The best beers brewed with citra hops

One of the key ways to appreciate beer is to understand the individual ingredients. Think about it in food terms: the more herbs and spices you’ve tasted, the more likely you are to identify them in a dish and value the flavours they bring.

A great place to start is with understanding hops. The beers below are all brewed with citra – the world’s most popular aromatic hop variety. With its intense citrus, tropical and stone fruit flavours, citra has been so successful that it’s redefined the flavour of modern beer for many drinkers, who now, when they think of craft beer, think of citrussy hops.

Single-hopped beers (or beers where one hop is dominant in the recipe) give us the perfect chance to learn exactly what that hop is like, and how it can vary by beer style and brewery. Look out for other single-hop beers to start building up your hop flavour knowledge.

Did you know?

So much citra is grown in the US that if you picked all the hops grown in Britain, then multiplied that by four, you’d still have more US citra.

Five of the best beers brewed with citra hops

Salt Serge Citra IPA, England 4.5%
Taste the juicier side of citra in this Saltaire-brewed hazy IPA with tropical fruit, tangerine and a refreshing finish. Great with spatchcocked chicken. £2.60 for 440ml, available from Salt Beer Factory

Oakham Citra, England 4.6%
This Peterborough IPA was the first UK beer to use citra. It’s still a cracker, with aromas of grapefruit, lime, mango and papaya. Enjoy on its own to savour it. From £2.10 for 500ml, available from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco

Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5, England 0.5%
Citra takes the helm in this low-alcohol pale ale from Suffolk in which the hops give lemon, orange, elderflower and grapefruit aromas. Try with crunchy pakoras. From £1.50 for 500ml, available from Tesco, and £26.99 for 24x330ml, available from Adnams

Brew By Numbers 5 IPA, England 6.2%
Citra is joined by mosaic, the second most grown US hop, for a citrus double whammy in this beer, whose London brewery has moved to Yorkshire. A match for these harissa, feta and filo cigars. £3.50 for 440ml, available from Tesco

Arbor Ales C Bomb, England 4.7%
This mango-coloured hazy pale ale from Bristol has lush papaya, peach and orange on the nose, with a soft texture and crisp finish. Sip it with pork chops. £3.60 for 568ml, available from Arbor Ales

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