Wai-Iti Hops - anybody used them?

[Algernon]

Or am I about to forge a new path in hop knowledge?

 

[Vossy1]

Never heard of them until you posted, quick google sound very interesting as a late addition or dry hop :hmm:

 

[Algernon]

That was the plan I had in mind in this recipe viewtopic.php?f=14&t=42959
I had never heard of them either. Let the experiments begin!

 

[borischarlton]

They are fantastic. I tried a single hop brew from a customer and they were as distinctive as the first time I tried Amarillo, tropical fruit. They were in very short supply last year so I only managed to get 5kg and never managed to use them myself. Can't wait to use them in a simply pale ale this year.

Rob

 

[jimp2003]

They are fantastic. I tried a single hop brew from a customer and they were as distinctive as the first time I tried Amarillo, tropical fruit. They were in very short supply last year so I only managed to get 5kg and never managed to use them myself. Can't wait to use them in a simply pale ale this year.

Rob

That wasn't my brew was it Rob? I seem to remember dropping you off a bottle or two last year...? Nice to see you have more in stock this year!


This is the recipe that I used with Wai-Iti:

Wai-Iti Pale (Blonde Ale)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.049 (°P): 12.1
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (°P): 3.1
Alcohol (ABV): 4.81 %
Colour (SRM): 3.8 (EBC): 7.4
Bitterness (IBU): 25.8 (Average)

88.8% Pale Malt
4.67% Caragold (Crisp)
3.73% Carapils (Dextrine)
2.8% Torrified Wheat

40g Riwaka (5.4% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
25g Wai-Iti (4.5% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
75g Wai-Iti (4.5% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)


Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 18°C with Safeale S-04


They are bl@@dy lovely and it's great to see they are back in stock. If I didn't have so many hops to use up I would be brewing this again asap.

Let us know how you get on with them Algernon.

Cheers!

 

[Algernon]

Booze reviews are a regular thing for me. Once I have data I shall let y'all know how these hops turn out. They smell nice into the fermenter, which is encouraging. They will be working with Pacific Jade hops, so we'll see how they come out.
My recipe is even simpler than the one below so hopefully it will provide good information, assuming it tastes ok, of course ;-)

 

[Algernon]

Oops - I may have neglected to reply to this thread, however given that I stumbled on it looking for info on Wai-Iti and there is so little info out there, I'll just cast my old "raise from the graaave!" and necro this ancient thread back into the land of the living.
So, I brewed twice with these hops. my 3rd and 9th all grains.
Try 1 was immensely popular with my other half (never quite made it again the way she liked though).
Grain Bill:

4.25kg MO

250g Pale Wheat Malt

Campden Tablet

Hops:

60 mins --Pacific Jade 20g 12.5%aa

15 mins -- 30g each Pacific Jade & Wai-Iti 4.5%aa & Irish Moss

Flameout -- Pacific Jade & Wai-Iti 20g each

Pale and lemony - had an unusual bitterness to it which I couldn't put my finger on at the time, but now (6 years later) I realise was from one or other of the hops, and not an off-flavour after all.

Second time was the same recipe but I batch primed and simultaneously made hop tea from 30g each of Wai-Iti and Pacific Jade
I preferred this version, but it didn't get the matrimonial seal of approval, alas, so I had to drink it all. Definitely lemony, citrus flavours. The first time I used Wilko own brand yeast, which (in 2013 at least) was rumoured to be Nottingham. Second time was US-05 which I hoped would be a cleaner flavour. It was, but that may be what was missing?
Wai-Iti is a mild hop and you either need to use it to make a standard pale ale, or accept that you must use a cubic crapload to get really intense flavours from it. I don't think it competes too well with other hops, but more research is needed in this area.

 

[Norfolk79]

Ordered 100g of them with my last order to try, planning to brew a pilsner like brew, using California Common lager yeast.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Oops - I may have neglected to reply to this thread,

Only 6 years have passed no one will notice.

.

 

[AlDaviz]

Hi
I bought some of these as they were really cheap around 6 months ago, I used them in a NEipa but it turned out really bitter but the fruity smells and flavours were there.
I used them last week in my next NEipa but when I opened the first bag to use as dry hop there wasn’t much smell, so I used 200g plus other’s to dry hop, can’t wait to see how it’s turned out !
Bottling tomorrow

 

[simon12]

It's one of my favourite hops but is easily over powered so I think the pacific jade has taken over. I recently had a commercial Whitstable brewery single hop Taiheke which is the best NZ hopped beer I have had in ages.

 

[Sadfield]

Sorry @Algernon only joined the forum in 2016 else I would have responded to your original post.

I love Wai-iti hops and have used them a few times and currently have two beers in the fv that are 100% Wai-iti. A split batch brew, half fermented with Belle Saison and dry hopped and half fermented with Belgian Abbey yeast (MJ M47) with sugar addition to raise the Abv by 2%. I've done a couple of saisons with them, a lager and lime beer in combination with Wakatu and Chocolate Lime American brown ale. I also often use them with other hops in my 0.5% beers as the low alpha acids help keep the IBUs low. They're great for Lime flavours, recent harvests seem to add lemon and mandarin notes, where as in the past they used to be a bit peachier, in my experience.

 

[peebee]

Popular hops. So popular I've not been able to find any younger than 2017 in the last few months (2-1/2 years old - NZ remember). I'd love to try these hops, but no way am I putting "hay" in my beer.