Author: Jordan Folks
As a variety with Saaz in its lineage, Riwaka is widely considered a quintessential Kiwi hop that imparts beer with a pleasant combination of citrus and sweet along with hints of herbal noble-like characteristics. While viewed primarily as an aroma variety, Riwaka’s moderate alpha acid content makes it a good fit for a variety of beer styles.
Alpha: 4.5 – 6.5%
Beta: 4.0 – 5.0%
Cohumulone: 34 – 38% of alpha acids
Total Oil: 1.2 – 1.7 mL / 100g
Myrcene: 65 – 70%
Humulene: 8 – 10%
Caryophyllene: 2 – 6%
Farnesene: 1%
Linalool: unknown
Geraniol: unknown
ß-Pinene: unknown
Parentage: Cross of “Old Line” Saaz with specially developed New Zealand breeding selections
I love New Zealand hops and have used Riwaka several times over the years, though it’s always been in conjunction with other varieties. I was curious how this relatively novel variety would play on its own in a subtly hopped pale lager and brewed up a batch for The Hop Chronicles.
| MAKING THE BEER |
Starting with our standard Hop Chronicles pale lager recipe, I made adjustments to the kettle hop additions to ensure a proper level of bitterness. Thanks to F.H. Steinbart for hooking me up with the malt for this batch!
Riwaka Pale Lager
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 gal | 60 min | 19.2 | 2.8 SRM | 1.046 | 1.006 | 5.25 % |
| Actuals | 1.046 | 1.006 | 5.25 % | |||
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pilsner | 11 lbs | 100 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riwaka | 28 g | 60 min | Boil | Pellet | 5.3 |
| Riwaka | 10 g | 30 min | Boil | Pellet | 5.3 |
| Riwaka | 10 g | 5 min | Boil | Pellet | 5.3 |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global (L13) | Imperial Yeast | 77% | 46°F - 55.9°F |
Notes
| Water Profile Ca 59 | Mg 4 | Na 0 | SO4 61 | Cl 55 |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
After collecting the full volume of water, adjusting it to my desired profile, and getting it heating up, I weighed out and milled the grain.
When the water was properly heated, I incorporated the grains before checking the mash temperature.
During the mash rest, I prepared the kettle hop additions.
Once the 60 minute mash was complete, I removed the grains and proceeded to boil for 60 minutes, after which I chilled the wort then took a refractometer reading.
After transferring the wort to fermenter and placing it my chamber to continue chilling, I used a small amount of remnant wort to make a vitality starter of Imperial Yeast L13 Global.
With the beer at my target fermentation temperature of 64°F/17°C, I pitched the yeast then let it ferment for a week before taking a hydrometer measurement confirming FG was reached.
At this point, I cold-crashed the beer for 24 hours then pressure-transferred it to a CO2 purged keg, which was placed in my keezer and burst carbonated overnight before the gas was reduced to serving pressure. After a week of conditioning, it was ready to serve to blind tasters.
| METHOD |
Participants were instructed to focus only on the aromatic qualities of the beer before evaluating the flavor. For each aroma and flavor descriptor, tasters were asked to write-in the perceived strength of that particular characteristic on a 0-9 scale where a rating of 0 meant they did not perceive the character at all and a 9 rating meant the character was extremely strong. Once the data was collected, the average rating of each aroma and flavor descriptor was compiled and analyzed.
| RESULTS |
A total of 20 people participated in the evaluation of this beer, all blind to the hop variety used until after they completed the survey. The average aroma and flavor ratings for each descriptor were plotted on a radar graph.
Average Ratings of Aroma and Flavor Perceptions
The 3 characteristics endorsed as being most prominent by participants:
| Aroma | Flavor |
| Tropical Fruit | Citrus |
| Apple/Pear | Apple/Pear |
| Citrus + Stone Fruit (tie) | Tropical Fruit |
The 3 characteristics endorsed as being least prominent by participants:
| Aroma | Flavor |
| Onion/Garlic | Onion/Garlic |
| Dank/Catty | Dank/Catty |
| Pine + Earthy/Woody (tie) | Berry |
Next, participants were asked to rate the pungency/strength of the hop.
Tasters were then instructed to identify beer styles they thought the hop would work well in.
Finally, participants were asked to rate how much they enjoyed the hop character on a 1 to 10 scale.
My Impressions: I perceived this beer as having a noticeable green apple/pear character with some supporting lime and perfumy floral character, which was nicely balanced by a bready pilsner malt flavor.
| CONCLUSION |
Commercially released by the New Zealand Plant & Food Hop Research Centre in 1997, Riwaka quickly earned a positive reputation for both its agronomic and organoleptic qualities. While certain usages can pull out its Saaz lineage, the primary characteristics associated with Riwaka are sweet fruit and citrus.
The prominent aroma and flavor characteristics noted by tasters of a pale lager hopped solely with Riwaka were tropical fruit, apple/pear, and citrus, which aligns rather nicely with existing descriptions of this variety. Moreover, less desirable notes of onion/garlic and dank/catty were among the lowest rated characteristics. Despite the lower hopping rate, a majority of tasters felt the hop pungency in this beer was moderate to strong, and an equal number felt it work just as well in pale lager as hoppier IPA/APA.
Having used Riwaka prior to this Hop Chronicles, I had some idea of what to expect, and I felt the hop character in this pale lager was fairly complex, especially for how lowly hopped it was. I enjoyed how the fruity and floral notes melded with the bready pilsner malt, my personal opinion is that it really shines when used alongside varieties like Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, and Nectaron. Whether alone or in combination with other hops, Riwaka is a variety I feel has a place in a variety of styles, and I’ll certainly be using it more in the future.
Riwaka hops are available now at Yakima Valley Hops, get some while you can! If you have any thoughts on this variety, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
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