Hop
Pacifica
A gentle New Zealand aroma hop with orange marmalade and noble floral character.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 5–6% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | aroma |
| Origin | New Zealand |
| Ancestry | Hallertauer Mittelfrüh |
| 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
- 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.
- Traditional late lager hopping. Continental practice of late kettle additions of noble varieties for a fine, spicy-floral character.
If you like Pacifica
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.
Saphir 2–5% alpha
Shares citrus, floral, noble spice with Pacifica; 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.
Hallertauer Tradition 5–7% alpha
Shares floral, noble spice with Pacifica; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings herbal that Pacifica does not; lacks the citrus of Pacifica.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Wakatu 7–9% alpha
Shares citrus, floral with Pacifica; a dual-purpose variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: brings herbal that Pacifica does not; lacks the noble spice of Pacifica.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Ahtanum 4–7% alpha
Shares citrus, floral with Pacifica; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings earth and wood that Pacifica does not; lacks the noble spice of Pacifica.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Bramling Cross 5–7% alpha
Shares citrus, noble spice with Pacifica; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings berry that Pacifica does not; lacks the floral of Pacifica.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
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.
- Hallertauer Tradition — Shares floral, noble spice with Pacifica; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Ahtanum — Shares citrus, floral with Pacifica; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Bramling Cross — Shares citrus, noble spice with Pacifica; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Cascade — Shares citrus, floral with Pacifica; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.