Shipping to 30+ countries

Shipping

Hoptimaal offers a wide variety of beers both in-store and online. If you can place an order, we usually have the product in stock (though mistakes can happen, unfortunately). Products that are in stock will be shipped the same day if ordered before 3:00 PM.

If we make an error with stock levels, you will be notified within 24 hours. In that email, we will offer you an alternative product, the right to a full refund, and a new delivery time. It's up to you how you'd like us to resolve the issue.

We ship all orders with DPD from the Netherlands. You can choose between:

  • Home delivery or delivery to your work
  • Delivery to a DPD pickup point near you

Shipping costs and the free-shipping threshold for your country are in the table below.

Deposit

On cans and bottles we charge the Dutch deposit (statiegeld): €0.15 per can and €0.10 per bottle (a little more for some bottles). It shows as a separate line in your cart. The deposit belongs to the Dutch deposit system: you can return the packaging in the Netherlands, not in deposit machines in other countries.

Shipping Costs by Country

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CountryShipping costReduced rateFree shipping from
Netherlandspickup point €6.95
home €8.50		–€75
Belgium€8.95–€100
Germany€13.50–€100
Denmark€15.95–€150
Austria€15.95–€150
Bulgaria€47.50€25 from €150not available
Estonia€17.50–€150
Finlandpickup point €24.95
home €29.95		home: €10 from €200pickup point €200
home €250
France€16.95–€150
Greece€29.50€15 from €150not available
Hungary€21.95€10 from €150€200
Ireland€15.95–€150
Italy€16.95–€150
Croatia€47.50€25 from €150not available
Latvia€17.50–€150
Lithuania€21.95€10 from €150€200
Luxembourg€12.95–€150
Poland€15.95–€150
Portugal€19.95€10 from €150€200
Romania€27.50€10 from €150not available
Spain€18.75–€150
Czech Republic€15.95–€150
Swedenpickup point €24.95
home €29.95		home: €10 from €200pickup point €200
home €250
Norway*Coming soon
United Kingdom*Coming soon
Switzerland*Coming soon

Delivery

DPD generally delivers within 24 hours after receiving the parcel. So if we have received your order before 15:00 on working days, in 99% of cases you will have your order at home the next day. It may sometimes happen that they need one day longer. You can follow this via the Track & Trace details you receive from us, so you can see exactly where your order is. DPD also gives you a time window of 2 to 4 hours in which your order will be delivered. Not at home? No problem! You can indicate yourself whether you want them to come by again tomorrow or whether they should deliver it to the nearest post office.

Do you have a question about the delivery of your beer? Feel free to contact us: customer service.

Returns

You have a cooling-off period of 14 days after you have received the product. Within this period you can register the product for return. The email you received stating that your order is on its way contains a link that you can use to easily and free of charge download and print a return label. Returning is free: we provide the return label and the shipping costs of your return are at our expense. After registering your return, you have another 14 days to send the product back. If you bought multiple items at once, the period starts after receipt of your last item.

How do I return or exchange a product?

  • Fill in the return form within 14 days after receipt. If you are unable to print the return form, please write at least the order number and your name on a piece of paper and include it with your return.
  • Register your return with our customer service. You can do this by sending an email to: info@hoptimaal.nl or by calling 085 -130 1591. Or print your return label yourself via the link in the email titled "Your order is on its way".
  • After registering your return, you have another 14 days to send the product back.
  • Then send your return back in its original condition and with the packaging. Products that are damaged or incomplete are not eligible for exchange or refund.

Please note: after the 14-day cooling-off period it is no longer possible to return your product.

What can you expect after returning your product?

After receiving your return, you will receive a confirmation from us. This can take 3 working days, but in general we process your return on the day we receive it. We will check your return to see whether your product meets our return conditions and will then get to work on the solution you want.

Do you want your money back?

  • We will refund the purchase amount within 3 working days after confirmation of receipt to the account with which you paid. If you want to receive the purchase amount in another way, please contact us about the possibilities.
  • In case of visible signs of use, missing accessories or missing packaging, you are no longer entitled to a refund. If the packaging is not returned entirely in its original condition, we won't make a fuss and you will in any case get 75% of the purchase amount back. This is very rarely the case; usually the full purchase amount is simply refunded.

Do you want to receive a new product?

After receiving your return, we will send the new product right away. If the product is no longer in stock, we will refund the purchase amount to the account with which you paid.

  • Is the new product cheaper? The remaining amount will be refunded to your account within 3 working days.
  • Is the new product more expensive? You will receive a payment request for the remaining amount. After receipt of payment, we will send the product immediately.
  • Do you want to receive the new product at a different address or on a different day? Please contact us.

Exceptions

Beer that has been opened will not be taken back. We also do not take back beer that you ordered at a discount because the shelf life is almost expired. Of course we state this clearly on the product page, so that you are not surprised by a limited best-before date.

The item may be returned to the address below:

Hoptimaal
Leeghwater 5
3825MR Amersfoort
Netherlands

Order before 3:00 PM on weekdays, shipped today.
Break-proof packaging

Your beers are always carefully packaged. If there is any damage during transit, we offer a guarantee. Not satisfied, money back.

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Beer School › Hops · Hop variety

Citra

Citra is an American hop variety from the Hop Breeding Company, on the market since 2007 according to the breeder. It is known for aromas of citrus, especially grapefruit and lime, and tropical fruit.

  • CountryUnited States
  • BreederHop Breeding Company (Yakima Valley, Washington); variety name HBC 394
  • Introduced2007 (according to the breeder and Yakima Chief Hops); plant patent granted in 2010
  • Parentage1990 cross of two offspring of Hallertauer Mittelfrüh × a plant with breeding number 853-144M (according to the plant patent); according to the breeder, US Tettnanger, Brewers Gold and East Kent Golding are also in the family tree
  • Typearoma (according to the breeder), with high alpha acids; Belgian researchers classify it as a dual-purpose hop
  • Alpha acids11–13% (plant patent and Hop Growers of America); Yakima Chief Hops gives 10–16%, which varies by harvest

What is it?

Citra is the brand name (Citra®) of the hop variety HBC 394. The variety comes from a breeding programme in the Yakima Valley, in the US state of Washington, and was developed and released by the Hop Breeding Company (HBC), according to the breeders. HBC is a partnership between the hop companies John I. Haas and Yakima Chief Ranches.

According to the plant patent, Citra comes from a cross made in 1990. Both parents descend from the German aroma hop Hallertauer Mittelfrüh and a plant with breeding number 853-144M. According to the breeders, US Tettnanger, Brewers Gold and East Kent Golding are also in the family tree.

According to the patent, Citra stands out for its high alpha acids, low cohumulone (one of the alpha acids) and a distinct citrus aroma. According to the official US harvest statistics, Citra had the largest acreage of all hop varieties in the United States in 2025.

Aroma and flavour

What independent sources say. The American growers' association Hop Growers of America describes Citra as strongly citrusy, with tropical fruit. Laboratory research shows which aroma compounds may play a role. In Belgian research from 2015, Citra stood out for relatively high levels of 3MHA, a thiol that smells of passion fruit and grapefruit. German research on 32 hop varieties found in Citra, as in Mosaic, high levels of the thiols 3MH (rhubarb, grapefruit) and 4MMP (blackcurrant, passion fruit). You can smell such thiols at just a few to a few dozen nanograms per litre.

According to a study at Oregon State University, Citra also contains relatively high levels of linalool (described in that study as floral and sweet) and geraniol (described there as citrusy; elsewhere as floral and rosy). In dry-hopped beer, these compounds demonstrably increased. During fermentation, yeast converts some of the geraniol into citronellol, which smells of lemon and lime.

What the breeder says. The patent says 'citrus, fruity, tropical'. In 2010 the breeders mentioned grapefruit and lime, and also gooseberry, passion fruit, lychee and sauvignon blanc. The hop merchant Yakima Chief Hops speaks of tropical citrus fruit and stone fruit, with lime and orange.

Use and similar hops

Citra is mainly an aroma hop. Such hops usually go into the kettle only in the last quarter of an hour of the boil, at flameout or when dry hopping, so that less aroma evaporates. According to the patent, Citra is also suitable for bittering. You can find it as whole hop cones, as pellets and as cryo hop: pellets of concentrated lupulin.

The moment of harvest matters. Researchers at Oregon State University harvested Citra every week for three years on three fields. Hops harvested early smelled grassy and of green pepper, those harvested late of onion and garlic. Halfway through the season, the desired citrus and resin notes appeared. In a 2026 study of hops aged one to six years, Citra turned out to be very stable: it hardly changed.

Similar hops according to the tasting panel of Yakima Chief Hops: Centennial, Mosaic, Simcoe and the British Admiral.

Myth or fact?

Myth

‘A juicy IPA is full of fruit juice.’

'Juicy' refers to the juicy, fruity aroma and flavour, and those come from the hops. There does not have to be any fruit or juice in it.

Myth

‘A juicy IPA is full of fruit juice.’

According to the Brewers Association, the word 'juicy' is often used to describe the aroma and flavour of these beers. It says how the beer smells and tastes, not what is in it.

According to the BJCP, a hazy IPA gets its 'juicy' character because the brewer adds a lot of hops late in the process, above all by dry hopping, with hop varieties that smell of tropical fruit. The Brewers Association says the same: 'juicy' is about flavour and aroma that come from 'late, often very large, additions of hops'. According to the BA, a juicy character is not even required; citrus, pine, herbs or flowers are allowed too.

The yeast joins in as well. The BA mentions medium to medium-high fruity esters, aroma compounds from the yeast, that complement the hop profile.

If there is noticeable fruit in it, or lactose or vanilla, then according to the BJCP it is no longer an ordinary hazy IPA and the beer belongs in a special category, such as fruit beer. The BA counts a hazy IPA with fruit among the Experimental IPAs.

Sources

Partly true

‘The more hops there are in a beer, the longer it keeps.’

Hops do inhibit some of the bacteria that spoil beer, that is correct. But not all beer spoilers, and the hop aroma itself is fragile: strongly hopped beers are best drunk fresh and stored cool.

Partly true

‘The more hops there are in a beer, the longer it keeps.’

There is a kernel of truth in it. Around 1150, Hildegard of Bingen already wrote that hops, through their bitterness, keep out some of the spoilage in drinks, so that they stay good for longer. According to beer historian Martyn Cornell, unhopped ale could sometimes spoil after as little as a week or two. Modern research confirms that iso-alpha acids from hops inhibit gram-positive bacteria.

But hops do not protect against everything. Some strains of lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacillus brevis, are resistant to hops, and gram-negative bacteria such as Pectinatus and Megasphaera can spoil beer too.

More important for the enthusiast: what hops contribute in aroma and flavour is precisely what is fragile. According to a 2023 review article, the aroma stability of dry-hopped beer is low. In a storage trial, two groups of hop bitter compounds (humulinones and alpha acids) dropped sharply in the first three months at 20 °C, and hardly at all at 3 °C. According to the authors, you are therefore best off storing dry-hopped beer cool, at around 4 °C. A study of eleven hoppy ales brewed in Germany does add nuance: some hop aroma compounds, such as linalool and geraniol, remained reasonably stable during storage, but in some ales the hop aroma depended on less stable esters. And light can break down iso-alpha acids, which contributes to a skunky smell.

In short: hops help against some of the spoilage, but a strongly hopped beer is not a beer for keeping.

Sources

A bit of history

Citra comes from a cross made in the Yakima Valley in 1990. In 1992, one seedling was selected. It was tested for years near Toppenish (Washington): four plants in 1993 and 21 in 2003. In 2007 there was a trial field of about 0.8 hectares. According to the breeder, Citra came on the market in 2007. The patent was applied for in 2009 and granted in 2010.

According to the breeder, Citra became one of the most popular hop brands in the US. In 2025, there were 7,581 acres of Citra in the US, about 3,070 hectares. That is well over 18% of the American hop acreage and more than any other variety. According to the Brewers Association, production of most varieties fell that year, but that of Citra rose in all three hop states.

How to taste it

A good starting point: look for a pale ale or IPA with only Citra as the hop (a 'single hop' beer). Smell first: look for grapefruit, lime and tropical fruit. According to the BJCP, a hazy or New England IPA is all about late hops with tropical fruit; here too, Citra is a good candidate to look out for. Hoppy beers are best drunk fresh.

Where it takes centre stage

IPAIPA is a beer in which the hops play the lead: usually fairly bitter... New England IPAA New England IPA, also called a hazy IPA, is a cloudy IPA built... Pale AlePale ale is a hoppy, easy-drinking beer of medium strength, with just enough malt... SaisonSaison is a Belgian ale that is fermented out very far: dry, sparkling, fairly...

Similar to: Mosaic, Simcoe, Centennial

More hop varieties

AmarilloCascadeCentennialChinookColumbus (CTZ)East Kent GoldingsEl DoradoFuggleGalaxyHallertau BlancHallertauer MittelfrühIdaho 7MosaicMotuekaNectaronNelson SauvinRiwakaSaazSabroSimcoeStrataTettnangerVic Secret

Terms

Alpha acids
The main bitter compounds from hops (humulones); they dissolve poorly and are hardly bitter, but during the boil they turn into iso-alpha acids, which do taste bitter.
Hop oil
The volatile, fragrant oil from hops (according to John Palmer 0.5–3% of dried hops; some modern varieties are higher, Galaxy according to HPA 2.6–3.3 ml per 100 grams), with compounds such as myrcene, linalool and geraniol; it largely evaporates during the boil, which is why brewers add aroma hops late or dry hop them.
Thiols
Sulfur compounds that you can smell at just a few to a few dozen nanograms per litre, such as 4MMP (blackcurrant, passion fruit) and 3MH (rhubarb, grapefruit); they come from hops and also from malt, often in a bound form from which yeast can release them during fermentation.
Biotransformation
The conversion of aroma compounds by yeast during fermentation, for example rosy geraniol from hops into citrusy citronellol, or the release of fruity thiols; according to current knowledge it does not happen if hops are only added after the yeast has been removed from the beer.
Dry hopping
Adding hops after the wort has been boiled, often during or after fermentation, mainly for a fresh, strong hop aroma.
Linalool
An aroma compound from hops with a floral aroma (also described as lavender, coriander or citrus); in most hop varieties the most common terpene alcohol.
Geraniol
An aroma compound from hops that smells of flowers and roses; during fermentation, yeast converts some of the geraniol into citronellol, which smells of lemon and lime.
Breeding programme
The long-term work in which a breeder crosses hop plants, tests the seedlings for years in the field and in beer, and releases only the best as a new variety. Nectaron, for example, was crossed in 2004 and only came on the market in 2020.
Cryo hop
Pellets of concentrated lupulin: the resins and aroma oil of the hop, without the plant material of the cone. Intended to give a lot of hop flavour and aroma without astringent flavours or extra plant material in the beer. NZ Hops offers Cryo Hops® of its varieties in cooperation with Yakima Chief Hops.
Plant patent
An American patent on a new plant variety that is propagated asexually, for example by cuttings. Sabro is protected this way (PP29577), and Columbus had such a patent (PP10956, since expired); in addition, breeders often use a brand name, such as Sabro for the variety HBC 438.
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