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Geist Brewing’s Kamacitra IPA is one of Bangalore’s most celebrated craft IPAs, a Citra-forward beer that showcases how Indian craft breweries have embraced New World hops. As a brewer who has followed the Indian craft beer scene closely and tasted Kamacitra extensively, I’ve developed this clone to capture the bold citrus character and clean dry finish that makes this beer distinctive in the Indian market.
Geist Kamacitra IPA clone recipe (5 gallon / 19L batch)
Target stats: OG 1.062, FG 1.012, ABV ~6.5%, IBU 60–65, SRM 5–7, brilliantly clear golden. Grain bill: 11 lbs (4.99 kg) American two-row pale malt, straightforward clean base. Kamacitra is not a malt-forward beer; the grain bill is a neutral platform for the hop character. 0.75 lb (340g) Crystal 15L, very light caramel, provides the slightest sweetness to balance Citra’s intense citrus without adding color. 0.25 lb (113g) Carapils/Dextrine, head retention, slight body addition. Hops, all Citra, all the time: This is a single-hop beer built entirely around Citra. The “Kama” in the name (desire in Sanskrit) and the “Citra” create the beer’s name and concept. Bittering: 1.0 oz Citra (60 min), 40–42 IBU. Flavor: 0.75 oz Citra (15 min). 0.5 oz Citra (5 min). Whirlpool at 79°C (174°F) for 20 minutes: 1.0 oz Citra. Dry hop (7 days): 1.5 oz Citra. Total Citra: approximately 4.75 oz. The high Citra loading is essential, Citra’s characteristic grapefruit, lime, lychee, and mango compounds need sufficient dosing to produce the intense citrus aroma that defines Kamacitra. Use the most recently harvested Citra available; Citra degrades faster than most hop varieties due to its very high myrcene content. Yeast: Fermentis US-05 or White Labs WLP001 California Ale, ultra-clean fermentation is critical in a single-hop showcase beer. Any ester from yeast will compete with Citra’s character. Ferment at 17–18°C (63–64°F), lower than typical ale fermentation to minimize ester production further. Water: High-sulfate, low-chloride profile, calcium 130 ppm, sulfate 200 ppm, chloride 60 ppm. High sulfate drives bitterness crispness and enhances Citra’s dry citrus quality. Process: Single infusion mash at 64°C (147°F) for 60 minutes, very low temperature for maximum fermentability and extremely dry finish. 60-minute boil. Whirlpool additions at 79°C (174°F) after flameout. Cool to 17°C (63°F), pitch. Primary fermentation 10–12 days. Add dry hops when gravity reaches terminal, ideally at 2°C (35°F) after cold crashing for 24 hours, then warm to 17°C (63°F) for the dry hop period (biotransformation dry hopping). Cold crash 48 hours. Package at 2.4 volumes CO2. Consume within 6 weeks for peak Citra aroma.
Common Questions
Why does Citra produce such intense citrus flavor compared to other hops?
Citra’s intense citrus and tropical character comes from its unusually high concentration of monoterpene aroma compounds, particularly myrcene (producing that fresh, slightly resinous citrus quality), geraniol (rose, citrus), and linalool (floral, orange). Citra also contains higher levels of specific thiols (thiol precursors that yeast convert to aromatic compounds during fermentation) than most other hop varieties, this biotransformation process during active fermentation generates additional tropical fruit compounds (passion fruit, guava) that amplify the hop’s inherent citrus character. Citra was developed by the Hop Breeding Company (a joint venture of Yakima Chief Ranches and John I. Haas Inc.) and released in 2007, its parentage includes Hallertau Mittelfrueh, US Tettnang, East Kent Goldings, Bavarian, and Brewers Gold, but the specific terpene profile that emerged from the cross was unexpected and has not been exactly replicated in subsequent bred varieties despite many attempts. This is why single-hop Citra beers like Kamacitra work so effectively, the variety has enough aromatic complexity on its own to sustain an entire beer’s hop character without needing complementary varieties to fill gaps. For homebrewing this clone: the dry hop temperature matters significantly for Citra. Cold dry hopping (below 5°C / 41°F) extracts more citrus/linalool; warm dry hopping (at fermentation temperature) encourages biotransformation and more tropical/thiol character. Most of Kamacitra’s profile suggests warm dry hopping, the tropical fruit notes are more characteristic of biotransformation than cold extraction.
