Hop Breeding Company; complex parentage incl. Hallertau Mittelfrüh, US Tettnang, Brewers Gold, East Kent Golding |
| Key oils | Myrcene-dominant; notable linalool and geraniol; thiol-rich |
| Flavor descriptors | Grapefruit, lime, passionfruit, lychee, gooseberry, mango |
| Typical styles | American IPA, West Coast IPA, New England IPA, Double IPA, Session IPA |
#Character
Citra delivers an unmistakable burst of citrus and tropical fruit — grapefruit and lime up front, passionfruit and lychee behind. It is a dual-purpose hop: high enough in alpha acid to bitter cleanly, but valued overwhelmingly for late and dry-hop aroma. Its high content of bound thiol precursors makes it a star performer under Biotransformation and thiol-driven fermentation.
A single-hop Citra IPA is a rite of passage for hazy brewers. Paired with Mosaic it forms the most common dry-hop duo in modern brewing — a combination so prevalent it is sometimes joked to be a "default" hazy recipe.
#Use in IPA
Citra is most often deployed in the whirlpool and dry hop, where its oils survive intact. It is available as standard pellets and as concentrated Cryo, the latter especially popular for haze-clean aroma intensity.
Citra is a proprietary, contracted variety — it cannot simply be ordered in bulk. Its popularity means availability is tight and pricing high, a recurring theme in Hop Contracts and the Hop Supply Chain.
#Continue Reading
- Mosaic — Citra's most common partner
- Hop Variety Index — Citra in the full catalog
- Thiols and Hop Burst — why Citra punches so hard
- New England IPA — the style Citra helped define