Hop
Kohatu
A New Zealand aroma hop with tropical fruit and pine-needle character.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 6–7% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | aroma |
| Origin | New Zealand |
| 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.
If you like Kohatu
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.
Taiheke 6–9% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, floral with Kohatu; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Kohatu does not; lacks the pine and resin of Kohatu.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Cascade 5–7% alpha
Shares pine and resin, floral with Kohatu; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Kohatu does not; lacks the tropical fruit of Kohatu.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Rakau 9–11% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, pine and resin with Kohatu; a dual-purpose variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: brings stone fruit that Kohatu does not; lacks the floral of Kohatu; 4 points higher 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.
Summer 6–7% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, floral with Kohatu; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings stone fruit that Kohatu does not; lacks the pine and resin of Kohatu.
Comparable alpha acid, but a different aroma — a bittering substitute rather than a character one.
Motueka 7–9% alpha
Both lead with tropical fruit; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus and noble spice that Kohatu does not; lacks the pine and resin and floral of Kohatu.
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.
- Cascade — Shares pine and resin, floral with Kohatu; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.