Kohatu is a more recent release from New Zealand's hop breeding program, arriving after Rakau had already established the country's capacity to produce genuine dual-purpose export hops, and continuing that same general direction with its own distinct tropical fruit and citrus combination. Its name references a Māori word associated with stone or rock, following New Zealand's practice of drawing hop names from the country's Indigenous language and geography.
At 6.5-8.5% alpha acid, Kohatu runs lower than Rakau, positioning it closer to a moderate dual-purpose role than a true high-alpha bittering hop, with a tropical fruit and citrus aroma that reads bright and immediate without the more resinous or earthy undertones some of New Zealand's earlier releases carried. That combination makes it a flexible, approachable option for brewers wanting New Zealand character without committing to a more assertive, singular-note variety. Kohatu is a triploid variety bred from a Hallertau Mittelfrüh mother crossed with a New Zealand male carrying North American and European parentage, a genetic mix that helps explain why its tropical profile reads brighter and less resinous than some of New Zealand's other commercial exports. Riwaka offers a related New Zealand aromatic comparison, though at considerably lower alpha acid and more concentrated intensity. Rakau is the closer dual-purpose comparison from the same general breeding tradition. Hazy IPA and New Zealand-style pale ale both use Kohatu. Its alpha range sits neatly between its two substitutes — higher than Riwaka's and lower than Rakau's — part of why brewers treat it as the moderate middle option of the three.