Hop
Wakatu
A New Zealand hop combining noble floral character with lime and fresh herb.
Also known as Hallertau Aroma.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 7–9% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | dual purpose |
| Origin | New Zealand |
| Ancestry | Hallertauer Mittelfrüh |
| 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
- 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.
- Traditional late lager hopping. Continental practice of late kettle additions of noble varieties for a fine, spicy-floral character.
If you like Wakatu
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 floral, citrus with Wakatu; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings tropical fruit that Wakatu does not; lacks the herbal of Wakatu.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Bobek 3–7% alpha
Shares floral, citrus, herbal with Wakatu; a dual-purpose 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.
First Gold 7–9% alpha
Shares floral, citrus with Wakatu; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings earth and wood that Wakatu does not; lacks the herbal of Wakatu.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Motueka 7–9% alpha
Both lead with citrus; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings noble spice and tropical fruit that Wakatu does not; lacks the floral and herbal of Wakatu.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Southern Aroma 3–5% alpha
Shares floral, citrus, herbal with Wakatu; an aroma variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: 4 points lower 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.
- Taiheke — Shares floral, citrus with Wakatu; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- First Gold — Shares floral, citrus with Wakatu; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Motueka — Both lead with citrus; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Sterling — Shares citrus, herbal with Wakatu; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.