Kiwi Lager

The hops shortage between 2010 and 2011 forced American brewers to broaden their myopic view of hops beyond traditional growing regions like Washington, Oregon and Germany. First, desperate American brewers ran to amazingly cheap Argentinian Cascades. The Pale Ales and IPAs were saved! That is, until people tasted the first efforts and realized that the results were awful—the hops bore no resemblance to the citrus bombs we adore.

Eventually, brewers turned to New Zealand, a region that’s offering unique hops while avoiding duplication. (Duplication can kill interest in a region.) Thanks to the island’s isolation and a breeding program that successfully purged bugs from the hop strains, New Zealand hops are largely free of diseases and pests. In fact, most NZ hops are organically produced. Hops in NZ are also kiln dried using indirect hot water radiators, yielding a product that’s free of carcinogens and nitrosamines, according to Freshops.com. This ideal agricultural playground has yielded new spins on hops.

New Zealand’s nascent craft brew scene is just beginning to impact hop development and thus most of the older kiwi hops are still primed for lager styles. In that light, our recipe this month is a lager spin on my single-hop test beer. I used my favorite lager yeast strain, the WLP833 German Bock strain, reputedly of Ayinger origin.

To make a golden malty lager: Ferment for two weeks at 50°F, raise to 65°F for two days and then chill to 34°F for two more weeks. Not capable of lagering? Use a German Ale yeast instead, at 60°F.

THE HOPS
Aroma
Moteuka – This hop, born of Saazer parents, is the classic old-school Noble knockoff. Use it as you would Czech Saaz or Sterling. Lagers, bocks, Belgian ales.

Pacifica – The Noble hybrid from the Hallertaur side of the German fence. Spicier than Moteuka, the hop also carries some of the fruit characters that are a hallmark of New Zealand hops.

Riwaka – Arguably New Zealand’s Cascade. This is the grapefruit bomb. Thanks to the growing demand for “American” style hops, this variety has been growing in popularity. Several American craft brewers have made amazing Riwaka IPAs, so if that’s your bag, seek this one out.

Bittering
Green Bullet – This is a big hop. (Seriously, the cones are huge!) The high alpha acid and sparse aroma/flavor descriptors betray its purpose as a general-purpose bittering hop with minimal impact. Think a Magnum-type hop with more “Noble” spiciness

Pacific Gem – Proving that sometimes greatness can come from the awful past. Pacific Gem starts with a foundation of the original American hop, Cluster. Gem, however, removes Cluster’s cattiness in favor of its blackberry qualities.

Pacific Jade – I’ve never used Jade, but the descriptions of citrus and pepper spice make me think Sasion.

Southern Cross – Another hop I’ve never used, but this one carries descriptors of lemon and pine, so I can easily imagine an IPA in the same vein as a Columbus or Sorachi Ace.

Dual Purpose
Nelson Sauvin – At last, the superstar of the scene. Of all the hops available in the US, this is the one capturing everyone’s attention for its distinctive white wine character. Maybe it’s just the power of New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blancs, but I swear this now-hard-to-procure hop provides a punch of grape, green apple and grass. There have been several commercial IPAs and Saisons showcasing Nelson, and they’ve been awesome.

KIWI LAGER
For 5.5 gallons at 1.056, ~20 IBU, 4.7 SRM, 5.7% ABV

Malt / Grain / Sugar
10.0 lb. German Pilsner Malt
0.5 lb. Belgian Crystal 8 (Caramel Pils)
0.5 lb. Munich Malt

Mash
Single Infusion for 60 minutes at 152°F

Hops
(AAU = AA% * Weight Oz. Take your hop’s AA and divide by the AAU to figure out weight)
3.75 AAU Bittering Charge for 60 minutes
1.0 oz Aroma Charge for 0 minutes

Yeast
WLP833 German Bock Yeast ■