Pacifica™ Amplifire™ Pellets
A hop with a beautiful blend of 'old world' floral and spice and bright citrus of the 'new world'.
Aroma Profile
Beer Styles
Ancestry
Technical Specifications
Switch Variety
TYPICAL BREWING VALUES
Sensory Notes
Pairing and Swapping
Pairs Well With
Try Instead Of
Disease Resistance
WANT CLEAN AND MORE INTENSE HOP FLAVOUR WITH LOWER GREEN, GRASSY AND ASTRINGENT FLAVOURS?
WANT LESS BEER LOSS?
THEN TRY OUR CRYOGENICALLY ENRICHED AMPLIFIRE™ PELLETS.
Amplifire™ Pellets have elevated levels of lupulin – resins (bitterness) and oils (flavour and aroma) – in them compared to T90 hop pellets. Up to twice as intense.
They have been designed to boost flavour and aroma; reduce green, grassy and astringent flavours; and increase beer yields.
HOW ARE THEY MADE?
Clayton Hops is the proud operator of the first and currently only cryogenic concentrated lupulin pellet processing facility in the Southern Hemisphere.
Our unique patent-pending process separates whole hop cones into lupulin and plant material at extremely low temperature in a nitrogen-rich/low oxygen environment, which limits oxidation to enhance quality.
The lupulin, which contains the sought-after acids and oils, is then pelletised to produce a concentrated lupulin pellet.
Hop cones picked off hop plant in Tasman, New Zealand.
Hop cones dried in kilns on-farm.
Dried hop cones baled and driven a short distance to the pelleting and packaging facility.
Dried hop cones are frozen.
Frozen hop cones are broken up into fractions.
Lupulin is separated from the plant material.
Lupulin (plus some plant material) is then made into pellets (Amplifire™ Pellets) in a pellet mill.
Pellets are put into nitrogen flushed (oxygen purged) foil bags and then packed in boxes/cartons.
Hops ideally stored between 0-5° Celsius.
Hops shipped to customers around the world.
HOPS SELECTED FOR
PRODUCT CONSISTENCY
Our quality assurance team selects hops each harvest for processing into Amplifire™ Pellets, with an eye for year-on-year product consistency (noting that no two harvests are alike).
'TRUE-TO-VARIETY'
EXPRESSION
Amplifire™ Pellets bring 'true-to-variety' expression in beer:
| VARIETY | AROMA PROFILE |
|---|---|
| CIP014 | Passionfruit, intense tropical, pineapple, stone fruit, pink grapefruit |
| CIP076 | Citrus, orange blossom, ripe peach, creamy vanilla, tropical |
| Green Bullet™ | Resinous, subtle floral, crisp lemon, dark and dried fruit, slightly peppery spiciness |
| Motueka™ | Fresh lime, lemon zest, mojito, orange spice, juicy, tropical |
| Nelson Sauvin™ | Gooseberry, lychee, passionfruit, sauvignon blanc, tropical, spicy |
| NZ Cascade™ | Lime, grapefruit, peach, pineapple, passionfruit, hint of pine |
| Pacific Sunrise™ | Orange, lemon, mango, melon, red berry, ripe and jammy apricot, subtle flower and pine |
| Pacifica™ | Orange, tangerine, clementine, apricot, blackberry cannabis, floral, spice |
| Rakau™ | Apricot, peach, mandarin, tangerine, pink grapefruit, pineapple, floral |
| Riwaka™ | Passionfruit, pink grapefruit, pineapple, lime, orange, citrus, blackberry candy |
| Southern Cross™ | Lemon, lime, hint of pine, clean spiciness |
Grown and Made in New Zealand
The New Zealand government has certified the New Zealand grown and made provenance of Amplifire™ Pellets by giving it the FernMark seal of approval.
Unlike other processors who use New Zealand hop materials that have been sent half-way around the world to them, Clayton Hops has a strong commitment to both growing and processing locally as this results in better quality product and is environmentally responsible.
Doing everything in-house also means a secure and stable product supply.
WHERE TO USE
Kettle
Amplifire™ Pellets can be used in the late kettle in the same way T90 hop pellets are used. We do not recommend using as an early kettle addition as this could result in a loss of aroma characteristics.
Due to the cryogenic enrichment process, Amplifire™ Pellets have higher levels of alpha acids compared to T90 hop pellets. This means that less Amplifire™ Pellets are required, which reduces wort losses (due to absorption) and increases brewing efficiencies.
Whirlpool
Amplifire™ Pellets can be used in the whirlpool in the same way T90 hop pellets are used. Compared to T90s, less Amplifire™ Pellets are required, which can reduce costs, boost beer yields (less trub loss), and maximise flavour impact.
To minimise IBU pick-up and maximise flavour, we recommend chilling the whirlpool wort to <85°C before adding Amplifire™ Pellets.
Dry Hop, Active and Post Fermentation
Amplifire™ Pellets are well suited as fermentation vessel additions. They amplify flavour and aroma while reducing beer losses and cutting down on costs. A win–win for brewers!
Brite Tank
Amplifire™ Pellets should not be used in the brite tank (note that Amplifire™ Fresh Hop Oil is well suited for use in the brite tank).
TYPICAL
BREWING VALUES
The following values are for guidance only. Actual alpha, beta and total oil values will vary from harvest to harvest.
| Variety | Alpha Acids % | Beta Acids % | Total Oil (mL/100g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIP014 | * | * | * |
| CIP076 | * | * | * |
| Green Bullet™ | 19.0–22.0 | 8.0–11.0 | 1.80–2.3 |
| Motueka™ | 11.0–14.0 | 6.5–10.0 | 1.7–2.0 |
| Nelson Sauvin™ | 17.0–20.0 | 8.0–10.0 | 2.0–2.3 |
| NZ Cascade™ | 13.0–18.0 | 8.5–11.0 | 1.8–2.1 |
| Pacific Sunrise™ | * | * | * |
| Pacifica™ | 8.0–11.0 | 8.0–11.0 | 1.7–2.0 |
| Rakau™ | 17.0–20.0 | 7.0–10.0 | 2.2–2.7 |
| Riwaka™ | 9.0–12.0 | 6.5–9.0 | 1.6–2.3 |
| Southern Cross™ | 18.0–23.0 | 7.0–10.0 | 1.6–2.0 |
* Values for these varieties will be populated in due course.
Dose Rate
Adapt any recipe by substituting 500–600g of Amplifire™ Pellets for 1kg of T90 hop pellets.
Amplifire™ Pellets work very well in tandem with T90 hop pellets, giving beautiful hop character with nice body and mouthfeel.
CARBON FOOTPRINT
– THE PATH TO LOWER EMISSIONS
Our Amplifire™ Pellets have been independently assessed by BX of London to have a carbon footprint of 2.81 kg CO₂e.
Putting 2.81 kg CO₂e into context, when producing 100L of pale ale using 250g of Amplifire™ Pellets, the pellets themselves have a carbon footprint (farm to packaged product) of 2.81 kg CO₂e.
This value was based on our March 2024 harvest. As our hop gardens are still maturing – some of the hop plants have not yet reached full yield potential – there will be improvement over the years to come.
The overall carbon footprint of our Amplifire™ Pellets is helped by the fact that the hops are grown in New Zealand and the product is also made in New Zealand.
These emissions reflect real-world farming practices. With ongoing improvements, Amplifire™ Pellets will remain a powerful solution for brewers seeking a lower emission impact. For brewers aiming to reduce Scope 3 emissions without sacrificing quality, Amplifire™ Pellets offer a more efficient and climate-conscious choice.
We will continue to work with BX to lower our carbon footprint and we are committed to transparency.
BX is a leading independent environmental farm management platform and is working with Clayton Hops to ensure hops are grown and processed with sustainability at the core.
ADVANTAGES
| Clean and intense flavour and aroma | Cleaner and more intense hop flavour (due to higher levels of acids and oils) with lower undesirable green, grassy and astringent flavours (due to less plant material), compared to T90s | |
| High efficiency | Because of their potency, brewers can use circa. half the amount (by weight) to achieve the same level of flavour, aroma and bitterness as T90s | |
| Increase beer yield and revenue | Brewing with less plant material, compared to T90s, can increase beer yields and revenue (For every kg of T90s, you could be losing 8-10L of beer) | |
| Better for dry hopping | Reduced risk of clogging equipment due to fewer solids and less product to lug around, compared to T90s | |
| Pairs well with other products | Works well with T90s and other products, such as Amplifire™ Fresh Hop Oil, for layering complexity | |
| 'True-to-variety' | 'True-to-variety' flavour and aroma profile | |
| Pure New Zealand product | Both grown and made by us in New Zealand and carrying the FernMark seal of provenance from the New Zealand government | |
| Secure and stable product supply | We do not rely on third party hop supply nor third party processing, as we do it all in-house | |
| Lower carbon footprint product | Lower carbon footprint compared to T90s (as more concentrated). Made locally in New Zealand – no shipping of hop material around the world for third party processing | |
| Less brewing waste | Less plant material so less brewing waste | |
| Shipping and storage efficiencies | Occupies considerably less space than the equivalent amount of T90s, which reduces shipping and storage footprint and costs | |
| Reduced packaging waste | Higher product concentration means less is needed which results in lower packaging waste (foils and cartons) | |
| Reduced hop creep | Monosaccharides and enzymes found in hop bract contribute to hop creep, so reducing plant material less plant material in Amplifire™ Pellets than T90s lessens the potential for hop creep |
AMPLIFIRE™ PELLETS COMPARED WITH OTHER PRODUCTS
DOWNLOAD COMPARISON TABLE| Feature | Amplifire™ Fresh Hop Oil | Amplifire™ Concentrated Lupulin Pellets | T90 Hop Pellets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | Flowable liquid | Pellet. More lupulin (acids and oils) than T90s | Pellet. Less lupulin (acids and oils) than Amplifire™ Pellets |
| Plant material | None | Yes. Less plant material and higher levels of acids and oil compared to T90s | Yes. More plant material and lower levels of acids and oil compared to Amplifire™ Pellets |
| Process | Made through a patent-pending extraction process where the oil is extracted directly from the lupulin glands of ‘wet’ farm-fresh hop cones | Made through a patent-pending process by cryogenically separating the lupulin from the dried leaf and stem material of hop cones and concentrating and compressing the lupulin | Made by milling whole dried hop cones (leaf, steam, lupulin) and compressing them |
| Raw material | Fresh, undried whole hop cones | Kiln-dried whole hop cones | Kiln-dried whole hop cones |
| Name origin | Amplifire™ is Clayton Hops’ advanced hop products range, aimed at boosting flavour and aroma and reducing beer loss | Amplifire™ is Clayton Hops’ advanced hop products range, aimed at boosting flavour and aroma and reducing beer loss | T90 is from the principle that 90% of the original hop material is retained after pelletising |
| Processing time from harvest | Less than 24 hours | Weeks | Target of less than one week |
| Preservation of hop volatiles | Very high (no kilning of raw material) | Medium to low (kilning loss) | Medium to low (kilning loss) |
| Bitterness contribution | None | Yes (variety dependent) | Yes (variety dependent) |
| Flavour/aroma impact | High. Delivers cleaner, more vivid aromatics | More intense and reduced vegetal flavours compared to T90s | Moderate and increased vegetal flavours compared to Amplifire™ Pellets |
| Use rate (dry hop T90 replacement) | ~50:1 (by weight). For instance, 100mL of Amplifire™ Fresh Hop Oil is equivalent to circa. 5kgs T90s | ~2:1 (by weight). For instance, use 500-600g of Amplifire™ Pellets instead of 1kg of T90s | Baseline |
| Beer loss in whirlpool and dry hop | Minimal | Low to moderate | Moderate |
| Solubility | Fully water and beer soluble | Requires mixing/rousing | Requires mixing/rousing |
| Ease of use | Simple liquid dosing. Highly flowable product at cool, room and warm temperatures | Similar handling as T90s | Standard handling |
| Recommended storage | Cold storage (ambient is permitted) | Cold storage (ambient is not permitted) | Cold storage (ambient is not permitted) |
| Shelf life | 2 years commercially sealed | 3 years | 3 years |
| Carbon footprint | Very low – no kilning of raw material and made in New Zealand | Low – New Zealand made and ultra-concentrated, reducing total inputs and shipping needs | Moderate – New Zealand made but less concentrated so more volume and packaging per batch compared to the other two products, but a foundational brewing input |
| Light stable | Yes | No | No |
| Hop creep potential | None | Low | High |
| ‘True-to-type’ variety expression | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Recommended applications | Dry hop, brite tank (can also use in whirlpool) | Kettle, whirlpool, dry hop | Kettle, whirlpool, dry hop |
AMPLIFIRE™ PELLETS PRODUCT OVERVIEW
DOWNLOAD PRODUCT OVERVIEW