Alora (Va Bene) IPA

About This Beer

Va Bene is my first trial with Alora, a USA-bred Hopsteiner aroma hop commercialised in 2023. The variety features unusually high selinene, a rare sesquiterpene that carries through to finished beer with lasting citrus and stone fruit character, plus significant 3MH precursors that express tropical and passionfruit notes when paired with thiol-active yeasts. Pomona was the natural choice for fermentation.

The recipe strips back to essentials: Golden Promise for a clean base, Vienna for body, and Alora running the entire hop schedule as a solo showcase. Simple enough to let the hop speak.

Brew Day

Mash in at 66°C for 60 minutes, then mashed out at 76°C. Sparged 15L at 76°C. Pre-boil was 29L, setting up well for the 75-minute boil. Alora went in at 15g for 60 minutes bittering, 30g at 30, 30g at 10. Whirlpool at 75°C for 20 minutes with 60g Alora to capture direct aroma and 3MH transfer. OG hit 1.060 exactly with 24L into the FermZilla.

Fermentation

Two packets of Pomona pitched at 18.5°C. Fast start as expected; gravity dropped around 25 points by 48 hours. Primary at 18.5°C, then raised to 21°C for cleanup. Dry hop 75g Alora for 4 days in round 1. Clean fermentation, stable gravity at finish.

The Result

Packaged 8 February 2026. Mixed packaging: corny keg via closed transfer plus bottles for trials. Target carbonation 2.4 vol CO₂. Sampled on 5 February, the beer showed Alora’s signature stone fruit and citrus character in full: peach, apricot, subtle melon notes with tropical undertones from the Pomona synergy. No harsh edges, good malt support without sweetness, crisp finish.

What’s Next

Alora as a solo hop works well. The selinene base provides lasting aroma that doesn’t fade quickly, and Pomona brought out the tropical side of the 3MH potential. Worth running again, possibly with a longer dry hop to push even more character forward.