Hop
Olicana
A modern English hop bred for tropical character, and evidence that English breeding moved on from Fuggle and Goldings.
Olicana is one of the results of the Wye and later British breeding work aimed at giving English growers varieties that could compete with New World aroma hops.
Mango and passionfruit lead, with a grapefruit edge — recognisably modern, and grown in Herefordshire rather than Yakima or Nelson.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 7–10% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | aroma |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| 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 Olicana
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.
Triumph 8–12% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit with Olicana; 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.
Harlequin 8–11% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit with Olicana; 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.
Southern Passion 9–11% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit with Olicana; 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.
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, citrus, stone fruit with Olicana; an aroma variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: 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.
Citra 11–13% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit with Olicana; an aroma variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: 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.
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.
- Triumph — Shares tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit with Olicana; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Harlequin — Shares tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit with Olicana; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Barbe Rouge — Shares citrus, stone fruit with Olicana; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Nectaron — Shares tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit with Olicana; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.