Amarillo® hops have become super popular with microbrewers. Brewers are describing the flavor and aroma as a supercharged version of Cascade. Floral, tropical, and citrus (lemon, orange and grapefruit) characteristics. However, it has a distinctive Orange character to it that is very different from Cascade. Supply has been very limited the last few years so make sure to buy some while it is available.
Apollo™ is a newer super high-alpha variety with a low cohumulone level that makes it an excellent bittering hop. Used toward the end of the boil it can contribute flavors and aromas of citrus, grapefruit, orange, pine, resin, and cannabis. Recommended for use in Pale Ales, Extra Pale Ales, and IPAs. Also, note that this hop stores extremely well which makes it an ideal hop for you buy and store on hand.
Diploid hybrid Aurora is the one Super Styrian still enjoying global commercial availability. In fact, it is quite a celebrated hop and one of two distinct varieties prominently produced in Slovenia. Developed as a seedling of Northern Brewer, Aurora’s aroma derives from its lovely balance of essential oils.
With nearly twice the alpha acid content as Styrian Golding, another primary Slovenian hop, Aurora is spicy, herbal and moderately bittering. Descriptions and reviews of most beers employing Aurora hops describe them as pleasantly hoppy and velvety smooth.
You will find Aurora in Hopvine Brewing Company’s Aurora, in Funwerk’s Aurora and as one of Mayflower’s single hop ales, Styrian Aurora, among others.
Universally the first choice for an aroma hop in English Ales. Very mild with pleasant, flowery overtones. Smooth and delicate with floral, lavender, spice, honey, earth, lemon and thyme overtones. Most hops stand out against the malt. This unusual hop actually blends in and complements the malt flavors. You truly cannot add too much at the end of a boil as an aroma/flavor hop. Often referred to as Kent Goldings, British Kent Goldings, BKG, or East Kent Goldings.
Cascade features excellent vigor and yield and when brewed exudes a distinct spicy citrus aroma with hints of grapefruit. Well suited to just about any ale and lager, its use is particularly popular in American Pale Ales. Its relatively poor storage stability tends to be a non-issue with its popularity and subsequent large production volumes from major US breweries ensuring harvests don’t sit idle for long.
Centennial is at times referred to as super Cascade because of its similar citric characteristic. Centennial is a much-celebrated hop in its versatility with its depth of bitterness and forward aroma — two characteristics that balance each other beautifully.
Chinook hops are a very distinctive dual-purpose hop used in Ales for both bittering and flavor/aroma. Chinook hops are commonly used in IPA's. Distinct, medium intensity spice and pine characteristics with subtle notes of grapefruit. Some consider the bittering quality of this hop is a bit rough because it lingers in your mouth after swallowing. However, some brewers can't get enough. The flavor/aroma is spicy and unique, with a huge following of loyal fans.
Citra, as the name implies, has a strong citrusy profile. This is largely credited to its very high myrcene content. It has an extraordinary flavor profile of grapefruit, lime and tropical fruits but despite its high alphas, brewers often warn against its use for bittering, which is considered by some to be harsh and undesirable.
This dual purpose hop is a high alpha varietal with a neutral bitterness and intense aroma. Floral and citrus notes come out in both aroma and flavor, but can be very pungent, which makes Columbus great for late additions to a boil or dry-hopping. Columbus is a perfect choice for IPAs, Pale and Imperial Ales. Also referred to as Tomahawk, Zeus, or CTZ.
A very clean aroma hop that produces a mild, floral and spicy aroma. Due to it being mild and clean, this hop variety can be used in a variety of beer styles, including: Lagers, Kolsch, ESB, Pilsners, Pale Ales, IPAs, and Belgian Ales.
Traditional Czech Saaz hops are most commonly chosen for aromatic additions to Pilsners and Lagers, but also work well in Light Ales and Belgians. Though alpha acids are low, they are used for both bittering and an aroma of pleasant earthy, herbal and floral notes. You can finish just about any Lager recipe with this versatile hop. Even though it has a low alpha-acid content you will find many traditional recipes using this hop for both bittering and for flavor/aroma additions.
Ekuanot® is one of the newest hop varietals released and has been received with much acclaim. Released in 2014, Ekuanot® (formally Equinox and HBC 366) has surged in popularity and growing acreage. The ridiculously high oil content (2.5-4 ml/100g!) and desirable aromatics have lead breweries of all sizes to flock to this hop. Great for all beer styles but definitely featured in IPAs and other hop forward beers. Ekuanot® is described as having aromas of melon, berry, orange peel, lime, papaya, pine and fresh peppers. Try it in your next batch and see what flavors you find!
El Dorado hops are utilizied for their high alpha bittering characteristics and are best known for a sweet, candy-like aroma. Strong bittering and aromatic notes of cherry and mango compliment everything from IPAs to Pale Ales and Wheats. Grown in the Moxee Valley, a sub region of Yakima Valley, Washington.
Released in 2002, this German hop has one of the lowest alpha acid contents in the world so it is always used as an aroma hop. It has a citrus and tangerine aroma with a hint of spice. Saphir works great in Belgian Ales, Wheats, and Witbiers.
German Hallertau Blanc is a daughter of Cascade, bred specifically to fit the needs of American craft beer styles. It is mostly an aroma hop with moderate to strong notes of pineapple, white grape, fresh lemongrass stalk, and passionfruit characteristics. A great aroma hop to use with IPA's, Belgian ales, wheat beers, and Brett fermentations.
(General AA range 3-5.5%) A very nice mellow spicy hop with great flavor with citrus tones. Hallertau Mittelfruh is considered to be the highest grade Hallertau Noble hop available. Use this hop for all traditional lagers, belgian ales, or any European ales.
HBC 342 is a high alpha aroma variety selected for its pleasant aroma. It's aroma can be described as mild, pleasant, citrusy, and tropical, with some melon notes as well. Most are using this hop in Pale Ales and IPAs, but it would go well in stouts and browns also.
Sometimes called Hallertau Hersbrucker as the Hersbruck region is right next to the Hallertau region and Hersbrucker is grown in both regions. A hop that represents a large acreage in Germany and what has essetially replaced traditional Hallertauer hops as they were more susceptible to disease.
Hersbrucker gives you classic noble type German hop flavor. Expect spice, fruit and floral characteristics. Often used as an aroma hop, Hersbrucker has a low alpha acid percentage but generous oil content. Great for Lagers, Pilsners, Bocks, Belgian Ales, Kolsch, Munich Helles, and Lambics.
Jarrylo is a relatively new hop that has been well received by craft brewers. The hops aromas of banana, grass, pear, orange, spice and fruit is attractive for Pale Ales, Saisons and many Belgian styles. The flavors and aromas of Jarrylo work to enhance the natural esters produced in the fermentation process. Provides lots of flavor due to its high oil content. Try this unique hop in one of your next batches and see what you can pull out of it.
Lemondrop™ was originally developed by Hopsteiner as Experimental #01210 and released in 2012. Derived from Cascade, you will find some familiar flavors residing in these lupulin glands. The hops name alludes to the aroma descriptors of lemon, mint, green tea, and slight melon. Lemondrop™ crushes as an aroma addition in Pale Ales, IPAs, Hoppy Lagers and NEIPAs, but don't shy away from it if you're looking to add some lemon-citrus flavor to your favorite Hefeweizen, Kolsch or Blonde Ale!
Magnum is a great bittering hop with an aroma similar to a strong Willamette. It therefore works well with Willamette, Fuggles, and British Kent Goldings when used as an aroma hop in later boil additions. Magnum makes an incredibly useful bittering agent in just about any beer, and due its very smooth bitterness, you can really use as much as you want. For example, we use two full ounces in our 60 minute IPA boil. It has a great storage stability too, so stock up!
(General AA range 6-7%) A brand new hop with crisp flavors of lemon, mixed berry, and tropical fruit. The really unique thing about this hop that commercial brewers are reporting, is that when used with other hops Meridian pushes and complements the flavor of those hops in unique and interesting ways. We've learned from many brewers, hop specialists, and our own palates that blending hops is like blending wine - the final blended flavor is definitely different than the individual flavors. So try it ala carte in your next Belgian Pale or Blonde Ale and use it with your favorite IPA hops in your next hop bomb!
Our Meridian is grown by Gayle Goschie on her family's century old farm in the Willamette Valley and processed nearby by Indie Hops. Indie Hops has installed a new pellet mill with craft brewing in mind. Their pellets have more particulate matter left in place and are processed at a lower temperature to retain more of the oils. MoreBeer! has been following their progress for years and we are very excited to be working with them to release this brand new hop to homebrewers.
Besides amazing flavor, Meridian has a great story. Indie was working with a local Hop Breeding Program to select a unique hop they thought was Columbia, a long lost and close sister of Willamette. After planting and harvesting the aromas and flavors were so radically different than Willamette that they had it tested. The results came back... and it was not Columiba, but a new unknown hop which they named Meridian.
Mosaic hops feature complex but clean flavor characteristics and are known for their triple-use profile encompassing bittering, flavor and aroma. They have high alpha acids but low cohumulone which makes them pleasantly hoppy, carrying flavors of mango, pine, citrus and herbs and aromas of tropical and stone fruit. Mosaic is the first daughter of Simcoe and Nugget as has been humorously referred to by some as “Citra on steroids”.
A new arrival from New Zealand, Nelson Sauvin is sure to delight those looking to impart a unique aroma to their beer. Nelson hops are an excellent dual purpose hop that can be used to produce a punch or sparingly for subtler bittering qualities. The aromas have best been described as resembling a white wine "fruitiness" with fresh crushed gooseberry and grape infused tropical flavors. Ideal for American-style Pale Ales and specialty beers.
A great dual purpose hop. Has a less spicy flavor than that of traditional Hallertau Mittelfrüh, and is able to retain its clean character as a beer ages because of this. It has a distinct floral character, with a slight emphasis on citrus/lime aromas. Great hop for use in Lagers, Pilsners, Bocks. Also popular as a finishing hops in ales and IPAs. Also known as New Zealand Hallertau Aroma.
Originally grown in Northern England, Northern Brewer has become one of the main hops grown in the Hallertau region of Germany. Northern Brewer is a great dual purpose hop that is more balanced than U.S. Northern Brewer with grassy, herbal, and piney aromas.
Nugget hops were originally used just for bittering, but has now been widely accepted as a dual-purpose ingredient. High oil levels let Nugget hops' aromatic properties of mild spice and herbs with peach and pear shine through. Low Cohumulone levels may contribute to its smooth bitterness. A versatile hop you could use in an IPA, Barley Wine, ESB, and more..
Developed by Yakima Chief Ranches, Palisade® YCR 4 cv. is known for its high yield and unique aroma profile. With moderate alpha acid, Palisade® borders on being a dual purpose hop, however, more complex characteristics are seen in later additions.
This dual prupose brewing ingredient gets its popularity from a clean bitterness and a pleasant aroma. Soft spice and floral notes make Perle a nice addition to Lagers and Hefeweizens.
For many years Sabro™ brand HBC 438 has been unofficially referred to as Ron Mexico due to its native US neomexicanus hop heritage, and was once one of the more difficult hops to get your hands on. It developed such a huge cult following in the brewing community that you can trace the recent boom in available neomexicanus hop varieties back to HBC 438. Sabro is notable for its complexity of fruity and citrus flavors. It imparts distinct tangerine, coconut, tropical fruit, and stone fruit aromas, with hints of cedar, mint, and cream. Sabro’s pedigree is the result of a unique cross pollination of a female neomexicanus hop. With a robust brewing performance, Sabro proves to be a strongly expressive hop that translates its flavor incredibly well into beer.
Vinnie of Russian River Brewing once used this hop in an experimental beer brewed for the National Homebrewers Conference, which was an absolute hit. We recently toured Russian River's new Windsor brewery with Vinnie, and he still raves about this hop and will happily talk about the origin of the Ron Mexico alias with a Cheshire grin on his face. We think you'll absolutely love this hop for brewing juicy, tropical pale ales and IPAs!
Simcoe® hops have definitely become somewhat of a darling in both craft and home brewing recently. True dual purpose application lets Simcoe® hops offer a well rounded addition to just about any recipe. Smooth bitterness is met with aromas of earth, citrus, and cannabis. Try Simcoe hops in IPAs, Wheats, Saisons, and Amber Ales.
Strata™, formerly known as X-331, is Indie Hop’s first hop variety to be released out of the Oregon State Aroma Hop Breeding Program in Corvallis, Oregon. Born in 2009, Strata is the progeny of an open-pollinated Perle located in an Oregon State experimental field at Corvallis, Oregon. From the get-go, this hop was out to impress. Between its strong disease resistance, vigorous growing habit, and complex layers of aroma, X-331 rose to the top of an impressive group of competitors.
Brewing characteristics of Strata: Strawberry, Passion fruit, Grapefruit, Bubble Gum, Sage, Dank
Nearly identical to popular Fuggles hops, Styrian Goldings hops are a low alpha varietal with a lovely, traditional European aroma. Commonly utilized in Belgian Ales, Lagers, and ESBs for that smooth, slightly spicy, and delicate noble aroma, Styrian Goldings could easily take the place of Willamette or Fuggles in any recipe. The name Styrian Goldings covers what can actually be a few different varietals grown in Slovenia (confusing for sure). MoreBeer's Styrian Goldings is the Celeia varietal.
Tettnanger hops are known for their versatility, as they offer a traditional noble aroma that blends seamlessly with other hops in your brew. Expect that classic German nose of spice, earth, and a hint of floral commonly added to German Ales, Lagers, and Wheat Beers.
Warrior® hops are a high alpha varietal with an incredibly smooth bittering agent. Though not typically used for their aromatic qualities, Warrior® hops can add mild notes or resin, citurs and herbs to your IPA or Pale Ale recipe.
Willamette is one of the most popular hops amongst all types of brewers for its versatility and well-rounded aroma. The moderately spicy, floral and fruity notes compliment just about any style of beer and also blend beautifully with other hops in your recipe. Give Willamette a try in your next American Ale, Golden Ale, or Brown Ale brew.