Hey! We’re back with another entry in our never-ending SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) beer series. This time, we’re diving into a New Zealand variety that’s new to our lineup: Wai-iti hops.

I’ve stayed away from New Zealand hops for a while. Not because of the flavor, but because, frankly, I struggle to pronounce their names. But we are back to drink beer and say it wrong.

Wai-iti brings some interesting lineage to the table, with Liberty and Hallertau in its parentage. It’s a lower-alpha variety, so we were curious how it would hold up in our standard testing format.

Well, we tried to say the name right.

Brew Day Details

For this SMaSH beer, we followed our usual method: a one-gallon batch with two pounds of grain and two gallons of water. Here’s the hop schedule we used:

Wai-iti Hops SMaSH Beer Recipe

Grain Bill: 2 pounds of Pale Malt
Water Volume: 2 gallons
Boil Time: 60 minutes

Hop Schedule:
7 grams at 60 minutes
14 grams whirlpool additions at 180 °F (82°C) for 10 mintues
7 grams dry hop for 1 day post-fermentation

Fermentation: 7 days at room temperature

Cold Crash: 1 day

Yeast: US-05

These hop pellets came from Yakima Valley Hops’ 2024 crop and clocked in at just 3% alpha acids. We gave it a bit of a push to coax out as much bitterness as possible.

What Is Wai-iti All About?

Right from the pour, the aroma was punchy, fruit-forward, and lively. We picked up Juicy Fruit notes before we even brought the glass to our noses. There were definite hints of green melon, cantaloupe, and a bit of citrus zest. What stood out to me was a subtle creamy vanilla vibe, which made the whole experience really pleasant and slightly unexpected. Mike mentioned lime zest and even a bit of a “zippy” bitterness, which was more noticeable than in many of our recent SMaSH tests.

Wai-iti isn’t resinous or dank; instead, it brings a clean bitterness and a bright, fruity profile. I could totally see this being a standout hop in a cream ale, a wheat beer, or even a blend with something like Simcoe or Citra to boost fruit character in the late additions. It’s a hop that pulls its weight in aroma, flavor, and clean bitterness

So if you’re looking for something refreshing and a bit unique for your next brew, Wai-iti might be worth tossing into the boil.

BREW ON!