Recipe Suggestions for NZ Waimea Hops

[Epos7]

I have a pound of NZ Waimea hops I'd like to use in a recipe, but there is very little information in the homebrewing community about this variety. I'm looking for recipe suggestions or any input from brewers who have brewed with this hop. I think this hop would be best suited to a PA or IPA, but I'm open to any suggestions.

Based on the limited information I have found, most seem to use it in conjunction with other hops. I was thinking of pairing it with Centennial, although I also have the following available:

Amarillo, Chinook, Citra, Columbus, Eukanot, Hallertau, Loral, Mosaic, Simcoe.

Thanks!

 

[Epos7]

I've decided to brew a single-hop beer with the Waimea after all. I brewed a batch of Zombie Dust clone yesterday, and am going to brew the same today, but sub the Waimea for Citra. Should make for an interesting comparison. Hopefully I can get a feel for the Waimea hops and come up with some ideas for hops to partner with it, if it needs it.

 

[emcfarden]

A reputable brewery down here around Houston (Lone Pint) recently brewed a single hop using Waimea with two row and Munich. It turned out excellent.

 

[Epos7]

A reputable brewery down here around Houston (Lone Pint) recently brewed a single hop using Waimea with two row and Munich. It turned out excellent.

Awesome! The Zombie Dust clone is primarily 2-row and Munich, so that gives me high hopes.

 

[1fast4door]

How'd it turnout?

 

[Epos7]

How'd it turnout?

Three weeks after bottling it was great. The Waimea hops gave it a good amount of bitterness, but had some really nice melon notes. It smelled and tasted awesome.

Two weeks later and the Waimea hops took a turn for the worse. The nice melon notes faded away, and now it just has some unpleasant bitterness.

I'm not sure if the Waimea flavors just fade faster than most, or if I did a poor job packaging. I bottled a batch of the same beer made with Citra hops on the same day, and it still tastes great.

The Waimea hops really were fantastic at the three week mark. For a beer that will be kegged and consumed relatively quickly, I think they'd be a great choice.