What NZ and Australian hops do you enjoy the most?

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HighPressure

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I like brewing lots of different varieties of beer but all on the lighter side. Pales, IPA, Hazys and lagers. I'm just looking for a little intel into what New Zealand and Aussie hops are your favourites to experiment! Thanks
 
I haven't used it yet, but beers with galaxy are generally delicious. I've got some Nectaron I've been playing with and had mixed results with it so far (thinking might be a bad crop tho). Besides those the only other NZ hop I've used is Rakau, which I made a simple Smash beer that came out solid 🍻
 
Galaxy is my fave, motueka is my fave kiwi hop. Pride of Ringwood can be great but can be horribly harsh if overdone. I’m an Aussie in aus and I would say 95% of the hops in my freezer start with C and come from the US haha
 
Motueka, Riwaka and Moutere are all interesting along with the Nelson Sauvin. Eukanot is new zealand Equinox.
Great aromatic hops but would stick to the nobles for stouts and bitters.
 
Eukanot is new zealand Equinox.

Ekuanot is the name they changed Equinox to, it’s not a NZ hop.

Good luck finding good Galaxy these days. Enigma is pretty interesting.

NZ hops are where it’s at right now. Quality keeps getting better and better. Nectaron is the real deal and better than anything from Australia at the moment.

Nelson, Riwaka, Rakau, Moutere, Waimea, are all great (in that order). I’ve never used good Motueka personally. Been really enjoying Southern Cross lately. Bags I’ve bought from YVH have been really punchy.
 
I use Galaxy , Enigma a lot . I have some Motueka and Rakau that I'm going to experiment with in a pilsner and kolsch.
 
Pride of Ringwood can be great but can be horribly harsh if overdone.

Make the most of it whilst you can - HPA grubbed up all their Super Pride this year, they'll be coming for the PoR next...

Eclipse (fka HPA-016) is the big Aussie hope to be the "next Galaxy" - "sweet mandarin, zesty citrus peel and fresh pine needles".

Southern Cross is interesting as it is the only? hop with 2MIB (2-methylbutyl isobutyrate - apricot) in quantities sufficient to register above the taste threshold, Scott Janish explored it here :
http://scottjanish.com/thiol-driver/
 
I've tried Topaz, Ella, Enigma, Summer ( discontinued and will not be planted / available again - it's a shame, it was good ), Galaxy and Vic Secret. These are all AUS hops. I enjoyed Summer, Topaz, Enigma and Vic Secret. Ella and Galaxy can be weird and wrong at times, at least this was my experience. Vic Secret is nice both boil and DH. Topaz shines best in the kettle and WHP. Dry hopping with Topaz can release lots of grassy notes and it is really strong, so I save it as a kettle hops. Enigma is interesting - it has something I cannot put my finger on, and I am still wanting to try it again a few more times.

From the NZ hops, I've tried Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, Pacific Jade, Southern Cross, Pacifica, Rakau, Riwaka, Taiheke ( Cascade - but it no longer ressembles the US Cascade ), Wai-Iti, Waimea, Wakatu. I've enjoyed Motueka, Pacific Jade, Southern Cross, Pacifica, Taiheke, Wai-Iti and Wakatu. The rest were not amongst my favourites, but then again, I need to brew more batches.
 
I've tried Topaz, Ella, Enigma, Summer ( discontinued and will not be planted / available again - it's a shame, it was good ), Galaxy and Vic Secret. These are all AUS hops. I enjoyed Summer, Topaz, Enigma and Vic Secret. Ella and Galaxy can be weird and wrong at times, at least this was my experience. Vic Secret is nice both boil and DH. Topaz shines best in the kettle and WHP. Dry hopping with Topaz can release lots of grassy notes and it is really strong, so I save it as a kettle hops. Enigma is interesting - it has something I cannot put my finger on, and I am still wanting to try it again a few more times.

From the NZ hops, I've tried Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, Pacific Jade, Southern Cross, Pacifica, Rakau, Riwaka, Taiheke ( Cascade - but it no longer ressembles the US Cascade ), Wai-Iti, Waimea, Wakatu. I've enjoyed Motueka, Pacific Jade, Southern Cross, Pacifica, Taiheke, Wai-Iti and Wakatu. The rest were not amongst my favourites, but then again, I need to brew more batches.

Is that it? ;)
You putting in some work Lol.
 
Is that it? ;)
You putting in some work Lol.

Yeah... I mean, I'm in it for the beer, but also for the experience and the know-how, that I am able to gather and perhaps use later on.

I could add that NZ hops seem to be more " predictable " in terms of aroma and flavour, than the AUS ones. Some of the NZ hops work well in Pilsners, Blonde/Golden/Pale Ales, even English ales, Belgians and of course IPAs. The AUS ones, at least those I've tried at least a couple of times, somehow favour specific styles. I don't know if it makes sense what I'm trying to say.

If I were to use AUS hops on a larger scale, I would choose Topaz, Enigma and Vic Secret, just because they seem to " match " their aroma/flavour descriptors, more than the others. Not saying Galaxy is not worth using ( or that I don't like it when it's good ) - I just feel that what Galaxy I got my hands on, was never predictable - It went from citrusy and tropical to extremely grassy and dank, and unpleasent really. And because it offered such a broad array of flavours for me, I would skip it and replace it with something that consistently delivers the aroma and flavour it should.
 
I've tried Topaz, Ella, Enigma, Summer (discontinued and will not be planted / available again - it's a shame, it was good), Galaxy and Vic Secret. These are all AUS hops. I enjoyed Summer, Topaz, Enigma and Vic Secret. Ella and Galaxy can be weird and wrong at times, at least this was my experience. Vic Secret is nice both boil and DH. Topaz shines best in the kettle and WHP. Dry hopping with Topaz can release lots of grassy notes and it is really strong, so I save it as a kettle hops. Enigma is interesting - it has something I cannot put my finger on, and I am still wanting to try it again a few more times.

Well shucks! I wonder why though? Not enough buyers?
 
I love combining Nelson with Citra. Works well with Simcoe too. Going to try it with Mosaic cryo on my next brew.
I got my hands on a pound of Nectaron and just paired it with Citra cryo, Vic Secret, and Nelson. I will update Friday when it’s carbed but so far it smells great. The pouch of Nectaron hops smelled amazing. In fact all the hops smelled awesome. I stopped ordering hops from the brew supply web sites and buy direct from Yakima Chief or Yakima Valley Hops. I’ve been really pleased with their selection and the quality of the hops. Being able to actually know which crop year you’re buying is great too but in the end you can smell how good the hops are.
I stopped buying Galaxy a few years ago because I ended up with a lackluster batch and it’s was pricey. I recently ordered some from YVH to see if they have quality Galaxy. It’s one of my favorites but I’ve been gun shy to buy for a while. I made a DDH cider with Simcoe cryo and Wai-iti hops and it was worth repeating. Overall I really like the unique aromas/flavors that the NZ hops bring to the table and how well they pair with some of my favorite NA hops. The trick is finding the right balance so you don’t overpower them and lose the uniqueness in the process.
 
Well shucks! I wonder why though? Not enough buyers?

It only needs for there to be fewer buyers than for Galaxy or Vic Secret, and people will plant those instead, all other things (like agronomics) being equal.

And often agronomics are more important to farmers than what brewers think.
 
Galaxy is my fave, motueka is my fave kiwi hop. Pride of Ringwood can be great but can be horribly harsh if overdone. I’m an Aussie in aus and I would say 95% of the hops in my freezer start with C and come from the US haha

Tried brewing an Aussie sparkling ale way back when I first started homebrewing and it was a God awful hop bomb from overdoing it on Pride Of Ringwood. One of the few beers I ever dumped. lol
 
Well, I've only used one once, so it's my favorite.
In 2005, my brother brought me, perhaps illegally, some Stricklebract hops from New Zealand, so I got some Coopers malt extract and brewed this:
Anzale.png
 
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I'm drinking an English ale using Windsor yeast that had Comet, Columbus, Cascade, Enigma and Zappa in the boil and dryhopped with Zappa and Enigma. Of all those hops, the Enigma stands out most. Interesting hop to try.
 
I used to love Galaxy, but the crop is so inconsistent now that it’s a major player. It’s super hit or miss. I’m a big fan of enigma from AUS though and have used it a bunch. It works a lot like a nelson/mosaic blend in that it’s character is truly enigmatic. Very complex and plays well with others.

for NZ, nelson is another hit or miss hop. I’ve rarely gotten a homebrew batch to have a similar character as the best pro versions. The difference in selection and spot purchasing. I think Motueka is really nice with its lime/orange blossom character. Wai-iti seems to fall through the cracks because it’s low AA, but it’s a beautiful tropical hop. I’m also a fan of Waimea which gives this nice candied Orange character with a touch of old school pine needles. And of course, no NZ hop compares to riwaka. That hops is just….chefs kiss.
 
I'm still a Galaxy fan - and afaik it's the only NZ strain I've used. I've kept a Galaxy-forward neipa on tap for almost two years running now...

Cheers!
 
where are people finding Nectaron? I've been hearing good things but can't seem to find it in stock anywhere...
You have to stalk YVH to see when it is in lol. Last time I got some, it was live for about 36hrs tops. I just so happen to see it and got 1.5lbs of it. Great hop!
 
I bought a pound of Nectaron off a tip at night on the forum and YVH was sold out the next day. Paired it with Nelson and it turned out great. After years of shying away from mediocre Galaxy I did buy some Galaxy from YVH since I’ve had good luck with them.
My latest ipa had Riwaka/Rakau/Motueka with Citra and Bru1 cryo. Carbonating currently but so far it tastes really good. I did a split batch and the other has Mosaic/Taiheke/Nelson. I’ll post in a few days when things finish up.
 
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