Hop
Riwaka
An intensely aromatic New Zealand hop with grapefruit and passionfruit, in famously short supply.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as well established.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 5–7% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | aroma |
| Origin | New Zealand |
| Ancestry | Saaz |
| 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 Riwaka
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 citrus, tropical fruit with Riwaka; a dual-purpose variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: brings floral that Riwaka does not.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Motueka 7–9% alpha
Shares citrus, tropical fruit with Riwaka; an aroma variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: brings noble spice that Riwaka does not.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Nelson Sauvin 12–13% alpha
Shares citrus, tropical fruit with Riwaka; a dual-purpose variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: brings wine like that Riwaka does not; 7 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.
Nectaron 8–12% alpha
Shares citrus, tropical fruit with Riwaka; an aroma variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: brings stone fruit that Riwaka does not; 5 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.
Callista 2–5% alpha
Shares citrus, tropical fruit with Riwaka; an aroma variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: brings stone fruit that Riwaka does not.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.