Brew Date: July 3, 2017
Bottled: July 19, 2017
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 35
I’ve brewed two iterations of this recipe previously (the first being simply called “Citra”) and both have worked out extremely well. It is a simple and light hoppy beer where Citra plays a central role. No darker malts are used, instead relying on the rich character of Maris Otter, and a little wheat is used to accentuate the hop flavour. I consider this a “blonde ale” based on the low bitterness though it is more in-line with an IPA in most regards.
The last batch’s dry hop was split between Citra and Galaxy, while the boil was 100% Citra. This iteration employs Motueka instead with a 75/25 split on whirlpool and dry hop additions. Future batches will see some further experimentation on the secondary hop but this beer is built around Citra.
Batch size: 5.75 gallons
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.008
Boil Length: 60 minutes
Mash Profile: 155F for 60 minutes, mash out at 170F for 10 minutes
Brewed on Grainfather system
Grist:
90% Maris Otter (9.0 lbs)
8% Wheat malt (0.8 lbs)
2% Acidulated malt (0.2 lbs)
Hopping:
25 AAU of Citra at 60 minutes (0.5 oz)
10 AAU of Citra at 10 minutes (0.75 oz)
3 oz Citra – whirlpool
1 oz Motueka – whirlpool
1 oz Citra – dry hop at high krausen
3 oz Citra – dry hop final 5 days
1 oz Motueka – dry hop final 5 days
Additional:
2.5 g Calcium chloride added to mash water
Fermentation:
Safale US-05 dry yeast, re-hydrated
Brew Day Notes:
Pretty trouble-free brew day. Top screen dropped during mash which let a bit more grain material into the boil than usual (not husks, though). Added 2/3’s of minerals to mash water, remainder in sparge water. Mashed with 4.2 gal, sparged with 3.6 gal of 170F water. Used remainder of 2015 Citra on boil additions and used inherited 2016 Citra and Motueka on whirlpool. Recirc’d to 195F then whirlpooled with the chill water off for a few mins. Then began chilling while continuing whirlpool. Started transfer after 15 min of whirlpool. Transfer took about 15 min, collected 5.25 gal of 1.048 wort. Aerated with 15-20 sec of pure O2. Pitched US-05 direct onto wort, no re-hydrating. Pitch temp 68F, put into wine cooler set at 61F ambient.
Tasting Notes:
[July 19, 2017] Bottling day sample. Nice orange-juice like hop flavour with pretty minimal bitterness. Seems on-track.