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Citra Double IPA Homebrew Recipe
We brewed this Citra hopped double IPA with our 10 gallon 240 volt system. We used 18.2 pounds (8kg 255.4g) of grain for this beer, which showed once again that a 10.5 gallon (39.7 liter) kettle is versatile enough to brew beers on the larger end of the ABV spectrum. We used a good amount of Citra hops- so if you're a fan of that variety, and you like bigger beers, this one is for you. Our brew day video is below, but keep scrolling for full recipe details and step by step instructions.
Water
We filled the kettle with 8.5 gallons (32.2 liters) of Asheville, NC city water. Once the water was heated to 150 Fahrenheit (65.6C) we removed 2 gallons (7.6 liters) of water into a smaller pot leaving 6.5 gallons (24.6 liters) left in the kettle.
Removing water to sparge with later
We removed the 2 gallons (7.6 liters) of water in order to fit all of the grains and the water into the kettle. The reserved 2 gallons (7.6 liters) of water will be used after the mash as sparge water.
Grains (18.2 pounds) / (8.3 kilograms)
Here's the detailed grain bill for this recipe.
Pale Malt (2 Row) - 15 lbs (6.8 kg)
Cara-Pils/Dextrine - 12.8 oz (362.9 g)
Caramel/Crystal Malt 10L - 12.8 oz (362.9 g)
Munich Malt - 12.8 oz (362.9 g)
Honey Malt - 6.4 oz (181.4 g)
White Wheat Malt - 6.4 oz (181.4 g)
Mash
We mashed at 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65.6C) for 60 minutes.
Mashing in
Stirring the mash - do this to break up any clumps
We heated the reserved two gallons of water to 170 degrees Fahrenheit (76.7C) and used that to sparge over the grains.
Sparging through the spent grain at the end of the mash
Hops
We used the following hops at the amounts and times listed.
- Nugget: 0.8 oz (22.68g) at 60 minutes
- Citra: 0.8 oz (22.68g) at 30 minutes
- Citra: 0.8 oz (22.68g) at 15 minutes
- Whirlfloc Tablet at 15 minutes
- Citra: 0.8 oz (22.68g) at 10 minutes
- Citra: 0.8 oz (22.68g) at 05 minutes
Our 30-minute hop addition, all the others looked about the same
Yeast and Fermentation
This beer came to life with White Labs WLP051 (California Ale Yeast). We fermented at 68F (20C) for 7 days and then let the beer come up to room temp (70F / 21.1C) and then sit for another 3 days.
Dry Hops
We used 2 ounces (56.7g) of Amarillo hops for the dry hop addition. (feel free to use Citra)
We added the two ounces (56.7g) of Amarillo hops to a mesh bag and then added the hop bag directly to the keg. We used a mesh bag to make removing the hops easy. We added the hops Friday afternoon and removed them the following Monday afternoon.
Tasting
This is an IPA with complex malt flavors that are well matched by tropical and fruity aromas and flavors from the additions of Citra and Amarillo hops. Once this beer was fully carbonated it had great head retention and clarity.
Emmet said it's, "Not boozy, definitely balanced, and definitely has a good amount of bitterness to handle the alcohol content in it."
Is This Really A Double IPA?
We were expecting this to finish at 1.012 but it ended up finishing at 1.014. Had this beer finished at the expected 1.012 it would have been a true double IPA. This IPA finished at 7.35% instead of the expected 7.61%. In order to brew this as a true double IPA you could increase the starting gravity above 1.070 or try and get fermentation to finish below 1.014. At the end of the day the beer tasted great and I still called it a double IPA.
Original Gravity: 1.070
Final Gravity: 1.014
ABV: 7.35%
BJCP 22A. Double IPA Vital Statistics
OG: 1.065 - 1.085
FG: 1.008 - 1.018
ABV: 7.5% - 10%
Any Acid Addition?
Is there a PH target?
I am struggling with brewing software and acid additions
Hi,
Would you see any benefits to do a second fermentation in carboy for this beer?
Thanks for the recipe!
as to a 10 or 5 gallon batch – they’re using a 10.5 gallon kettle so it must be a 5 gallon batch.
Hi there, How many sachets of yeast did you use?
what size mash tun are you using? I have a 15 gallon HLT and BK electric system but only 10 gallon mash tun. ( big orange cooler with false bottom and recirculation through a herms in the HLT). I have issues with more that 15 pounds of grain.
I will be brewing this for the cool weather this winter.
To answer previous questions, starting with 8.5 gallons of water, Grains and hops soak up wort and boiling for 60 minutes loses water…obviously about 5 gallon brew
(Sorry about the caps.) The form seems to be doing that. If they only started with 8 gallons and didn’t add any water to replace the amount lost in boiling then they probably didn’t start with more than 6-7 gallons. Also the Amount of grain would not have yielded enough sugar to hit that OG if they ended the boil with 10 gallons. With the losses from yeast volume after fermentation they probably ended with around 5 gal finished product.
Thanks for this peek in how your 10.5 gallon system can brew some larger grain bills. This is what I have been doing on my 11 gallon kettle system. Possible Boil overs do require a watchful eye. I am afraid of the 20 gallon kettle for it will obviously be more bulky to clean, while as a home brewer I am dedicated to 5 gallon batches and probably should not be overly concerned about filling kegs to capacity. why the market can not pivot on the practical needs of home brewers, is a mystery to me, for usually money talks. I would prefer a kettle just a bit larger than 10 gallons. Most of my reading has been that B.I.A.B. 5 gallon batches should be accomplished on a 15 gallon kettle system, why not a 13 gallon kettle? How many people would trade up and buy another kettle?
same ? As guy above was this a 5 or 10 gallon recipe?
Great recipe, did this make 10 gallons or 5 of finished product?