Northern Brewer Kama Citra Session IPA Recipe Kit - 5 Gallons Review (2026)

What this kit is

Kama Citra Session IPA is one of Northern Brewer's extract recipe kits, sold in a 5 gallon size, and according to the brand's own product page it is built to sit between a classic American Pale Ale and a full West Coast IPA in terms of strength and body. Like the rest of Northern Brewer's extract line, the kit bundles malt extract, steeping grains, hops, dry yeast, priming sugar, a muslin steeping bag, and instructions into one package, so a brewer does not need to separately source and portion each ingredient. The name plays on the hop bill, combining Centennial and Cascade with Citra for a citrus and tropical fruit driven aroma.

Hop character

Northern Brewer's own description says the recipe unites Cascade and Centennial with the bold, exotic tropical character of Citra hops, aiming for ripe citrus fruit bursts backed by a soft malt base. That three hop combination is a fairly classic American IPA blend, pairing the more resinous, grapefruit leaning Cascade and Centennial with Citra's tropical, almost mango and lime character, which gives the beer more layered aroma than a kit built around a single hop variety. Because it leans on well established, widely grown hop varieties rather than a newer or more limited release hop, the aroma profile should be relatively consistent between batches of the kit.

Session strength and body

The defining feature of this kit is that it targets session strength, roughly in the range Northern Brewer describes as approximately 5 percent ABV, well below a typical 6.5 to 7.5 percent West Coast IPA. That lower starting gravity is what makes the beer easier to drink more than one of in a sitting, which is the whole premise behind the Kama Citra name and marketing. The trade-off that comes with any session IPA is a lighter body and thinner mouthfeel than a full strength IPA, since there simply is not as much malt in the recipe to build residual body, so drinkers expecting a heavier West Coast style IPA may find it feels comparatively thin.

Brewing process and timeline

As an extract kit, the brew day follows Northern Brewer's standard format of steeping specialty grains, boiling with staged hop additions, cooling the wort, and pitching dry yeast, without the extra time and equipment an all grain mash requires. Northern Brewer's product listing estimates roughly six weeks from brew day to a finished, carbonated beer, which covers fermentation, conditioning, and bottle carbonation time. That timeline is fairly typical for an ale of this strength and is a reasonable expectation to set going in, rather than assuming the beer will be ready to drink immediately after fermentation finishes.

Who it suits

This kit is a good match for brewers who want a hoppy, citrus and tropical fruit forward beer but prefer a lower strength option they can drink more of in one session, or for anyone hosting a gathering where a full strength IPA might be too much. It is less suited to brewers specifically chasing the fuller body and higher ABV of a West Coast style IPA, since the lighter body here is a deliberate trade-off for drinkability rather than a shortcoming to fix. Extract brewers who already enjoy Northern Brewer's kit format will find this a straightforward, well documented recipe to work from.

Frequently asked questions