Hop
Rakau
A New Zealand dual-purpose hop with apricot, stone fruit and resinous pine.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 9–11% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | dual purpose |
| Origin | New Zealand |
| Storage stability | good |
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
- Bittering (early boil). Added at or near the start of the boil, where long exposure isomerises alpha acids into bitterness and drives off aroma.
- 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 Rakau
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.
Nectaron 8–12% alpha
Shares stone fruit, tropical fruit with Rakau; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Rakau does not; lacks the pine and resin of Rakau.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Idaho 7 9–14% alpha
Shares stone fruit, pine and resin, tropical fruit with Rakau; a dual-purpose variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: brings earth and wood that Rakau does not.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Southern Passion 9–11% alpha
Shares stone fruit, tropical fruit with Rakau; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Rakau does not; lacks the pine and resin of Rakau.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Superdelic 10–13% alpha
Shares stone fruit, tropical fruit with Rakau; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings berry that Rakau does not; lacks the pine and resin of Rakau.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Mosaic 12–14% alpha
Shares stone fruit, pine and resin, tropical fruit with Rakau; an aroma variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: brings berry that Rakau does not.
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.
- Nectaron — Shares stone fruit, tropical fruit with Rakau; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Southern Passion — Shares stone fruit, tropical fruit with Rakau; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Harlequin — Shares stone fruit, tropical fruit with Rakau; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Vista — Shares stone fruit, tropical fruit with Rakau; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.