Freestyle Hops have been on a roll lately, creating a tonne of new and innovative hop products. Their latest product release is the 2023 blend of ‘Kohia Nelson’, a proprietary blend of Nelson Sauvin, Rakau and dried passionfruit husks. Sound exciting? Well, you can try it right now - it’s used in the Three Sisters’ ‘Passion Smash’ Hazy IPA included in our October / November 2023 Hop Quest box!
Delivering notes of passionfruit (crazy, I know), pink grapefruit and guava, Kohia Nelson can be used as a standalone hop product, or as is the case of ‘Passion Smash’, can used in conjunction with other new world hops to create a big ol’ juice bomb!
Creating Kohia Nelson required some creative ideas and forward thinking to make this crazy concept commercially viable. The passionfruit is dried before the seeds are removed. The husk left behind is then blended into the hops (with a little vitamin C thrown in to prevent oxidation) before pelletisation. For those of you passion-ate about home brewing, this results in a very low sugar level, allowing Kohia Nelson to be used in dry hopping with minimal secondary fermentation.
An innovative creation, Kohia Nelson showcases exactly what new world New Zealand hops are all about – fruity, fun, and full of flavour!
Image: Freestyle Hops Hops | freestylehops.com
