FAQ’s

Miscellaneous


How should I store my hops?

Hop quality is largely affected by prolonged exposure to heat, oxidisation or light. We recommend that you keep your hops stored in a refrigerated environment in their protective Aluminium (Nitrogen Flushed) foils. There are differing opinions on what temperature is optimal for storage but it is generally advisable that hops be stored as close to freezing temperature as possible.

Hop pellets are inherently quite stable so short periods of storage in general refrigeration (+2 Celsius) is also fine if that is your current storage solution and you intend to use the hops in a reasonable timeframe.


Buying Hops


Does NZHL supply certified organic hops?

The development of organic hops is a response to the worldwide trend of reducing horticultural sprays and to restrict fertilisers to organic manures. Organic hop farming is a positive management system, not just a case of halting the use of sprays and fertilisers. Organic status is a hard regime for those who want to be sure that chemicals are not used in hop production, but organic is currently the only acceptable and legally recognised standard of chemical-free produce and products.

In New Zealand certification of organic hop production is provided by the New Zealand Biological Producers and Consumers Council, whose trade name is Bio-Gro New Zealand Ltd.

Look out for the Bio-Grow New Zealand logo on our hop variety cards. We can currently offer seven varieties grown under the organic regime, and fully Bio-Gro Certified hop cones and hop pellets are available as follows:

Wakatu: 8-10% alpha. Balanced mix of floral and citrus characteristics

Pacific Gem: 13-16% alpha. Strong bittering hop with delicate blackberry/floral nose

Motueka: 7-8% alpha. Unique citrus aroma

Nelson Sauvin: An aroma /dual purpose flavour hop with distinctive “New World” white wine characters (12-13 % AA)

Taiheke: 5-8% alpha. Bold spicey grapefruit aroma

Rakau: A true dual purpose hop with stone fruit and fig characters and excellent bittering qualities. (10-11 % AA)

Wai-iti: A fine aroma hop with fresh peaches and apricot characters within a weight of essential oils (2-4 % AA

(These varieties are available as either organic or conventional)

Where can I buy hop plants or rhizomes?

Certain hop plants and rhizomes do become available seasonally starting around September. New Zealand Hops does not sell or market any hop plants or rhizomes however you can find these available through some local nurseries.

You can contact Mac Hops Limited for more information on hop rootstock availability. New Zealand enquiries only. We cannot supply rhizomes outside NZ.

Please note: Many commercial hop varieties are protected under PVR or other limited license use and are therefore not available to the public.

E-mail admin@machops.co.nz for more information.


Does NZHL sell other hop products?

Yes New Zealand Hops sells a number of extracted hop products including Supercritical CO2 hop extract made from our New Zealand varieties by Pharmalink Extracts Ltd.
CO2 hop extract is a golden to tan, thick honey-like paste with all the natural hop variety specific brewing characteristics. As a pure resin, the alpha acids concentration is variety specific, typically between 25% and 60%.CO2 Hop Extract Typically contains between 3% to 12% hop oils, depending on variety. 

Available in drums, pails or cans for the varieties Super Alpha, Green Bullet, Pacific Gem, Southern Cross, and others upon request. New Zealand C02 Hop Extract can be packed according to a set amount of alpha acid by weight in partially-filled containers (for example 300 gram alpha in a can. At 50% alpha concentration in the extract can will contain 600 grams of extract.)

Please contact our sales team for more info.


Can I order hops as a homebrewer?

As a wholesaler, we supply only approved commercial businesses on a direct supply basis.

We do not sell goods to home brewers directly who are encouraged to speak with our NZ Retailers directly. All our retailers are able to offer bulk deals by arrangement though individual company policies may vary at the discretion of the retailer.