Hop
Topaz
A high-alpha Australian hop with tropical fruit and a distinctive grassy, resinous edge.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 13–18% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | dual purpose |
| Origin | Australia |
| Breeder | Hop Products Australia |
| Storage stability | good |
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.
If you like Topaz
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.
Vic Secret 14–17% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, pine and resin with Topaz; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings stone fruit that Topaz does not; lacks the grass of Topaz.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Zeus 13–17% alpha
Both lead with pine and resin; a bittering variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings herbal and earth and wood that Topaz does not; lacks the tropical fruit and grass of Topaz.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Azacca 14–16% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, pine and resin with Topaz; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Topaz does not; lacks the grass of Topaz.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Bravo 14–17% alpha
Both lead with pine and resin; a bittering variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings floral and stone fruit that Topaz does not; lacks the tropical fruit and grass of Topaz.
Comparable alpha acid, but a different aroma — a bittering substitute rather than a character one.
Denali 13–15% alpha
Shares tropical fruit, pine and resin with Topaz; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Topaz does not; lacks the grass of Topaz.
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.
- Vic Secret — Shares tropical fruit, pine and resin with Topaz; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Zeus — Both lead with pine and resin; a bittering variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Azacca — Shares tropical fruit, pine and resin with Topaz; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Denali — Shares tropical fruit, pine and resin with Topaz; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.