Beer 101: Hop varieties
Mad hops, yo.
I started reading a new beer book last night — I’ll have more on that once I finish it — and it included a great section on hops, including a list and description of what appears to be all the major and well-known hop varieties in use right now in the craft beer industry. I always hear about brewers using such-and-such hops in their beer, but I never really had a good understanding of what that really meant to the flavor profile of the beer — other than maybe a vague idea that it was either more for aroma/flavor or for bitterness. I thought it would be great when we hear about a firkin event where the brewer dry-hopped with a certain hop to know what to expect in the finished product. So, for your reference, here is the list of hops:
(Note: this is copied from the book, “Brewed Awakening,” due for release in November. Like I said, more on the book once I’ve finished it.)
-Ahtanum: Fairly grapefruity and floral, alongside notes of pine and earth. Its bitterness is relatively low (Usage: aroma and flavor)
-Amarillo: Semisweet and super-citrusy, verging on oranges. Consider it cascade on steroids (Usage: flavor and aroma)
-Apollo: This potent variety contributes notes of resin, spice and citrus — mainly orange (Usage: bittering)
-Brewer’s Gold: A complex, pungent variety with a spicy aroma and flavor, as well as a fruity current of black currant (Usage: bittering)
-Cascade: Popular in American pale ales and IPAs, this floral hop smells strongly of citrus, sometimes grapefruit (Usage: flavor, aroma and bittering)
-Centennial: Offers over-the-top citrus flavor and aroma, with a relatively restrained floral nose (Usage: flavor, aroma and bittering)
-Challenger: The robust aroma offers a polished, spicy profile that can verge on fruity; the bitterness is clean and present (Usage: flavor, aroma and bittering)
-Chinook: An herbal, earthy, smoky, piney character, with some citrus thrown in for fun (Usage: aroma and bittering)
-Citra: A heavy tropical aroma of lychee, mango, papaya and pineapple. A full-on fruit attack (Usage: aroma)
-Columbus (also known as Tomahawk): Earthy and mildly spicy, with subtle flavors of citrus; very similar to the Zeus hop (Usage: aroma and bittering)
-Crystal: Floral and spicy, somewhat reminiscent of cinnamon and black pepper (Usage: flavor and aroma)
-Delta: The bouquet is a blend of fruit, earth and grass — flavor-wise, subdued citrus with an herbal edge (Usage: flavor and aroma)
-Fuggles: Traditionally used in English-style ales, this hop is earthy, fruity and vegetal (Usage: flavor, aroma and bittering)
-Galena: Provides clean, pungent bitterness that plays well with other hop varieties (Usage: bittering)
-Glacier: A mellow hop with an agreeable fragrance that flits between gentle citrus and earth (Usage: aroma)
-Goldings: The traditional English hop’s flavor is smooth and somewhat sweet; it’s called “East Kent” if grown in that region (Usage: flavor, aroma and bittering)
-Hallertauer: Presents a mild, agreeable perfume that’s floral and earthy, with a spicy, fruity component. One of Germany’s famed Noble hops. Hallertauer encompasses several varieties; “Hallertau” often signifies hops grown in America (Usage: flavor, aroma)
-Hersbrucker: It’s pleasant, refreshing scent offers hints of grass and hay. A Noble hop (Usage: aroma)
-Horizon: Offers a tidy, uncluttered profile that’s equal parts citric and floral; its bitterness is smooth, not abrasive (Usage: flavor and bittering)
-Liberty: Presents a mild, dignified aroma of herbs and earth (Usage: flavor and aroma)
-Magnum: The acutely spicy aroma recalls black pepper and perhaps nutmeg; there’s a touch of citrus, too (Usage: bittering)
-Mt. Hood: Earthy and fresh, this hop offers a restrained spicy nose reminiscent of Noble hops (Usage: aroma)
-Mt. Rainier: The hop’s nose pulls a neat trick: black licorice cut with a kiss of citrus (Usage: aroma and bittering)
-Nelson Sauvin: Partly named after the Sauvignon blanc grape, New Zealand’s Nelson is bright, juicy and packed with flavor of passion fruit (Usage: flavor, bittering and aroma)
-Northern Brewer: This multipurpose hop’s fragrant aroma leans toward earthy, woody and rustic — maybe some mint, too (Usage: aroma and bittering)
-Nugget: This way-bitter hop has a heavy herbal bouquet (Usage: bittering)
-Pacific Gem: A woody hop that provides a brisk, clean bitterness and subtle notes of blackberry (Usage: bittering)
-Perle: This all-purpose variety has a clean, green bitterness, verging on mint; it’s somewhat spicy and floral as well (Usage: flavor, aroma and bittering)
-Pride of Ringwood: Used in many Australian beers, it presents a forthright earthy, herbal, woody scent (Usage: bittering)
-Saaz: This Noble hop has a distinctly clean, cinnamon-spicy bouquet and is typically used in pilsners (Usage: flavor and aroma)
-Simcoe: Pine, wood and citrus drive this bittering hop’s profile (Usage: aroma and bittering)
-Sorachi Ace: The Japan-bred hope has a strong, lemony aroma; it can also taste buttery (Usage: aroma)
-Spalt: A spicy and delicate scent defines this German Noble hop (Usage: aroma)
-Sterling: An alternative to European hops, it has a spicy, sophisticated scent and assertive flavor (Usage: aroma and bittering)
-Styrian Goldings: This Slovenian Fuggles variant has a sweet, resinous, pleasingly spicy aroma with a little floral edge (Usage: flavor, aroma and bittering)
-Summit: Presents an up-front perfume of orange and tangerine (Usage: bittering)
-Target: Has an intense grassy, herbal, mineral-like character and a floral scent more indebted to Britain than the West Coast (Usage: bittering)
-Teamaker: Originally developed for its antimicrobial properties, this hop variety provides green tea-like aromas and no bitterness (Usage: aroma)
-Tettnanger: This noble hop has a full, rich flavor mixed with a spicy, flowery nose that verges on herbal (Usage: flavor and aroma)
-Warrior: Offers a clean, smooth bitterness that works in hop-forward ales (Usage: aroma and bittering)
-Williamette: The aroma is decidedly herbal, earthy and woody, with a little floral fruitness to boot (Usage: flavor and aroma)
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