By Unseen Brewing Co. | Collaborations | Reading time: ~5 min
New Zealand hops have reshaped the modern beer’s aromatic palette: white grape, lime, tropical fruits—profiles found nowhere else. For our first anniversary, we went to the source, to Freestyle Hops, an independent farm in the Nelson region, to brew Hop Juice #1, #2, and #3: a 6.5% NEIPA, an 8.3% DIPA, and a 9.8% TIPA. And because a collaboration isn't just about a shared logo on the label, we also joined their brewer feedback program.
Freestyle Hops: an independent farm in the Moutere Valley
Freestyle Hops was founded in 2016 when Dave Dunbar and Mike Stone took over a hop farm in Sunrise Valley, Upper Moutere—in the north of New Zealand's South Island. The plot is far from anonymous: Bruce Eggers had cultivated hops there for over fifty years on clay gravels that the Nelson region has worked for a century and a half, ever since German immigrants planted the first hop bines alongside grapevines.
What sets Freestyle apart isn't nostalgia—it's the method. Everything is grown, harvested, dried, and processed on-site, and the farm was the first to systematically link its field data (plot, harvest window, year's conditions) to structured sensory feedback from the brewers using its hops. The concrete result: the same Motueka harvested early yields a zesty and floral lime; harvested late, it shifts towards tropical notes.
If the names of their partners sound familiar—Hill Farmstead, Garage Project, Other Half—it's no coincidence: Freestyle supplies some of the world's most cutting-edge breweries. And a second farm, on the edge of Nelson Lakes National Park, is exploring a terroir where hops had never been cultivated before.
New Zealand hops vs. American hops: two philosophies
American hops from the Yakima Valley defined the modern IPA: grapefruit, resin, pine—huge volumes and calibrated, reproducible profiles year after year. New Zealand hops play a different tune: a confidential fraction of global production, thiol-rich varieties (those aromatic compounds you know from Sauvignon Blanc), and an expression that changes with the plot and harvest week, like a wine. No hierarchy or opposition: Citra, the American hop, even plays a supporting role in Hop Juice #1 and #3—a familiar backbone on which the Kiwi varieties improvise. Nelson Sauvin, you've encountered it from us before: it characterized the finish of Clear Cut, our West Coast IPA.
The hops of the three Hop Juices: from Wai Iti to Waimea
Hop Juice #1 (NEIPA, 6.5%) relies on Wai Iti, a variety low in alpha acids but saturated with aromatic oils: tangerine, lime, white peach. Nectaron pushes the tropical dial—pineapple, passionfruit—while Citra provides the citrus foundation your palate already knows.
Hop Juice #2 (DIPA, 8.3%) is our love letter to Nelson Sauvin, the hop that tastes like Sauvignon Blanc: white grape, gooseberry, a hint of vinous notes. Alongside it, Manilita—an experimental selection from the "thiol amplifier" trial plots at the Sunrise Valley farm: red grapefruit zest, red berries, an almost candy-like burst. A variety so recent it doesn't yet have a complete official data sheet.
Hop Juice #3 (TIPA, 9.8%) features Waimea—candied tangerine, pine, a potency suited for dense beers—and the zesty lemon-lime of Motueka, with Citra once again in support.
Three beers, three expressions of the same terroir: delicate, vinous, massive.
Cold-Pressed Hop Juice: the process that gives the trilogy its name
Each beer contains the Cold-Pressed Hop Juice of its featured variety. The principle: freshly harvested, never dried cones, cold-pressed directly at the farm, then frozen. Think of the difference between fresh basil and dried basil: kiln drying—essential for preserving hops—evaporates some of the most volatile compounds, precisely those that smell like fresh fruit. Cold-pressed juice captures them before they escape. In the glass: Wai Iti (#1), Nelson Sauvin (#2), and Waimea (#3) in their harvest version, as if the tank were parked in the middle of the hop yard. New Zealand harvests in March-April—our spring: these three beers bottle the freshness of a harvest from the other hemisphere, brewed at CoHop, in Brussels.
This is also where the partnership becomes concrete. As members of Freestyle's brewer feedback program, we document each batch—aromas from the pellet, dry hop behavior, final beer result—and send this data back to the farm, where it informs decisions for the next harvest. Taste, measure, transmit: the loop is closed.
Hop Juice #1, #2, #3: the Unseen anniversary trilogy
The name is never arbitrary for us, and this one serves a dual purpose: "hop juice" is the craft scene's nickname for juicy IPAs—and it is, literally, the Cold-Pressed Hop Juice that flows into each of the three recipes. Three "heavy hop juices" for a first anniversary, with a deliberate ABV gradation: 6.5%, 8.3%, 9.8%. The same aromatic direction, increasing intensity—three floors of the same house.
#1, the NEIPA, is the entry point: mandarin-pineapple nose, supple body supported by oats and wheat, juicy finish. #2, the DIPA, densifies: white grape and red grapefruit on the nose, fuller mouthfeel, that vinous tension that only Nelson Sauvin delivers. #3, the TIPA, embraces its 9.8%: candied tangerine and resin, massive body but surprisingly dry finish—the alcohol carries the aromatics without overpowering them. All three in 33 cl, brewed at CoHop (Brussels), conceived in Assesse.
It's a trilogy for the curious who want to taste how a terroir changes a beer—not an anniversary that celebrates itself. Juicy, progressive, bold. That's Unseen.
FAQ
What's the difference between NEIPA, DIPA, and TIPA?
All three belong to the family of juicy, hazy IPAs. NEIPA hovers around 6–7% alcohol. DIPA (Double IPA) climbs to 8–9%, with more malt and hops. TIPA (Triple IPA) exceeds 9%: more of everything, and balance becomes the real challenge. Hop Juice #1, #2, and #3 follow this scale exactly: 6.5%, 8.3%, 9.8%.
Why New Zealand hops rather than American?
Not "rather"—"with": Citra is featured in two of the three recipes. But New Zealand varieties offer profiles found nowhere else: expressive thiols, white grape, lime, exotic fruits, and a terroir expression that changes with the plot and harvest window. It's this signature that Freestyle Hops pushes further than anyone else—and that we wanted in our anniversary beers.
Is a 9.8% TIPA necessarily heavy and sweet?
No. The high alcohol comes from fermented sugars, not residual syrup. Hop Juice #3 finishes dry: the body is dense, but nothing cloying. Serve it between 8 and 10 °C in a tulip glass, ideally to be shared by two—33 cl of TIPA is perfect for sharing.
Where to buy Hop Juice #1, #2, and #3?
The three beers are available on www.unseenbc.com and at our partner bars and bottle shops in Belgium. These are anniversary editions brewed in limited quantities—once sold out, you'll have to wait for what's next. Follow #unseenbc for sales points and releases.