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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. Kohatu is one of the more resinous NZ varieties, it has tropical fruit character (pineapple, passion fruit) alongside a significant pine and resin note that makes it sit between tropical and West Coast IPA territory. The result is a hop that works in both hazy and West Coast styles, bridging the two approaches in a way that few other varieties do cleanly. It’s limited-production and not always available in US or European homebrew markets.
Kohatu hop flavor profile
Kohatu hops have a moderate alpha acid content (6.5–7.5% AA) with a dual-character profile: tropical fruit (pineapple, passion fruit, lime) alongside resinous pine. The pine-tropical combination makes it useful across a broader range of styles than purely tropical NZ varieties like Riwaka or Wai-iti, the resin note anchors it in the West Coast IPA tradition while the tropical fruit keeps it interesting in hazy styles. Best used as a late addition, whirlpool, or dry hop. The moderate alpha means it’s functional for bittering but rarely the most cost-effective bittering option.
Best substitutes
Chinook (pine-citrus match): American hop with significant pine and grapefruit, covers Kohatu’s pine dimension effectively. Use at 80% of Kohatu quantity as Chinook is more resinous and assertive. Simcoe (pine-tropical): The premier pine-tropical American hop, passion fruit and apricot alongside pine and earthy resin. Very close to Kohatu’s pine-tropical character. Use at 80% quantity due to higher alpha and intensity. Galaxy (tropical without the pine): Australian variety with intense passion fruit and tropical without Kohatu’s resin note. Use 1:1 where tropical direction matters more than pine. Wakatu (NZ, tropical-herbal): Another NZ variety with lime and floral character, less pine than Kohatu but stays in the NZ hop family. Use 1:1. Centennial plus Mosaic blend: Centennial (60%) provides the grapefruit-resin direction; Mosaic (40%) provides the tropical depth, together they approximate Kohatu’s pine-tropical combination better than either alone.
Choosing substitutes by style
For West Coast IPAs where Kohatu contributes pine-citrus resin: Simcoe or Chinook at reduced quantity preserve the resinous IPA character without the NZ tropical dimension. For hazy IPAs where Kohatu contributes tropical-pine complexity: Galaxy at 1:1 maintains the tropical character, losing the pine; Simcoe at 80% maintains the pine and tropical together. For NZ-style pale ales specifically showcasing NZ hop character: Wakatu or Riwaka at 1:1 keep the beer in the NZ hop family even though the specific fruit-pine combination differs.
Common Questions
Can Kohatu be used in a West Coast IPA, or is it only for hazy styles?
Kohatu works well in West Coast IPAs, the pine and resin character is significant enough to anchor a West Coast profile, and the tropical fruit adds complexity without taking the beer into hazy territory (which is more about dry hop rate, water chemistry, and yeast than the hop variety itself). In a West Coast IPA hop bill where Kohatu is used as a late addition and/or whirlpool addition, the finished beer will have the expected resinous, bitter backbone with a tropical-fruit dimension that distinguishes it from Simcoe-or-Centennial-only beers. The tropical fruit note is an enhancement in the West Coast context rather than a conflict. For a brewer who alternates between West Coast and hazy styles and wants a single hop variety that performs in both: Kohatu is a reasonable bridge variety, though Simcoe and Mosaic are both more widely available and serve the same bridging function in most homebrew scenarios.
