Celeste Hops: Brewing With the Hop Formerly Known as WCHB-102

Celeste is the official name for the hop first known during trial and supplier use as WCHB-102, 2B, or Exp 2B. Those experimental names are still worth knowing because they explain why the same hop may appear under different names in brewing discussions, supplier notes, and early commercial trial beers.

The useful part for brewers is simple: Celeste is a modern U.S.-grown aroma hop with bright fruit, clean sweetness, and enough pine to keep the profile from turning soft. It can work in hazy IPA, West Coast IPA, pale ale, hoppy lager, and single-hop trial beers when you want fruit character that still has some structure.

For homebrewers, Celeste hops are worth looking at when you want passion fruit, honeydew, citrus, light orchard fruit, and pine without pushing a beer into a heavy overripe-fruit profile.

What Are Celeste Hops?

Celeste is a U.S.-grown hop from West Coast Hop Breeding in Oregon. Before the commercial name was announced, the variety circulated as WCHB-102 or 2B. The name changed as the hop moved out of its experimental identity and into a named release.

That matters because hop names often lag behind the way brewers actually talk about ingredients. A breeder may use an experimental code, suppliers may list that code for a season or two, brewers may make trial beers with that name, and then the variety eventually gets a release name. Celeste is that release name for WCHB-102 / 2B.

Celeste sits in a useful middle ground. It has modern fruit character, but it is not just another soft tropical hop. The pine and citrus edge give it enough shape for beers that need crispness, bitterness support, or a cleaner finish.

Celeste Hop Aroma and Flavor

The common descriptors for Celeste are passion fruit, honeydew melon, citrus, pome fruit, and pine. Earlier WCHB-102 descriptions also pointed to lime zest, lemon, apple, pear, melon, and pine resin.

That makes Celeste more layered than a simple citrus hop. In a hazy IPA, it can lean toward passion fruit and melon. In a West Coast IPA or pale ale, the citrus and pine can keep the beer from tasting too soft. In a hoppy pilsner or lager, the cleaner side can show up as melon, citrus peel, and light resin.

If you are trying to place it in a recipe, think of Celeste as a bridge between newer fruit-forward American hops and older citrus-pine American hop character. It has fruit, but it still has some grip.

Celeste Hop Specs

Exact numbers vary by crop year and lot, so use the current package or supplier lot sheet for final IBU calculations. Supplier information commonly places Celeste in this general range:

• Former names: WCHB-102, 2B, Exp 2B, Experimental 2B
• Origin: United States, from West Coast Hop Breeding in Oregon
• Typical alpha acid range: about 10.0-12.8%
• Typical beta acid range: about 6.0-7.0%
• Total oils: commonly listed around 1.5-2.3 mL/100g
• Common aroma notes: passion fruit, honeydew, citrus, pome fruit, lime zest, melon, and pine
• Best-fit styles: hazy IPA, West Coast IPA, pale ale, hoppy pilsner, session IPA, hoppy lager, and single-hop trial beers

How to Use Celeste Hops

Celeste can work on the hot side and cold side, but it is best used with a plan. Treat it as an expressive aroma hop first, then decide how much bitterness you want it to contribute.

Boil Additions

Celeste can be used in the boil, but early-boil additions are not the best way to learn the hop. A long boil will drive off much of the fruit character you are probably buying it for. If you only need clean bitterness, a neutral bittering hop may be a better use of your budget.

That said, Celeste's alpha range is high enough to contribute real bitterness. A small late-boil addition can work well in pale ale, West Coast IPA, and hoppy lager when you want citrus, melon, and light pine along with some IBU contribution.

Whirlpool Additions

The whirlpool is one of the best places to use Celeste. A charge around 170-185°F can pull out passion fruit, honeydew, citrus, and pine while keeping bitterness more controlled than a full-boil addition.

For a first batch, use Celeste in the whirlpool before you bury it in a large dry-hop blend. This gives you a cleaner read on the hop's flavor and how it behaves with your yeast, water profile, and malt bill.

Dry Hopping

Dry hopping brings Celeste's fruit-forward side into focus. Expect more passion fruit, melon, citrus peel, pear, and light pine. It can carry a single-hop dry hop, but it also works well as the fruit-and-citrus portion of a larger hop bill.

The main caution is oxygen. Celeste's cleaner fruit notes are exactly the kind of aroma that can fade or turn dull when oxygen gets into the beer after fermentation. Keep transfers closed when possible, purge receiving kegs, and avoid long warm contact times after dry hopping.

Where Celeste Can Be a Bad Fit

Celeste is not the best choice when you want a purely herbal, spicy, or noble-hop profile. It is also not the first hop I would choose for a beer where the goal is very firm, old-school bitterness with minimal late-hop fruit.

In delicate lagers, use it lightly. Too much Celeste can pull the beer out of clean lager territory and into pale ale territory fast. In big hazy IPAs, the opposite problem can happen: if it is surrounded by louder tropical hops, Celeste can disappear unless it gets a meaningful share of the hop bill.

Beer Styles That Fit Celeste

Hazy IPA

Celeste makes sense in hazy IPA when you want passion fruit and melon without losing all structure. Pair it with Citra, Mosaic, Nelson Sauvin, El Dorado, or Idaho 7 if you want a bigger fruit spread. Keep the dry hop fresh and protect the beer from oxygen.

West Coast IPA

This may be one of Celeste's strongest lanes. The hop has enough modern fruit for current West Coast IPA, but the citrus and pine keep the beer from drifting too far into soft tropical sweetness. Pair it with Centennial, Simcoe, Chinook, Columbus, Mosaic, Strata, or Idaho 7 depending on how classic or modern you want the beer to feel.

Pale Ale

Celeste can make a very good single-hop pale ale. Keep the malt simple, use a moderate whirlpool addition, and dry hop lightly enough that the beer still drinks like a pale ale instead of a small IPA. This is probably the cleanest way to learn the hop.

Hoppy Pilsner or Hoppy Lager

Celeste can work in hoppy lager recipes because its fruit character is clean rather than heavy. Use restraint. A small whirlpool addition and a modest dry hop can give bright melon, citrus, and pine without burying the lager base.

Good Hop Pairings for Celeste

Celeste is flexible enough to stand alone, but it can be even more useful as part of a blend. A few directions make sense:

• For more citrus: pair Celeste with Citra, Centennial, Cascade, Amarillo, or Motueka.
• For more tropical fruit: pair it with Mosaic, El Dorado, Nelson Sauvin, Nectaron, or Galaxy.
• For more pine and structure: pair it with Simcoe, Chinook, Columbus, Strata, or Idaho 7.
• For hoppy lager: pair it lightly with Motueka, Hallertau Blanc, Saphir, or a small amount of Citra.

If you are brewing with Celeste for the first time, give it enough room to show up. A good rule for a trial recipe is to make Celeste at least half of the late-hop or dry-hop charge. Once you know what it brings, it is easier to blend it with louder hops.

Is Celeste the Same as WCHB-102?

For practical brewing purposes, yes. Celeste is the named release of the hop formerly known as WCHB-102, 2B, or Exp 2B. The older names are experimental identifiers; Celeste is the current release name.

One important warning: do not confuse Celeste with Celeia or Styrian Golding. Those are separate hop names with a completely different brewing profile. Celeste is tied to WCHB-102 / 2B from West Coast Hop Breeding.

A Simple Celeste Pale Ale Test Batch

If you want to learn Celeste quickly, brew a simple pale ale instead of a massive IPA. Keep the malt bill clean, ferment with a neutral American ale strain, and let the hop do the talking.

• Target style: American pale ale
• Malt direction: mostly 2-row or pale malt, with a small amount of light crystal, Vienna, or Munich if desired
• Hot side: small early bittering charge, then Celeste late boil or whirlpool
• Cold side: moderate Celeste dry hop for 2-4 days
• Fermentation: clean American ale yeast

That kind of batch will tell you more than a crowded five-hop hazy IPA. Once you know the hop, then start blending.

Things to Know Before Brewing With Celeste

• It is aroma-forward. Use late boil, whirlpool, or dry hop additions if you want the fruit character to show.
• It can contribute bitterness. The alpha range is high enough that late additions still matter for IBU calculations.
• It likes oxygen control. Keep post-fermentation oxygen low to protect the cleaner fruit and citrus notes.
• It can be subtle in crowded blends. If you want to understand Celeste, do not hide it behind too many louder hops.
• It is not a noble-hop substitute. Use it when you want modern fruit, citrus, and pine, not herbal-spicy restraint.

Who Should Brew With Celeste?

Celeste is a good choice if you like newer American hops but still want some classic structure. It is especially useful for brewers who want fruit and pine together: passion fruit and honeydew up front, citrus through the middle, and a little resin underneath.

Use it when you want a hop that can fit hazy IPA, West Coast IPA, pale ale, and hoppy lager without tasting like the same generic tropical profile every time.

We carry Celeste Hops Pellets in homebrew-friendly sizes at SoCal Brewing Supply. You can also browse our full hop selection if you are building out a recipe or looking for pairing options.

Celeste Hops FAQ

What did Celeste hops used to be called?

Celeste was previously known as WCHB-102, 2B, Exp 2B, or Experimental 2B.

What do Celeste hops taste like?

Celeste is usually described with passion fruit, honeydew melon, sweet citrus, pome fruit, lime zest, melon, and pine notes.

What beer styles work well with Celeste hops?

Celeste fits hazy IPA, West Coast IPA, pale ale, session IPA, hoppy pilsner, hoppy lager, and other hop-forward recipes.

Can Celeste hops be used for bittering?

Yes, Celeste can be used hot side, but many brewers will get the most character from late-boil, whirlpool, and dry-hop additions. Use the current lot alpha acid when calculating IBUs.