Hop
Galaxy
An Australian hop with extraordinary oil content and overwhelming passionfruit and peach character.
Galaxy has among the highest total oil contents of any commercial hop, which is why a modest addition produces so much aroma. It is central to the modern hazy IPA and is used far outside Australia.
It is also unusually sensitive to how it is used: a heavy late charge tips it from passionfruit toward something closer to sweet grass, which is why brewers who love it tend to be specific about timing.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as well established.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 12–16% |
|---|---|
| Total oil | 4–5 ml/100 g |
| Purpose | aroma |
| Origin | Australia |
| Breeder | Hop Products Australia |
| Released | 2009 |
| Storage stability | moderate |
The name is a registered trademark rather than a plain variety name, which affects what a label may say and who may grow it.
How it is used
- 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.
- Late boil. Added in the last few minutes, retaining more aromatic oils while adding modest bitterness.
If you like Galaxy
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.
El Dorado 13–16% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, stone fruit, citrus with Galaxy; 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.
Melba 12–16% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, stone fruit, citrus with Galaxy; an aroma 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.
Citra 11–13% alpha · editorial
Comparable tropical intensity from the United States.
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.
Styrian Wolf 10–15% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, stone fruit, citrus with Galaxy; an aroma 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.
Eclipse 14–18% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, stone fruit, citrus with Galaxy; an aroma variety though it bitters harder.
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.
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 tropical fruit, stone fruit, citrus with Galaxy; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Melba — Shares tropical fruit, stone fruit, citrus with Galaxy; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Styrian Wolf — Shares tropical fruit, stone fruit, citrus with Galaxy; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Vic Secret — An Australian relative with similar passionfruit character.
Combines well with
- Citra — Stacks tropical intensity; a common hazy IPA combination.
Used in
Evidence
What BeerHQ knows about this, and how. Every statement carries the state of the evidence behind it rather than being presented flatly as fact.
Galaxy is notable for an unusually high total oil content relative to most varieties, which is a substantial part of why modest additions produce pronounced passionfruit and peach character.
Backed by a source
Sources: Hop Products Australia variety information; For the Love of Hops — print