Waimea hops for tangelo and pine in a West Coast IPA

Waimea brings citrus and resin to the kettle

Waimea is a New Zealand variety released by Plant and Food Research in the early 2010s and named after the Waimea plains near Nelson. It is a high alpha hop, typically in the mid to high teens, with a strong aroma of citrus and pine.

The citrus is usually described as tangelo, a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit. That is a fair description. It is sweeter than grapefruit and sharper than orange. The pine is resinous and firm, closer to the classic American C hops than most New Zealand varieties. That combination is why we think of Waimea as a West Coast hop that happens to grow in New Zealand.

West Coast IPA wants a dry stage

A West Coast IPA is dry, clear and bitter. It uses a lean grist of mostly pale malt with little or no crystal, a mash at around 64 to 65 °C to make the wort fermentable and a clean American ale yeast. The finished beer often sits at 1.008 to 1.012 FG with bitterness of 55 to 70 IBU.

That dryness is what lets the hops speak. Sweetness from crystal malt or a high finishing gravity dulls the pine and turns the citrus to marmalade. If your West Coast IPA tastes heavy, look at the mash temperature and the crystal malt before you look at the hops.

A simple Waimea schedule

For a 20 litre batch at 1.062 OG, Waimea can do almost everything:

• Bittering: 25 to 30 g at 60 minutes, for roughly 45 to 50 IBU on a Tinseth estimate.
• Whirlpool: 40 g at 80 °C for 15 minutes.
• Dry hop: 80 to 100 g (4 to 5 g per litre) after fermentation.

Because Waimea is high in alpha acids, that whirlpool addition adds real bitterness, often another 10 IBU or more. Count it, or a beer planned at 50 IBU can land well past 60. Pairing it with a pine and resin hop such as Chinook doubles down on the classic profile. Pairing it with a tropical hop softens it.

The bitterness question

Some brewers find Waimea's bitterness a little coarse when it is used for the whole 60 minute charge in a big IPA. Hop bitterness quality depends partly on the co-humulone share of the alpha acids, though how much that matters is still argued about.

If you find it harsh, try a split: bitter with a clean, neutral hop and save Waimea for the whirlpool and dry hop. You lose a little simplicity and gain a softer finish. Taste both and decide. That is the only honest test.

Storing a high alpha hop in India

Alpha acids break down faster in warm storage. A hop stored at room temperature in an Indian summer can lose a meaningful share of its alpha in a few months, which means less bitterness than your recipe expects. The hop storage index on a supplier's sheet tells you how a variety tends to hold up. Our guide to hop storage and freshness explains what to do with it.

Keep Waimea frozen in its foil, sealed against air. If you buy in bulk for several brews, split it into smaller vacuum sealed packs so you only open what you need. Every time a pack is opened warm, moisture and oxygen get in.

A grist that gets out of the way

The malt bill for a Waimea West Coast IPA should be short. For 20 litres at 1.062:

• 5.6 kg pale ale or pilsner malt (93%).
• 0.2 kg Vienna or light Munich malt (3%) for a touch of bready depth.
• 0.25 kg dextrose (4%), added to the boil, to help the beer finish dry.

Mash at 64 to 65 °C for 60 to 75 minutes. Ferment with a clean American ale strain at 18 °C and let it rise to 20 °C near the end so the yeast finishes the job. Expect an FG near 1.010 and around 6.8% ABV.

Water should lean towards sulphate. A sulphate to chloride ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 makes the bitterness crisp and lets the pine cut through. Get the water wrong and even perfect hops taste muddy.

Crash the beer cold once the dry hop is done and it has cleared. A clear West Coast IPA shows its citrus more cleanly than a murky one. It also holds its aroma better in the keg.

Brew it, then measure it

Waimea rewards a single hop brew more than most. You get bitterness, pine and citrus from one variety, so you can taste exactly what it does at each stage.

Brew the schedule above and note the FG. If it finished above 1.012, the beer will not show Waimea at its best, so drop your mash temperature by a degree next time and brew it again.

Common questions

What does Waimea taste like?

Tangelo citrus, sweeter than grapefruit and sharper than orange, with firm pine resin behind it.

Is Waimea good for bittering?

Yes. Its alpha acids are high, usually in the mid to high teens, so it bitters efficiently. Some brewers prefer a cleaner bittering hop and use Waimea late.

What styles suit Waimea?

West Coast IPA and American style pale ales suit it best, because their dry finish lets the pine and citrus show.

Does Waimea add bitterness in the whirlpool?

Yes. With alpha acids this high, a whirlpool addition adds noticeable bitterness, so include it in your IBU estimate.