Hop
Eclipse
An Australian aroma hop with a pronounced mandarin character and an unusually high alpha for an aroma variety.
Eclipse leads with mandarin and lime rather than the passionfruit of Galaxy, which gives Australian brewers a second distinct profile rather than a variation on the first.
Its high alpha means it bitters efficiently as well, which is unusual for a hop used mostly for aroma.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 14–18% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | aroma |
| Origin | Australia |
| Storage stability | unknown |
How it is used
- Late boil. Added in the last few minutes, retaining more aromatic oils while adding modest bitterness.
- Whirlpool / hop stand. Steeped below boiling after flameout. Extracts aroma and flavour with limited additional bitterness.
- Dry hop. Added after the boil, during or after fermentation. Contributes aroma and flavour with essentially no isomerised bitterness.
If you like Eclipse
Hops with comparable character. Similarity and substitutability are different questions, so each entry says which it is: a hop can smell alike and still change the beer if its alpha acid is far off.
Melba 12–16% alpha
Shares citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit with Eclipse; an aroma variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: nothing in the recorded profile separates the two, which means BeerHQ cannot tell you how they differ rather than that they are interchangeable.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Galaxy 12–16% alpha
Shares citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit with Eclipse; an aroma variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: nothing in the recorded profile separates the two, which means BeerHQ cannot tell you how they differ rather than that they are interchangeable.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
El Dorado 13–16% alpha
Shares citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit with Eclipse; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: nothing in the recorded profile separates the two, which means BeerHQ cannot tell you how they differ rather than that they are interchangeable.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Styrian Wolf 10–15% alpha
Shares citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit with Eclipse; an aroma variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: 4 points lower in alpha acid, so a like-for-like weight swap would change the bitterness.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Harlequin 8–11% alpha
Shares citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit with Eclipse; an aroma variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: 7 points lower in alpha acid, so a like-for-like weight swap would change the bitterness.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Straight substitutes
Close enough in both character and alpha acid to swap at a similar weight. Substitution is directional and imperfect — these are the nearest available options, not equivalents.
- El Dorado — Shares citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit with Eclipse; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Vic Secret — Shares stone fruit, tropical fruit with Eclipse; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.