The newest crop of New Zealand hops arrived at the brewery recently, ushering in the return of Of First & Last Things and the debut of Self-Reliance: Manilita.

New Zealand hops have been part of Hill Farmstead’s brewing journey since our first year, when we released single-hop pale ales with Nelson Sauvin and Riwaka. Securing a consistent supply took considerably longer. In 2016, a visit to New Zealand introduced Shaun to Dave Dunbar and Freestyle Hops in Upper Moutere, thus forging a fruitful relationship that continues today.

Over the past decade, visits to the fields, hop selection, and conversations about how each lot performs in our beers have informed this collaboration. Freestyle also participates in the Hāpi breeding program, through which we have helped evaluate experimental varieties, including Manilita.

Of First & Last Things brings together Motueka and Nelson Sauvin with American-grown Simcoe®. Self-Reliance: Manilita offers a first expression of this experimental variety within our Self-Reliance Farmstead® IPA series.