Citra--A New Special Aroma Hop Variety

Citra (brand HBC 394) is a new special aroma hop variety with unique and highly favored flavor characteristics. Citra was developed and released by the Hop Breeding Company LLC (HBC) and is protected by a U.S. plant patent application (�Hop Plant Named �HBC 394��). As the name Citra suggests, its flavor descriptors include the citrus fruits grapefruit and lime. It has also been ascribed characteristics of gooseberry, passion fruit, lychee, and sauvignon blanc wine. Citra has an impressive pedigree that includes the well-established and -respected hop varieties Hallertauer Mittelfrueh, U.S. Tettnanger, Brewers Gold, and East Kent Golding. Citra is a truly unique aroma hop variety that has the added benefit of a high alpha-acids content of approx. 12%. To date, flavor testing of beer brewed with Citra, both at pilot and commercial scales, has resulted in an enthusiastic response from brewers and tasters, and the future of this new hop variety looks promising.