Hop variety to take ‘industry by storm’
NZ Hops has revealed a new hop, called nectaron, which has brewers around the country excited.
Sprig and Fern owner/brewer Tracy Banner produced the first brew made with it last month.
‘‘We didn’t have much of it, but the pale ale from it was one of our quickest sellers. It’s vibrant, almost pungent. It’s like biting into a freshly picked peach. It’s nothing we’ve experienced before; it will take the brewing industry by storm.’’
The newcomer, according to NZ Hops, has intense nectarine, pineapple and passionfruit aromas and flavours and is called nectaron (combining its nectarine character, the delicious ‘‘nectar of the gods’’ drink in Greek mythology and the first name of its creator, Food and Plant Research geneticist Ron Beatson).
Over the past two years, a few kilograms of hop No 4437 (just named nectaron) has been available for brewers to evaluate and experiment with. ‘‘We called it the ‘wow’ hop,’’ says Tracy.
Only about 25,000kg of nectaron (out of a total hop harvest of 1,232,000kg) was harvested this year as growers started to propagate it.
It takes years to develop a new hop variety (nectaron took 17 years) and only about seven have been produced in New Zealand since the 1960s.
Hops were first used in beer in the 1400s as a preservative but now are used primarily for their bitterness to counter malt sweetness and for aroma and flavour.
New pilsner
DB has replaced its
Monteith’s Beacon Bohemian pilsner (5%), which was suffering from falling popularity, with a new one called Wayfarer (4.9%).
The new one has more hop aroma and flavour than the traditionally maltier Bohemian style. It has a pronounced hop aroma and a nice balance of malt and hop flavours with a hint of sweetness balancing the hop bitterness. It’s the same price as its predecessor; about $25 a dozen.
Another pale ale
Tuatara has added another pale ale to its range of hazy, IPA, APA, Aotearoa and Iti ales which range in strength from 3.3% (Iti) to 6.1% (IPA).
Pacific pale ale (4.4%) features Australian and New Zealand hops which deliver an inviting tropical aroma and the sweetness of pineapple flavour contrasted with the tart of passionfruit — a refreshing hopdominated drink for the coming hotter days. (In sixpacks; about $23.)
More oops
Hard on the heels of a Canadian brewer coming unstuck with a Maorinamed beer (August 19 column) is an American brewer who has embarrassed itself with the Hindu community.
It named its hazy IP Aqua Shiva (Shiva is one of the great Hindi deities, highly revered and worshipped only in temples or home shrines) and immediately withdrew the brew when it realised the offence.
The religion’s American spokesman said companies should be considerate of religious and cultural sensitivities when naming or advertising products — echoing the advice brewers here recently received from Maori circles after the Canadian brewer named a beer containing New Zealand hops ‘‘Huruhuru’’, meaning pubic hair.