Love/Hate Relationship with Citra

I get the onion-ish from Psuedo Sue. Not sure why. Doesn't matter if its a week or a month+ old...

There have been other posts on this, so I know I'm not crazy... well... not completely

 

I had my first bomber of PSue about 1 week ago and it was super fresh. I really don't know what all the fuss is about with this beer and I won't be drinking it again. Reason: onion-like, chive-like flavor from Citra.

 

Citra seems like a hop people latch onto for its name and association with good beers. Just like any other ingredient I really think it depends on the brewer's skill more than the hype associated with the hop. A good brewer can negate the undesirable flavours while emphasizing the good traits.

As far as fading goes there was a really good thread about how beer oxidises that I can't seem to find now, but the jist was that canning and bottling lines used by smaller breweries allow more oxygen into the beer which makes the hops fade faster. That is why Sierra Nevada beers seemingly hold up so well. I wish I knew what kind of bottling line 3Floyds has.

 

The cat pee is something that is from a compound named 4MMP, a sulfur compound that can be pine or tropical fruit to some, and cat pee to others. I get cat pee at high levels, if I think a beer smells good to me, my wife take a sniff and says Cat Pee! She is sensitive to it.

Citra has 4MMP. Just because you don't smell it does not mean it is not there.

There is a class of compounds called Ribes that increase with age, then decrease. Ribes are termed catty, so the OP is probably experiencing that with his Citra beers.

 

What does cat piss taste like? I have a cat so I guess I could conduct a side by side taste test one day.

 

I did not see an emoticon so I am not sure if your post was in jest or not.

Flavor perception is dominated by smell. So, when an individual registers a flavor perception of something like cat piss it is based upon smelling cat piss before.

Cheers!

 

18 hours??!!! Man, you're living on the edge. 18 minutes is more like it.

 

A little bit of both lol.

I guess I just never smell cat piss in the litter box. I'll make her piss in a glass for me so I can smell it tonight.

 

Citra beers last about a day or two in my fridge... cuz I crush em down!

LOVVVVEEEEE Citra!!

 

Love citra. I think some people dont like citra because of some other hop additions in the beer. Tree House Eureka w/Citra is fantastic.

 

I like citrusy IPA's, but also like them to be balanced w/ a good malt base & have a nice biting finish to them. Too many citra IPA's taste like orange juice nowadays.

 

I loved the Flying Dog Single Hop Citra.

 

Citra is just a super bright and delicate hop, I never understand why brewers use it in conjunction with darker and more assertive malts, or other aggressive and bold hops. It really does well by itself or with one, maybe two other friendly varietals that aren't competing for airtime on a soft, very pale malt bill. That being said, because of how delicate it is, it does fall off quite fast, 2-3 weeks.

 

The whole cat piss thing is just astonishing to me. I can't understand people using cat piss to describe the aroma of a dank ipa as a good thing...FWIW I have never smelled cat piss in real life or what I would perceive it to smell like in an IPA nor do I ever hope to. Someone please explain/elaborate the draw of "cat piss" in an IPA

 

Explain the draw of "moldy cheese" aromas in some cannabis strains, or the draw of sweaty feet smell in cheese itself.

 

Funny just this weekend I picked up a 6 pack of a new beer from a local brewery - Velveteen Habit from Ale Asylum - and it had that distinct cat pee aroma to it. It's a citra hoped IPA along the lines of Fantasy Factory from Karben4. You would think that drinking something that smells like cat pee would not be a favorable experience (I have 3 cats and have to clean 3 litter boxes ) but it was damn good.

 

Citra is on my no-no list. While I remember liking zombie dust when I tried it once years ago at a beer fest, every beer ive had marketed as a single hop citra beer or heavyily citra influenced has not been one that I've liked...including my all citra homebrew recipe (I loved the identical all centennial and cascade versions)

While I wouldnt go as far as to use the words 'cat piss' its not enjoyable.

 

Are there any beers that taste like dog piss? I've yet to hear that aroma describe a beer. Is cat piss and dog piss that much different?

 

These are things I don't understand as well, guess I just don't like bad smelling stuff

 

I believe that the original Gubna was all Summit hops - many folks perceived an onion/garlic flavor and others didn't. My experience brewing with Citra is similar to some others in this thread, it's a very delicate hop which can be wonderful when fresh but the bright flavor falls off rather quickly.