American Pale Ale Summer Citra Cerveza

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jcc4507fly said:
Man, that is making me thirsty! Think I will rack to keg tomorrow and drop the Citra hops and start carbing! Must have this beer on tap again!!!
Side note, I just kicked my previous keg of this. What do yall think about skipping the cleaning and sani and racking right into the 'dirty' keg? Has anyone tried this b4? Pressed for time and it would be nice to not even pull the keg out of keezer and rack right into it. Thoughts?
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I've put 3 beers back to back in the same keg... I'm cleaning it this time.

So, yeah, go for it. Just take a big whiff to ensure nothing seems off.
 
jcc4507fly said:
Mine has come out of the fermenter cloudy both times. The first time it cleared up nicely by the time it carbonated. Time will tell for this batch. I do use whirlfloc tabs for last 15min of the boil, I keg, and I do not cold crash.
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I just got home today from a camping trip and the beer has been bottle conditioning for about 4 days now, I put one up to the light to see how it was looking and it looks like everything has settled out and is nice and clear...I was tempted to throw one in the fridge but I resisted.
 
My LHBS was out of flaked barley so I used 8 oz of Carapils instead. It adds a touch of sweetness. The OG was 1.046, Final gravity was 1.006 using Coopers dry yeast. Dry pitch, 68f room temp. Even with no temp control it's very clean with just a hint of fruitiness that compliments the hop aroma. Cold crashed clear.
My Summer Citra Cerveza ready for hot weather...
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Doing another 10gal tomorrow, gonna try it with the Carapils this time and upping the gravity just a little to get a little more pow pow to it (probably end up mowing the wrong yard) lol
 
I have a 5 gallon batch of this and it's been on gas for 3 days. I forgot to add some Irish moss at the end of the boil so it's very cloudy and it's so light in color it looks like lemonade. lol.

It's finally beginning to mellow out a bit but there's a ton of corn flavor that's coming though. I think if I brew this again I'm going to add a little more IBU's and perhaps a little more malt too. It's refreshing but it doesn't have a lot of taste to it atm besides the corn. I'm going to let it condition for a few more days before I really pass judgement on it.
 
Took a cooler full of my Summer Cerveza to a party. It was a hot muggy day in Michigan. They drank it as fast as I could pour. The BMC drinkers enjoyed it and so did the craft beer folks. Only complaint I heard was from an IPA addict...not full bodied and bitter enough. Yep, this ain't that beer! That's why it's called my Summer Citra Cerveza, a light refreshing Cream ale with a hoppy citrus nose. Now I need to brew another batch ASAP!

P.S. And for the record I love a good IPA...Darkhorse Crooked Tree is so good!
 
I got mine brewed this weekend, a buddy of mine came over and wanted to learn a little bit about the process. I usually don't drink while I'm brewing until I get to the boil, but I made an exception and my mash efficiency suffered coming in at just under 60% (worst ever) but all went well and had a blast over all
 
bigdaddybrew said:
Took a cooler full of my Summer Cerveza to a party. It was a hot muggy day in Michigan. They drank it as fast as I could pour. The BMC drinkers enjoyed it and so did the craft beer folks. Only complaint I heard was from an IPA addict...not full bodied and bitter enough. Yep, this ain't that beer! That's why it's called my Summer Citra Cerveza, a light refreshing Cream ale with a hoppy citrus nose. Now I need to brew another batch ASAP!

P.S. And for the record I love a good IPA...Darkhorse Crooked Tree is so good!
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HAHA, I feel your pain...my buddy and I have been going through these fast! I might have to do a larger batch next time...2 gallons is definitely not enough! So far, the only thing I would like to improve for next time is the head retention, I am not sure if it was from something I did during the brew process but the head goes away very fast and I would like for it to stick around...it's so white and fluffy!
 
Here's mine. Definitely the lightest beer I've ever brewed. It's mellowed out a lot and is getting better by the day. I'm on day 4 on gas and it's becoming pretty nice to sip on in this 90+ degree humidity. I think it'll just get better from this point out. I'm going to up the ibu's next time. It's nice and dry but still has body. My batch came out about 5.5%. Thanks for the recipe!

View attachment 1434413676410.jpg
 
My most recent batch I used 8 oz of carapils instead of the flaked barley because my LHBS was out. It still finished dry at 1.006. The head retention was similar but it is clearer. Perhaps using carapils AND flaked barley to increase head retention?

This is definitely the lightest beer I brew for the summer. I have brewed this with as little as a pound of corn (more malt, less corn). It's not as light and refreshing, more of a pale ale but it does give you more body and head retention with less corn sweetness...not quite a summer cerveza but still quite good.

Let me know what you come up with.
 
OK, last update on this one. Reading the style guidelines for BJCP style 6A (cream ale/2008 edition) this beer hits the nail on the head style wise. The only thing my batch is lacking is clarity. Probably because I forgot to add Irish moss but it's getting a tad clearer on its own in the keg over time.

I tipped a few of these last night with my dinner and it was a great experience!
 
bobeer said:
OK, last update on this one. Reading the style guidelines for BJCP style 6A (cream ale/2008 edition) this beer hits the nail on the head style wise. The only thing my batch is lacking is clarity. Probably because I forgot to add Irish moss but it's getting a tad clearer on its own in the keg over time.

I tipped a few of these last night with my dinner and it was a great experience!
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Flaked barley can cause some haze.

I'd sub out carapils for it if it were me.
 
bobeer said:
Reading the style guidelines for BJCP style 6A (cream ale/2008 edition) this beer hits the nail on the head style wise. The only thing my batch is lacking is clarity. Probably because I forgot to add Irish moss but it's getting a tad clearer on its own in the keg over time. I tipped a few of these last night with my dinner and it was a great experience!
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A single addition of Cluster for IBU less than 20 would be even closer but I love the hoppy citrus aroma.

My most recent batch the LHBS was out of flaked barley so I used 8 oz of Carapils with good results. If you can't cold crash for clarity Carapils will have a similar head retention with better clarity but is not as dry and crisp.
 
bigdaddybrew said:
A single addition of Cluster for IBU less than 20 would be even closer but I love the hoppy citrus aroma.

My most recent batch the LHBS was out of flaked barley so I used 8 oz of Carapils with good results. If you can't cold crash for clarity Carapils will have a similar head retention with better clarity but is not as dry and crisp.
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I get no hoppy aroma in mine. All i smell is malt and corn. There is a tad, and I do mean just a tad, of hop flavor in the aftertaste. Great head retention too. I think if I used carapils next time in place of flaked barley I'll do a lower mash. Maybe 148 so it maintains it's dry and crispy appeal.

I love hoppy beers so it's hard for me to not say, More hops! Dry hop! Bigger/Longer hopstand! haha. Then again maybe the grist would make for an interesting IPA?
 
bobeer said:
I get no hoppy aroma in mine. All i smell is malt and corn. There is a tad, and I do mean just a tad, of hop flavor in the aftertaste. Great head retention too. I think if I used carapils next time in place of flaked barley I'll do a lower mash. Maybe 148 so it maintains it's dry and crispy appeal.

I love hoppy beers so it's hard for me to not say, More hops! Dry hop! Bigger/Longer hopstand! haha. Then again maybe the grist would make for an interesting IPA?
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I have dry hopped with an additional ounce of Citra with good results. Some of my IPA addicted friends have lost their sensitivity to bitterness and subtle hop aroma so they usually complain this beer lacks body, bitterness and hop aroma. But my BMC friends sometimes complain it's too hoppy...sissies!
 
bobeer said:
I love hoppy beers so it's hard for me to not say, More hops! Dry hop! Bigger/Longer hopstand! haha. Then again maybe the grist would make for an interesting IPA?
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Try it...IPCA India Pale Cream Ale?
Pre-prohibition Cream Ales have more bittering. A beer this light can get overwhelmed by the perceived bitterness pretty quickly. This beer is considered "slighty hoppy" (slightly bitter) at 1.045 and an IBU of 24. I'm not sure it could stand up to typical IPA IBUs but the good thing is a little more hops goes a long way in a beer this small.
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My first round with this I hopped it hard and came out at 100 ibu. I love my hoppiness, but it needed backed off a bit. I did my second batch at 39 ibu, (still conditioning in the keg) on Monday my third batch was at 75 ibu, just over the maximum border. My next batch I am going for something in the 20's for ibu. I also backed the flaked Barley back to .75 so I don't have pillows of fluffy head for days. I love this beer, it's easy and cheap to make and it's fun to play with different hop varieties and ibu levels. A great summer time refresher for sure!!
 
MollyHatchet said:
My first round with this I hopped it hard and came out at 100 ibu. I love my hoppiness, but it needed backed off a bit. I did my second batch at 39 ibu, (still conditioning in the keg) on Monday my third batch was at 75 ibu, just over the maximum border. My next batch I am going for something in the 20's for ibu. I also backed the flaked Barley back to .75 so I don't have pillows of fluffy head for days. I love this beer, it's easy and cheap to make and it's fun to play with different hop varieties and ibu levels. A great summer time refresher for sure!!
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MollyHatchets' IPCA! That's what makes Homebrewing awesome, rules are broken with awesome results!
 
Brewing this again tomorrow. My in-laws loved it so much the requested it for their visit. Only this time I am upping the batch size, splitting it, and half of it will have mango added to it after about a week in primary.
 
Brew day successful...minus a few mishaps, but nothing major worth noting. I ended up throwing 2 Oz. of Citra in at flameout vs. the 1.5 Oz. I had originally intended. I brewed a 3.25 gallon batch so, I guess we will see how it turns out..I am hoping for a stronger grapefruit aroma and taste this time.
 
I did my fourth batch this past Monday. This time I used an ounce of Willamette & Crystal at the 60 minute mark. If I remember correctly, this will get me around the 22 Ibu range. It will be an easy drinker something in the ball park of a Rolling Rock, or as my wife like to call it a good wing beer. I'll be back with pictures asap.
 
I just bottled my split batch, although I think I under-carbed the batch with the mango in it...I used the recommended amount for 1.5 gallons, and I think I actually had more like 1.75. Not the end of the world...but wish I would have used more sugar and done it right.
 
So, an update on the mango infused cerveza.

It's been in the bottle now about 10 days, I put one in the fridge for 2 days an poured myself a glass to see how it is progressing.

It looks great, the color is a very nice yellow/straw...pretty clear considering. Although, much like the previous batch, the head is lacking. I still haven't ruled out that this is just not enough carbonation.

The smell is very much mango. I think the combination of the late citra hops and the actual mango really shine through here.

The taste is almost shandy-like and very refreshing. I was hoping it would have been a little sweeter but overall, I am just glad it is drinkable..which it very much is.

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I have found the addition of fruit gives it a drier finish with the fruity aroma. The mango sounds like an excellant summer beer!
 
MollyHatchets

How did your Perle and Saaz hopped batch compare to the more citrusy hops?
 
Hordak said:
MollyHatchets



How did your Perle and Saaz hopped batch compare to the more citrusy hops?
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It was very stereo typical of what you'd expect from those hops. I thought the more citrusy flavored hops made it more of a thirst quencher. This recipe is a great platform to tinker with IBU levels and hop combinations the recipe is basic enough that the hops don't get to layered, or buried in the mix.
 
10 gallons of Summer Citra Cerveza on tap for our summer party. Light and refreshing with a bit citrus fruit aroma. I used carapils instead flaked barley and a packet of Coopers dry yeast. Fermented fast and dropped clear. I also had an IPA and Kentucky Common on tap but the Cerveza was the big hit...

IMAG0751-480x849.jpg
 
Summer Citra Cerveza Version 3.0
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Coopers dry yeast
Yeast Starter: None, I even dry pitch (I know rehydrate yada yada.)
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.007
IBU: 22
Color: 3 SRM
Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7 days at 62f then 7 days at 68f, then Cold crash 2 days at 40f.
Tasting Notes: Refreshing lawnmower beer with a citrus hoppy nose.

Ingredients:
5 lbs 2 Row
3 lbs Flaked Corn
1/2 lbs Carapils
Mash at 148f for 60 minutes

60 minute Boil
1oz Cascade pellets (5.5% alpha) 25 min of boil
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min of boil
1oz Centennial pellets (10% alpha) 5 min of boil
1oz of Citra pellets (12% alpha), chill wort to 170f then steep for 30 minutes

Carbonate to 2.5 volumes using your favorite calculator.
 
I love this recipe and have brewed it several times now. So far my best version so far has been a slight change in the grain/hop bill bringing the OG and IBU's up just a tad.

Summer Citra Cerveza Version 3.0
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Nottingham dry yeast
Yeast Starter: None
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.060
Final Gravity: 1.010
IBU: 27
Color: 4 SRM
Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7 days at 62f then 7 days at 68f.
Tasting Notes: Refreshing lawnmower beer with a citrus hoppy nose.

Ingredients:
6 lbs 14 Oz. - 2 Row
3 lbs 4 Oz. - Flaked Corn
10 Oz. - Flaked Barley
Mash at 150f for 60 minutes

60 minute Boil
1 Oz Cascade pellets (5.5% alpha) 25 min of boil
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min of boil
.75 Oz Centennial pellets (10% alpha) 5 min of boil
2 Oz of Citra pellets (12% alpha), chill wort to 170f then steep for 15 minutes

*Use Acid malt to bring pH to around 5.3
Carbonate to 2.5 volumes using your favorite calculator.


I will post a picture of a pint tonight.
 
As promised. I admit, the color and grain bill seem to turn it into more of a pale ale than a cerveza. Although, the lighting in my room is terrible and it is actually lighter than in the picture.

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Bigdaddybrew I made this last year with the op recipe, now I'm going to make version 3 recipe because I'm curious about your hop schedule. How would you compare the recipes and also how would this recipe be with Amarillo instead of citra? Thanks in advance for any input!! :mug:
 
I increased the amount of Cascade and put it at the 20 min "flavor" addition and increased the Centennial to make up for less Citra. Originally it was a 10 gallon recipe using 1 oz packets of Hops. I don't like to save 1/2 packages of hops. Amarillo sounds awsome!
 

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