3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

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3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by seymour » Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:49 pm

At the risk of shameless self-promotion, here are three of my better recipes containing Citra hops. I get asked about them quite often, and they've come up in several related threads lately, so this thread is to provide an easy link for future reference.

#1
SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD (2013)
6 US gallons = 5 Imperial Gallons = 22.7 Litres

Image

A light, crisp, refreshing, citrusy and hoppy golden ale. Originally formulated for Uncle Joshua as a user-upper recipe, but has since been brewed by dozens of members here and on other forums truly worldwide. An easy-drinking crowd pleaser if there ever was one.

GRAINBILL:
97% = 8.54 lb = 3.87 kg, Pale Malt of your choice, preferrably UK
3% = .26 lb = 118 g, Oats (from your kitchen: porridge, flaked, rolled, quick, pinhead, steel-cut, Scotch, etc)

MASH at 150°F/65.6°C for 90 minutes

BOIL 60 minutes, adding a pinch of gypsum, add a little orange or clementine peel at 5 min remaining, if you got it.

HOPS:
.4 oz = 11 g, Magnum, 60 minutes
.65 oz = 18 g, Citra, 15 minutes
.65 oz = 18 g, Citra, dry hops added to secondary fermentation

YEAST:
"Chico"/American Ale/US05/Wyeast 1056/WLP001: ferment warm around 70°F/21°C, don't filter nor use any clarifying agents, some chalky haze is nice.

APPROXIMATE STATS:
OG: 1043
FG: 1011
ABV: 4.1%
IBU: 30
COLOUR: 4°SRM/8°EBC


#2
SEYMOUR CITRA DARK (2014)
6 US Gallons = 5 Imperial Gallons = 22.7 Litres

Image

For awhile now, I've been brainstorming how to build upon the success of SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD. After some trial-and-error, I think I've nailed it. It's bigger, browner, breadier, bad-ass-ier and admitedly expensive-er to brew. Categorize it however you want: American Brown Ale, Black IPA, modernized India Porter, Dry-Hopped Demon Juice… whatev's, I don't care. I think you'll agree it's a cool fusion of new and old, English and American, strong and sessionable, complex and easy-suppin'.

Place your orders early. If this CITRA DARK recipe proves half as popular as CITRA GOLD, there's gonna be a run on Citra hops at your local homebrew supplier. My apologies to the porridge oats industry: I still think you're lovely…it's not you, it's me.

GRAINBILL:
75% = 9.3 lbs = 4.22 kg, UK PALE MALT (e.g. Maris Otter or Golden Promise, the freshest possible)
12% = 1.49 lb = 676 g, TORRIFIED WHEAT (NOT wheat malt)
5% = .62 lb = 281 g, RYE MALT
2% = .25 lb = 113 g, UK DARK CRYSTAL MALT
1.5% = .19 lb = 86 g, UK PALE CHOCOLATE MALT (NOT US Chocolate Malt)
4.5% = .56 lb = 254 g, UK BLACK PATENT MALT (this is essential, DO NOT substitute Carafa, De-bittered Black, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, etc.)

MASH @ 148°F/64°C for 60 min. Optional: stir-in a pinch of Calcium carbonate (chalk, to simulate limestone well-water, it also balances acidity from the dark malts.)

VORLAUF and SPARGE slowly to collect 7.5 US Gal/6.2 Imperial Gal/28.4 L pre-boil.

BOIL hard, uncovered for 60 min. Optional: add a pinch of gypsum to make the hops pop.

HOPBILL:
1.5 oz = 43 g, UK CHALLENGER, First Wort Hops (add to empty kettle, then sparge wort onto them. These also serve as your bittering hop.)
1 oz = 28 g, UK PROGRESS, 15 minutes remaining
1 oz = 28 g, UK PROGRESS, at flame-out (steep until chilled)
6 oz = 170 g, CITRA, dry-hops added to fully-fermented beer, steep 1-2 weeks before bottling/kegging. Yes, you read that correctly.

RACK to fermentor, then AERATE (a Ditch-style drill-powered paint-stirrer works great,) then PITCH yeast starter.

YEAST: Brewer's Choice.
Ideally, ferment with an historic top-cropped English ale yeast for a complex combo of fruity/spicy/woodsy traits. Some of my favourites are the Ringwood Brewery Dual-Strain (NOT the same as problematic single-strain Wyeast Ringwood 1187) or Adnams Brewery Dual-Strain (one of which is Wyeast 1335/White Labs WLP025, another good option) but I know those can be tough to score. Your favourite bold & high-attenuating UK ale yeast will work fine. Hell, invent your own dual-strain yeast. McEwans Scottish strain (Wyeast 1728/White Labs WLP028) or Fullers strain (Wyeast 1968/White Labs WLP002) would be great. Use Whitbread-B/S-04 or Nottingham if you must. But I don't wanna hear about any of you using "Chico"/Sierra Nevada/American Ale/Wyeast 1056/WLP001/US-05 on this beast.

FERMENT @ 69°F/20.5°C, allowing plenty of time for full attenuation. I'm serious guys, wait to get amongst it (don't tell Ditch!) I need you to hold your horses on this one, so the yeast can chomp through everything and all that roasted malt can mellow. Think weeks, not days. Once you're sure it's done, wait some more, then add your dry hops and wait some more. Trust me, you'll see.

APPROXIMATE STATS:
OG: 1057
FG: ≤1013
ABV: ≥5.7%
IBU: 45 (this beer has EXTREME hoppy flavours and aromas, but isn't extremely bitter.)
COLOUR: very dark reddish brown with creamy beige foam, everlasting with lace.
#3
SEYMOUR EL REY A.P.A. (2014)
5 US gallons = 4.2 Imperial gallons = 19 Liters

Image

My arrogantly named American Pale Ale brewed for the Alpha Brewing Co. Pale Ale contest, October 2014. Pride goeth before the fall, it only won 2nd place. This is a great hop combo no matter how you construct your grainbill.

GRAINBILL
80.5% = 7.5 lbs = 3400 g, Pale Malt
7.5% = .7 lb = 318 g, Wheat Malt
5% = .47 lb = 213 g, Crystal Malt
3.5% = .33 lb = 150 g, UK CaraMalt (substitute Munich if you must)
3.5% = .33 lb = 150 g, CaraPils/Dextrine Malt

MASH at 148°F/64°C for 60 min

HOPS for 60 min boil
.5 oz = 14 g, El Dorado, First Wort Hops
.5 oz = 14 g, El Dorado, 15 min
.5 oz = 14 g, Hallertau, 15 min
3 oz = 85 g, Citra, dry-hopped post-fermentation for 1 week

YEAST
American Ale yeast, fermented at 64°F/18°C. Yes, you caught me using Chico again. Shhhh! That's because it's Alpha's "house yeast".

STATS
OG: 1053
FG: 1011
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 36
Colour: light golden amber

faeyd

Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by faeyd » Tue Nov 25, 2014 2:34 pm

These look great Seymour. I am a Citra addict and use it in anything pale from 4% to 12% so the dark one intrigues me. May be adding that one to my list :)

Jeff

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Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by timbo41 » Tue Nov 25, 2014 5:47 pm

Feelfree to self promote if you're going to keep sending these gems
Just like trying new ideas!

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Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by seymour » Tue Nov 25, 2014 6:00 pm

timbo41 wrote:Feel free to self promote if you're going to keep sending these gems
Heh heh, cheers mate. Promoted you too on my Seymour Archer Rye Brown Ale thread, thanks again for those hops! It's aging in an oak whiskey barrel at the mo, but the beer engine and I are feeling impatient.

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Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by seymour » Tue Nov 25, 2014 6:19 pm

faeyd wrote:These look great Seymour. I am a Citra addict and use it in anything pale from 4% to 12% so the dark one intrigues me...
Thanks, faeyd. Yeah, I think Citra goes great in dark ales too. I rated three Store-bought Citra hopped beers in the Commercial Beers forum too: Boulevard Dark Truth Stout
Firestone Walker Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA
Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye

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Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by steambrew » Wed Nov 26, 2014 2:36 pm

Looks great Seymour must try all in the near future =D>

djbadger

Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by djbadger » Wed Nov 26, 2014 3:42 pm

I'm drinking the dark one at the moment. Its getting better all the time (was good from the off) and is almost universally popular.

DaveGillespie

Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by DaveGillespie » Tue May 12, 2015 11:47 am

Seymour, should the oats be cereal mashed separately for Citra Gold or just chucked in the main mash along with the rest of the grist?

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Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by seymour » Tue May 12, 2015 12:54 pm

DaveGillespie wrote:Seymour, should the oats be cereal mashed separately for Citra Gold or just chucked in the main mash along with the rest of the grist?
Just chucked in. The gelatinization & conversion temps of oats overlap with barley enough to convert just fine in a regular mash. It's corn and rice which require a separate cereal mash step.

DaveGillespie

Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by DaveGillespie » Tue May 12, 2015 2:12 pm

I'd been advised they needed a cereal mash to get the head retention benefits - I did this on a brew over the weekend with an identical grain bill to this. I'll chuck them straight in the main mash when I'm making Citra gold and see what the difference is.

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Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by seymour » Wed May 13, 2015 9:01 pm

DaveGillespie wrote:I'd been advised they needed a cereal mash to get the head retention benefits...
I saw another thread claiming that too. It's total baloney. I'm telling you from immense experience, oats (any oats) contribute creamy/silky mouthfeel, improved head retention and lace no matter what. No matter what. So don't make your brewday any harder on yourself than necessary. You'll see, I guarantee.

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Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by Jocky » Thu May 14, 2015 2:25 pm

I've done Seymour's Citra Gold a few times and have tweaked it for my own tastes as a relatively low gravity, but plenty of hops pale ale.

My main changes are that I've lowered the gravity, I mash low to dry it out, but I have upped the hops, and I use all Citra, instead of using some Magnum. The latter change is simply because I couldn't get Magnum the last time, and instead just used up the Citra I had.

OG: 1.039
FG: 1.008
ABV: 4%
IBU: 42 (Tinseth)

Mash:
95.5% Maris Otter
4.5% Oats
Mash quite low - 64C - for attenuation.

Boil:
60 min - 14g/17 IBU Citra
10 min - 56g/25 IBU Citra

Dry hop:
56g Citra 5 days

Yeast is your choice, but I've used US-05 as per the original.

Prime to 2.5 volumes.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

DaveGillespie

Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by DaveGillespie » Thu May 14, 2015 3:14 pm

How does the large amount of Citra work with the lower ABV? I'll be sticking with Magnum myself as I always keep a couple of packets on hand to use for my bittering. Citra, Galaxy etc. are too pricey to be chucking away like that.

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Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by Jocky » Thu May 14, 2015 7:20 pm

It works fine - I found the original recipe too sweet, perhaps because I was expecting more of a hop forward APA than a delicate Blond ale and added a bunch of dry hops, which masked the underlying ale.

Drying it out a little and upping the IBUs has made it into the beer that I wanted, that has the bitterness to back up the dry hopping.

I only used Citra for buttering so I could use a pack up and didn't have to source Magnum.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

Fuggley Duckling

Re: 3 Recipes: SEYMOUR CITRA GOLD, CITRA DARK, EL REY APA

Post by Fuggley Duckling » Thu May 14, 2015 8:06 pm

I brewed a tweaked version of the Citra Gold a few months back. I used all citra to 35 IBU - 15g @ 60min/35g @ 15min/30g dry hop, 95% gladfield ale malt/5% naked golden oats, and white labs burton ale yeast. Turned out great :)

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