Waimea

[Rowy]

My comment of "not in your face" may have steered some people the wrong way. What I meant was ............late......... doesn't smash you in the face.....not harsh or overpowering......for me just right...........still has heaps of flavour though......and I like hops :super:

 

[stux]

I needed to add Waimea hops to my BeerSmith 2 database, so I built this profile from the spec sheet uploaded earlier.

You should just be able to import it into your copy, if you want

View attachment Waimea 2012 Pellets.bsmx

Hopefully I got it right, but if there is anything wrong with it, let me know


Enjoy

 

[Nick JD]

I tried an APA with Waimea and NZ Cascade at a club meeting a while back that was supurb, but it was difficult to "remove the cascade" and just get the waimea in my head. Tasted a lot like a cascade and citra combo.

IIRC, there was a metric bucketload of hops in it.

Seems like a better release than the last couple from NZ.

 

[Rowy]

I tried an APA with Waimea and NZ Cascade at a club meeting a while back that was supurb, but it was difficult to "remove the cascade" and just get the waimea in my head. Tasted a lot like a cascade and citra combo.

IIRC, there was a metric bucketload of hops in it.

Seems like a better release than the last couple from NZ.

I could see why the Cascade could interfere Nick. But on it's own.............the only way I could describe it is..............a mixture between a US and UK hop...........yep give it to me all th experts but that is what it tastes like to me :icon_cheers:

 

[jacknohe]

I went to an Epic Beer night in Sydney where Luke Nicholas said he was rather nervous during the ferment of "First Batch" when the odur coming from the fermenter smelled like rubber or a burned rubber.

I put together a basic golden pale ale using a combo of Waimea (0.75g/litre) and NS (0.5g/litre) at 20mins which has only just finished fermenting. I now know what Luke meant. Very different smell. Anyone else get this?

Taste wise, its a very tropical combination and rather pleasant. Hopefully the smell disappears though. Not sure if I should add it as a hop tea for aroma.

 

[bignath]

I went to an Epic Beer night in Sydney where Luke Nicholas said he was rather nervous during the ferment of "First Batch" when the odur coming from the fermenter smelled like rubber or a burned rubber.

I put together a basic golden pale ale using a combo of Waimea (0.75g/litre) and NS (0.5g/litre) at 20mins which has only just finished fermenting. I now know what Luke meant. Very different smell. Anyone else get this?

Taste wise, its a very tropical combination and rather pleasant. Hopefully the smell disappears though. Not sure if I should add it as a hop tea for aroma.

Never had rubber smell from it, only a fruity zesty melon thing going on. When i used it, it "tasted like it smelt" if you know what i mean.

Wasn't a bad beer at all, but i've got other far more interesting things going on at the moment, that i can't be rooted brewing with it again for a while.
If i wasn't on so much of a bender with Citra, Nelson, Galaxy or Columbus, i'd do it again though...

 

[jacknohe]

Never had rubber smell from it, only a fruity zesty melon thing going on. When i used it, it "tasted like it smelt" if you know what i mean.

Wasn't a bad beer at all, but i've got other far more interesting things going on at the moment, that i can't be rooted brewing with it again for a while.
If i wasn't on so much of a bender with Citra, Nelson, Galaxy or Columbus, i'd do it again though...

Ok, thanks. That's reassurring. Yeah, I can smell the fruity melon zesty thing you describe. There's probably just a hint of aroma that reminds me of rubber. Maybe its an New Zealander thing!!! :lol:

 

[Rowy]

Never got burnt rubber. I'm drinking a single hop APA at this moment with it. Tastes and smells great...........melon and some citrus with a hint of mango but still has an earthy tone................love it!

 

[felten]

I've heard the burnt rubber/petrol thing in regards to hops often from commercial brewer interviews, so it's not just you. Can't say I've noticed it myself though.

 

[jacknohe]

Never got burnt rubber. I'm drinking a single hop APA at this moment with it. Tastes and smells great...........melon and some citrus with a hint of mango but still has an earthy tone................love it!

Orsum! Maybe I'll try it by itself next time assess the flavour (and smell).

 

[Batz]

I was a bit mmm about it, but everyone I poured a glass for loved it. Time to revisit perhaps, anyone dry kegged hopped with this?

 

[chrisso81]

Are there any other commercial brews that use Waimea hops? The inlaws are in NZ at the moment, I've asked them to keep an eye out for the Epic beer but I don't like my chances considering its been out for a while.

 

[Pickaxe]

Did we lose interest? Did it not do much for anyone?

Just wondering how people are thinking about it now - seems like the enthusiasm died on the post, guessing the hop too?

How are people using it, how it's tasting, and would it be a good single hop selection? Just thought I'd try something new. Got it cheap, which as others have pointed out, probably says a lot. But I'm up for trying something different.

 

[bignath]

It's an okay hop, not outstanding imho.

There are heaps more interesting hops in my freezer to use. I enjoyed my beer i made with it, but i'm loving Galaxy, Columbus, Citra, Nelson Sauvin at the moment.

All big flavour/aroma hops by themselves. To me the Waimea just seemed a bit weak and lifeless.

your mileage may very well vary.

 

[Nick JD]

To me the Waimea just seemed a bit weak and lifeless.

That's exactly how I would describe it, but it seemed a litte harsh as well. If you made a Waimea SMaSH and handed someone a glass of it and asked them what hop was in there I think they would struggle to pick it even if they were familiar with it.

And that's what we're looking for now isn't it? Hops with unique character? Something bold like Nelson Sauvin that's unmistakable. When will the next bold hop come out of NZ though I wonder? Been a while...

I reckon I can pick all the "legend" hops on the aroma cracking the bottletop.

 

[Pickaxe]

For better or worse, I'll give a Waimea a go, even as an educational experiment, it will show me what a great hop is by what it lacks. I'm still learning about the characteristics of each hop. After the massive passionfruit I got out of Galaxy in my last APA, it'll be hard to to impress me. That last batch really showed me what a good hop on the right schedule can do. (Thanks to bums advice). I was thinking about buying a 1kg of Galaxy and not making another beer until I ran out! HAHA!

Looking forward to trying Nelson & Citra too.

Maybe I shouldn't have been a cheap asshole and paid for another hop? But as they say; if you want to be a cheap asshole, expect the shittiest portion.

 

[Yob]

dont pigeon hole yourself with a hop mate, there are a bunch out there and the blending options and resultant tastes are almost endless..

 

[Nick JD]

For better or worse, I'll give a Waimea a go, even as an educational experiment, it will show me what a great hop is by what it lacks. I'm still learning about the characteristics of each hop. After the massive passionfruit I got out of Galaxy in my last APA, it'll be hard to to impress me. That last batch really showed me what a good hop on the right schedule can do. (Thanks to bums advice). I was thinking about buying a 1kg of Galaxy and not making another beer until I ran out! HAHA!

Looking forward to trying Nelson & Citra too.

Maybe I shouldn't have been a cheap asshole and paid for another hop? But as they say; if you want to be a cheap asshole, expect the shittiest portion.

If you love Galaxy, you'll love Nelson and Citra.

 

[krausenhaus]

A while back I made a NZPA with Waimea, Kohatu and Wai-iti, and could hardly taste any hops at all. Had to hop-tea it back to life with Motueka.

Consequently have never tried using any of the three again.

 

[bignath]

If you love Galaxy, you'll love Nelson and Citra.

I agree.

All three are very different hops, but shine when used as strong flavour / aroma additions in particular. Good bittering hops too.