Loral is a hop variety I added to my regular rotation after using it in a session IPA where I wanted complexity without aggressive bitterness. It was bred by John I.
Waimea is a New Zealand hop variety I first used in a double IPA where I wanted intense tropical-citrus character with enough resin to anchor the bitterness.
Riwaka is the New Zealand hop variety that first made me understand what Southern Hemisphere hops can do that American varieties can’t quite replicate.
Enigma is an Australian hop variety that I discovered through a recipe for a fruited pale ale — the descriptor that caught my attention was “raspberry and stone fruit,” which is unusual enough in a hop that I tracked it …
Lotus is a hop variety that showed up on my radar through a recipe for a cream ale where the brewer described it as producing an “orange creamsicle” effect when combined with a clean lager yeast.
Comet is a vintage American hop variety that I became interested in after reading about the pre-Cascade era of American craft brewing, when Comet was one of the few domestically grown aroma hops available to American brewers.
Horizon is a high-alpha American bittering hop that I’ve used as a clean bittering addition in everything from pale ales to lagers when I want IBUs without hop character.
Lemondrop is one of those hop varieties that does exactly what the name suggests, and I say that as someone who’s skeptical of varieties with obvious flavor-descriptor names.
Liberty is the American noble-style hop I use when I want continental character from a domestic variety.
Hersbrucker is the German noble hop I return to whenever I’m brewing a traditional Bavarian lager and want the herbal, slightly floral character that defines southern German hop culture.