Mash and Lauter

1. Heat strike water

Heat ~4.0 gallons (15 L) of strike water to about 165°F (74°C) to target a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C) when grain is added.

2. Mash in

Add crushed grains (pale malt, Vienna, carapils, light crystal, flaked wheat) into the mash tun and pour in strike water. Stir to eliminate dough balls. Target mash temperature: 152°F (67°C). Rest for 60 minutes.

3. Mash out

After 60 minutes, raise temperature to 168°F (76°C) for a 10-minute mash out to reduce viscosity and improve lautering.

4. Sparge

Sparge with ~2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water at 170°F (77°C) until you collect approximately 6.0 gallons (22.7 L) of wort in the kettle.

Boil, Hops, and Fruit Additions

5. Bring to boil

Bring the collected wort to a vigorous boil. Once boiling, start a 60-minute timer.

6. 60-minute additions

Add 2.0 oz Citra hops at 60 minutes for bittering. Also add 1 tsp Irish moss and 1 tsp yeast nutrient with 15 minutes left in the boil (add nutrient and Irish moss at 15 minutes).

7. 15-minute additions

With 15 minutes remaining in the boil, add the 2.0 oz Citra (second 2 oz addition) to contribute flavor and some aroma. Keep boil rolling for the remaining time.

8. Flameout / whirlpool - Guava and Citra

At flameout (end of 60-minute boil), turn off heat and cool to ~180°F (82°C). Add 24 oz guava puree and 2.0 oz Citra hops to the whirlpool. Perform a 20–30 minute whirlpool steep to extract aroma without harsh vegetal notes. Cover to minimize oxygen pickup.

9. Chill wort

Chill the wort quickly to yeast-pitching temperature (68–70°F / 20–21°C) using an immersion or plate chiller. Transfer to a sanitized fermenter, avoiding splashing.

Fermentation and Late Fruit / Dry Hop

10. Primary fermentation

Pitch a healthy yeast starter or the yeast package at 68°F (20°C). Allow fermentation to proceed at 66–68°F (19–20°C). Expect active fermentation for 3–7 days and a total primary of ~7–10 days until signs of fermentation slow.

11. Add bulk guava

After primary fermentation has slowed (about day 4–7), sanitize and add the remaining 48 oz guava puree directly to the fermenter. Gently rack wort on top of the puree or slowly add puree to avoid excessive oxygen. Option: warm the puree slightly and degas before adding to reduce foaming. Leave the beer on fruit for 4–7 days.

12. Dry hop

After fruit contact is complete and fermentation activity is minimal (about day 10–14), add 3.0 oz Citra hops for a 3–5 day dry hop to maximize hop aroma. Maintain fermentation temperature at 66–68°F (19–20°C).

Conditioning and Packaging

13. Cold crash and clarification

After dry hopping, cold crash the fermenter to ~35–40°F (2–4°C) for 24–48 hours to help drop out hops and fruit particulates. Rack beer to a secondary or bottling bucket, avoiding sediment.

14. Priming and packaging

If bottling, dissolve 4 oz corn sugar in 12 oz boiling water, cool and add to bottling bucket. Gently transfer beer to bottling bucket, mix gently, and fill and cap bottles. If kegging, carbonate to ~2.4–2.6 volumes CO2 and force carbonate or prime keg as preferred.

15. Conditioning time

Allow bottles to condition at 70°F (21°C) for 10–14 days then chill before sampling. If kegged, allow 3–7 days to condition/coalesce before serving.

16. Serving

Serve cold (45–50°F / 7–10°C) in a clean pint glass. Expect a hazy golden body, bright tropical guava character and pronounced Citra citrus/tropical hop aroma. Estimated final ABV ~5.5–6.0% (depending on mash efficiency and OG).

Cigar City Guayabera Citra Pale Ale Recipe

Recipe information

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Brew (All-Grain, 5.0 gal / 19 L batch)

Yeast and Finishing