Nick Carr on April 15, 2020 0 Comments Motueka (pronounced Mo-two-e-ka) is one of the major hop growing regions in New Zealand. What better reason to give a hop the same name? Motueka is a “Noble-esque” hop which came out of the New Zealand Plant & Food Research when it was still known as HortResearch (Horticulture and Food Research Institute). Motueka is a triploid (seedless) hop, bred from a cross between Saaz (one-third) and two New Zealand breeding selections (two-thirds). Breeding triploid hop varieties isn’t anything new for New Zealanders, in fact, it was this program that bred the first triploid hop plants back in the 1970s. During selection and breeding trials Motueka was simply known by a number designation, 87.14-20. Then, while brewing trials were going on, a Belgian brewery took a shine to the new hop and it gained the name Belgian Saaz. A name that was later shortened to B Saaz to avoid any confusion about the hop’s origin. Later, a third change gave the hop its current name, Motueka. Motueka is the second most popular New Zealand hop, just behind Nelson Sauvin. How To Brew With Motueka Hops If you plan on growing hops in your backyard, we would make a few recommendations to help you in your endeavors. Before you choose the variety you want to grow, it’s a good idea to talk to other local growers or possibly someone at your local homebrew supply store. They may be able to point you toward varieties that grow well in your area. That being said, the Motueka variety is proprietary, so there isn’t any legal way for home hop gardeners to get, whole plants or rhizomes. But don’t fret too much. There are plenty of other great varieties you can plant. For some ideas be sure to check out our other hop profiles. General Characteristics: Origin- New Zealand; New Zealand’s HortResearch Year Released- 1997 Growth Rate– Vigorous Yield– Low to Medium (1,070 – 1,338lbs/acre) Cones– Cylindrical, loose Maturity– Early Season Susceptible to– New Zealand doesn’t have any hop diseases Resistant to– N/A Ease of Harvest– medium to hard, due to loose cone structure Storage– Good; Retains 60% to 70% alpha acid after 6 months storage at 68oF Proprietary or Public- Proprietary ACID COMPOSITION BREAKDOWN Note: Hop oil composition will vary between harvest years and where the hop was grown. The numbers below are meant to be an average only. Alpha Acid: 6.5 – 7.5% Beta Acid: 5.0 – 5.5% Co-Humulone: 29.0% OIL COMPOSITION BREAKDOWN Total Oils: 0.8 ml/100g Myrcene Oil (% of total): 47 – 49%% Humulene Oil (% of total: 3.5 – 3.7% Caryophyllene Oil (% of total): 2% Franesene Oil (% of total): 12.2% B-Pinene Oil (% of total): data unavailable Linalool Oil (% of total): 1.6% Geraniol Oil (% of total): 0% Aroma & Sensory Description: Motueka carries some of the same noble character as its Saaz parent. In the nose it has a bright and lively citrus quality of lemon and lime along with some tropical, floral, and stone fruit whispers. Often the tropical fruit comes through more prominently in the flavor, along with floral and spicy/herbal notes (often hinting at rosemary and basil). Its bittering is considered well-balanced, clean, and pleasant. Availability: Motueka hops shouldn’t be too difficult to find, though you may have to go online if your local store doesn’t carry them. Like all imported hops they will be easiest to find in pellet form (pellets travel better and last longer than whole cone), but it may be possible to find them in whole cone form early in the season. Note: New Zealand’s seasons are reversed (being in the Southern Hemisphere) from our own, so New Zealand hops are sometimes available when other varieties aren’t. Use: Motueka is probably most often used as an aroma hop, but its alpha acid gives it enough weight to be called into use as a dual purpose variety and a great option for any single hopped brew. To get the full citrus and tropical fruit deluge be sure to do some dry hopping. It’s oil composition and alpha acid percentage makes it an interesting balancing choice in higher gravity styles, but its mix of noble and new world lineages also give it the ability to bring something new to traditional pilsners and other lighter styles. Can Substitute With/For These Hops: Saaz Sterling Common Beer Styles Using Motueka Hops: Bohemian Pilsner Lagers Golden Ales British Bitters Pale Ales IPAs Saisons Belgian Styles Commercial Examples: To help you gain a better idea of this hop’s aroma and flavor I would recommend you sample as many of these as you can find. This research will deepen your understanding of how Motueka works in different beer styles and give you a better idea of how to use it in your own homebrewing. Uses Only Motueka: 21 | 04 from Brew By The Numbers (UK) Motueka Single Hop Pale Ale from Hill Farmstead Brewery (US) Motueka IPA from Arbor Ales (UK) Uses Motueka With Other Hop Varieties: Hoppy Bunny ABA from Duck Rabbit Brewing Company (US)- Also uses Chinook Yellow Donkey from Santorini Brewing Company (Greece)- Also uses Aurora, Styrian Golding, and Cascade Motueka Ma-uke from New England Brewing Company (US)- Also uses Columbus and Citra NZ Pale Ale from Boundary Road Brewing Company (NZ)- Also uses Pacific Jade Hop Federation Pilsner from Hop Federation (NZ)- Also uses Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin Daphne from Cellarmaker Brewing Company (US)- Also uses Amarillo and Centennial Brewing with Motueka hops or tasting beer that makes use of the variety is a great way to start discovering the profile of Motueka for your own homebrew recipes. Happy Brewing!
