Ever since New Zealand hops burst onto the American brewing scene, I’ve been hooked.
I’m sure New Zealand hops were on the U.S. scene long before they appeared on my radar in 2016, but I tend to drink what I know. Living in northern California, that means C-hops—Cascade, Centennial, Chinook—and other American varieties known for grassy, dank, and grapefruit flavors and aromas.
The first Kiwi hop to pique my curiosity was Nelson Sauvin, with its vinous, tropical traits—gooseberry, white wine, passion fruit, mango. Star varieties from New Zealand tend to be boldly tropical, with big flavor and aroma bursts that transport the nose and palate to a sunnier, warmer place.
And they can work beautifully in pale ales, IPAs, and hop-forward lagers, offering a bright and often welcome change from the American hops that we tend to use in all sorts of beer styles.
A Journey across the Pacific
In 2018, I seized the chance to level up on New Zealand hops: A popular homebrew shop called the League of Brewers invited me to speak at the annual Homebrewers’ Conference there in Nelson, on the South Island. It also coincided with the annual Marchfest beer festival as well as the hop harvest. Naturally, I dove in.
While there, I got to visit several hop farms and breweries. For a geek like me, having the harvest happening at the same time was bucket-list stuff, not to mention almost overwhelming to the olfactory senses. But I survived.
In Wellington—on the southern tip of North Island, just across the strait from Nelson—I paid a visit to Garage Project. They were already popular at that time, and since then I’ve watched them grow further; I’m always looking for the collaborations they do with American breweries. Their offerings run the gamut, from New Zealand pilsners and triple IPAs to porters, stouts, mixed-culture foeder blends, and even a beer with tomato and basil. (For more on Garage Project, be sure to check out episodes 242 and 405 of the Craft Beer & Brewing Podcast.)
At the core of many of their beers, of course, are New Zealand hops. Vibrant and complex, often expressing notes of pineapple, guava, orange, lime, and stone fruit—juicy, I must admit, and that is not a word I like to use. Down there, these hops are especially popular in pale ales and IPA, as well as hoppy pilsners.
Let’s Punch It Up
Fast-forward to 2025. As I write this, I’m brewing in the spring for summer drinking, and memories of that trip to New Zealand are transporting me back to those farms and those flavors.
Now, let’s talk pale ale—arguably the perfect platform for that punchy character.
For a modern, hop-forward pale ale, the grist is uncomplicated. If you’re brewing all-grain, going with 100 percent two-row pale sets up just enough canvas for those vibrant flavors. For extract brewers, that means all you need is some pale dry or liquid malt extract. No partial mash necessary.
Some might argue that a bit of light crystal or dextrin malt, such as Carapils or Carafoam, adds desirable character and body. But this beer really is all about the hops and a nice, clean malt backbone. We want these hops to shine and show off what makes them so unique.
For this beer, I go with Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Riwaka, and Wai-iti—a potent tiki cocktail of tropical-fruit flavors:
- Nelson Sauvin is great for aroma or flavor—late kettle, whirlpool, or dry hop—with its distinctive white-wine notes that remind many of sauvignon blanc (another New Zealand specialty).
- Motueka brings distinctive crushed lime and mojito notes.
- Riwaka is a standout aroma hop, with citrus notes and powerful passion-fruit character. Some also find that it throws out diesel notes, but that hasn’t been my experience—no doubt it depends on the hops, the quantity, and the smeller’s own senses.
- Wai-iti, meanwhile, contributes fresh peach and apricot aromas and flavors.
These are hops that often reward restraint. Aiming for a session-strength ABV for this golden pale will keep it exceptionally drinkable while still getting an eye-opening burst from the assertive hop flavors.
Keep the yeast choice simple—stick with a neutral American ale yeast. Clean and with minimal esters, there’s a reason why Chico and similar strains have been the most important ones behind the rise of IPA: They highlight expressive hops and don’t get in the way.
Now, about the hopping: There’s no need for an early kettle addition—we’ll get enough IBUs for this lighter frame from the later ones. We’ll add some flavor hops at 20 minutes, and some more at the “whirlpool”—and here’s where I’ll share a handy homebrewer hack.
If your brew system makes it easy to recirculate, cool your wort a smidge, and do a proper whirlpool step, go for it. But if that’s challenging on your system, or if you generally just prefer to avoid it, here’s another option: Grab a small portion of the wort, let it cool to about 185°F (85°C), then ladle it into a heat-safe, tempered glass container—such as a Mason jar or Pyrex dish. Voilà! A mini-whirlpool, which you can then return to the rest of the wort after the boil—and then you’re ready to chill, with no need to kill another 20 to 30 minutes spinning and steeping. Like a whirlpool, this method also preserves some of those subtle nuances via the volatile oils that you might otherwise lose in the boil, or even at flameout.
Ferment as usual, then add the dry hops to build on that zesty lime-citrus character, which makes the final beer seem even more quenching on a hot, sunny summer day—just the thing for cookouts and other summer gatherings. Try it out with grilled skewers or even some tangy, smoked, barbecued goodness.
Cheers! And here’s to summer, with its days of longer sunlight hours for brewing outside while enjoying those punchy things we brewed back in the spring.
