What do yall know about AlphAroma hops from New Zealand? I can't find any info online outside of oil levels, which don't really tell me what they smell and taste like. Thanks for the feedback.
Are you talking about Super Alpha? If so, they give off a slight lemon grass and piney flavor/smell, with a bit of a resinous flavor as well.
Not that I know of. My understanding is that AlphAroma is an older NZ variety that doesn't really see much use anymore. A buddy has them growing in his yard and I am getting a bunch of rhyzomes from him, wanting to know what these are like. I'm hoping he has some other NZ types, especially Super Alpha, Sticklebract, Nelson Sauvin, and Pacific Gem.
I see this question is a couple of years old. Did you find out from your friend's hops what it smells like? Looking at the balance of oils, high myrcene and humulene, and a high registering farnesene, I would expect it to have an herbaceous and peppery aroma with some lemon zest notes. It is known for its boldness, but I can't really find much online to solidly indicate its flavor.
I did find some information. When reading the HOPS book by Hieranymous I found this obscure reference to AlphAroma hops tucked in the description of NZ Rakau hops. AlphAroma was renamed Rakau, which is said to have high levels of tropical notes. I recently brewed a SMaSH APA with 2nd runnings GP and 1056 with them, nothing to get in the way of the hops. When I opened the vacuum sealed bag it was a huge let down. I hit the last 10 mins of the boil with 6 oz, and even DH with 2 more oz, and it was barely detectable. Much like a Noble hop character, just super dull. I have another 10oz that I might use, but we will see.
