Beer Brewing

Nectaron is the New Zealand hop variety that changed how I think about tropical fruit hops. I first tried it in a hazy pale ale recipe from a New Zealand craft brewery and the mango and peach character was cleaner …

Talus is a Yakima Chief Hops variety that landed in my brewing rotation after I read that it was bred specifically for distinctive pink grapefruit and floral character — a step away from the generic “citrus and tropical” descriptors that …

Eclipse is a hop I came across while researching Washington State varieties — it’s a Yakima Chief Hops proprietary variety with mandarin orange as the primary character descriptor, and that turns out to be accurate.

Vista is a hop variety I started recommending to homebrewers on a budget who want tropical character without paying Citra or Galaxy prices.

Wai-iti is a New Zealand hop variety I first encountered in a craft lager recipe that was specifically trying to use NZ ingredients throughout.

Kohatu is a New Zealand hop variety that I started using after a NZ craft beer trip left me with a strong preference for the specific pine-tropical combination that characterizes several NZ varieties.

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 …