Petals from the cone flower of the hop plant, or Humulus Lupulus, have been used as a main beer ingredient and for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. In addition to acting as a preservative, hops lend three qualities to beer: bitterness, flavor, and aroma. How much of each quality a hop contributes to the final beer depends on how long the hop spends in the boil, as well as the variety of hop used.
| Name | Country | Bittering | Finishing | Aroma | Alpha Acid |
Description |
| Liberty |  |
3-5 | American cross between Hallertauer Mittlefrüh and downy mildew resistant male, developed in 1983. | |||
| Lublin |  |
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3-5 | Polish grown Saaz, used in Polish lagers. Slightly woody and spicy. |
| Magnum |  |
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10-13 | A bittering/aroma type cultivar, bred in 1980 at Hull, the German Hop Research Institute | |
| Millennium | |
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15-16 | Bittering variety, bred from Nugget and with similar characteristics. | ||
| Newport | |
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10-17 | Recently developed American high-alpha bittering hop. | ||
| Northdown |  |
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7-9 | Dual purpose hop in England developed in 1970s. Relative of Challenger and Target. | ||
| Nugget | |
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12-14 | Floral, resiny aroma and flavor. Primarily a bittering hop. | |
| Palisade | |
6-10 | Fairly recent American cross of Tettnager and open pollination resulting in a moderate alpha hop. | |||
| Perle | |
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7-10 | German dual-purpose hop. Often used in combination with other hops. | |
| Phoenix |  |
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9-13 | Dual-purpose English hop, mild aroma and slightly spicy flavor. | |
| Pilot | |
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9-12 | Previously known as S24 (nicknamed Ros) this UK hedgerow variety was officially named as 'Pilot' in May 2002 by Charles Faram & Co Ltd. | ||
| Pioneer | |
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8-10 | English hop; a sister of Herald. | ||
| Progress | |
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5-7 | Higher alpha English hop developed in the 1960s as a replacement for Fuggles. | ||
| Santiam | |
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5-7 | American floral aroma hop with mid-range alpha acid. | ||
| Saphir | |
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2-5 | A new breed of hop that is starting to replace the Hallertauer Mittlefruh variety, which has become more and more susceptible to disease and pests. | |
| Satus | |
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12-14 | A bittering-type cultivar of recent origin. | ||
| Select | |
4-6 | German disease-resistant Hallertauer and Spalt pale lager variety | |||
| Sterling | |
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6-9 | American floral hop released in 1998. | ||
| Summit | |
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17-19 | Very high alpha acid hop. | ||
| Target | |
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9-13 | English mid-to-high alpha hop bred from Kent Goldings. | ||
| Tomahawk | |
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14-18 | Trade name for Columbus. | ||
| Tradition | |
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5-7 | Bred in 1991 from Hallertau Mittlefruh by the Hull Hop Research Institute in Germany for resistance to disease. | ||
| Ultra | |
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4-5 | A triploid aroma-type cultivar, originated in 1983 from a cross between the colchicine-induced tetraploid Hallertau mf (USDA 21397) and the diploid Saazer-derived male genotype (USDA 21237m). | ||
| Vanguard | |
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5-6 | American aroma cross developed from Hallertau in 1982. | ||
| Warrior | |
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15-17 | New American bittering hop, popular with growers and brewers. | ||
| Willamette | |
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4-6 | Popular American development in 1976 of the English Fuggle. Named for the Willamette Valley, an important hop-growing area. | ||
| Zeus | |
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14-16 | American aromatic high-alpha hop. | ||
| Admiral | |
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14-16 | An English bittering hop used in some English ales. |
| Ahtanum | |
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4-7 | Ahtanum is an aroma-flavoring hop variety that is similar to Cascade or Amarillo. It has a citrus and floral character much like cascade with the addition of some piney or earth notes. Grapefruit quality is more forward in than in cascade as well. Alpha acids are lower than cascade making Ahtanum a good choice for a flavor addition when you do not want to impart quite the bitterness of cascade or amarillo. |
| Amarillo | |
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8-11 | Popular American mid-range alpha variety developed by Virgil Gamache Farms in late 20th century. Also known as VGX001, its strain number. |
| Apollo | |
20-21 | Characterized by its exceptional high percentage of alpha acids, excellent storage stability of alpha acids, low CoH value for an alpha variety, and resistance to hop powdery mildew strains found in Washington. The new variety was cultivated as a result of a cross in 2000 at Golden Gate Roza Hop Ranches in Prosser, Washington, and has been asexually reproduced there. | |||
| Athanum | |
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5-6 | Floral, citrusy, and piney, similar to Cascade. | |
| Bramling Cross | |
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5-7 | The variety has a very distinctive American aroma. Often used as a general- purpose kettle hop for a smallish proportion of the hop grist. However, the variety has also of late been used to provide special fruity, blackcurrant and lemon notes in traditional brews, especially in Christmas ales. |
| Brewer's Gold | |
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7-11 | British bittering hop developed in 1919. Both Brewer's Gold and Bullion are seedlings of BB1 (found wild in Manitoba). Many modern high alpha hops were developed from Brewer's Gold. Has a resiny, spicy aroma/flavor with hints of black currant. | |
| Bullion | |
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7-9 | Bittering hop. One of the earliest high alpha hops in the world. Raised in 1919 in England from a wild Manitoban female crossed with an English male hop. Mainly used in bittering Stouts and Dark ales. This hop has a resiny/earthy aroma/flavor and can be a bit rough. | |
| Cascade | |
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5-6 | Very successful and well-established American aroma hop developed by Oregon State University's breeding program in 1956 from Fuggle and Serebrianker (a Russian variety), but not released for cultivation until 1972. Gives strong piney, fragrant, floral, spicy, and citrusy (especially grapefruit) aroma distinct citrus/grapefruit aroma. One of the "Three Cs" along with Centennial and Columbus. |
| Centennial | |
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10-12 | American aroma-type variety bred in 1974 and released in 1990. This hop has a clean aroma with floral notes, similar to Cascade, but stronger. |
| Challenger | |
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7-9 | English hop. Introduced in 1972. Very popular dual-purpose hop in English ales.Some pine notes with spicy and fruity aromas. Good multi-purpose hop for aroma, bittering, or finishing. Blends well with other hops. |
| Chinook | |
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12-14 | Chinook hops were developed in the early 1980s in Washington state by the USDA as a variant of the Goldings Hop. Typically used for bittering, Chinook imparts a rich, pronounced aroma with a citrus component. |
| Citra | |
10-12 | This newer American variety is a cross of Hallertauer Mittelfruh, U.S. Tettnanger, East Kent Golding, Bavarian, Brewers Gold and other unknown hops. It has a heavy citrus aroma and flavor. Still very new, it is gaining favor as an all purpose hop. | |||
| Cluster | |
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6-9 | Originated from mass selection of the Cluster hop, which is an old American cultivar. It is suggested that they arose from hybridization of varieties, imported by Dutch and English settlers and indigenous male hops. Also known as Golden Cluster. Can give a black currant aroma/flavor. | ||
| Columbus | |
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14-18 | A high yielding, high alpha acid American bittering hop. Also known by the trade name Tomahawk. One of the "Three Cs" along with Cascade and Centennial. Like the others it is citrusy and slightly woody. | |
| Crystal | |
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4-6 | An American triploid variety developed in 1993 from Hallertau, Cascade, Brewer's Gold and Early Green. It is spicier than Hallertau (cinnamon, black pepper, and nutmeg). |
| Eroica | |
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9-12 | A strongly flavored bittering hop used in wheat beers | ||
| First Gold | |
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7-9 | English dwarf hop. A cross-pollination of Whitbread Golding variety and a dwarf male. | |
| Fuggles | |
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4-6 | Main English hop developed late 19th century. More earthy and less sweet than Kent Goldings. |
| Galaxy |  |
15-15 | New (2008) Australian high alpha dual purpose triploid cultivar with a marked and unique hop aroma, described as a combination of citrus and passionfruit. | |||
| Galena | |
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12-14 | American bittering hop developed from Brewer's Gold by open pollination in the state of Idaho | ||
| Glacier | |
6-6 | Low-cohumulone American Fuggle descendant. | |||
| Goldings | |
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4-6 | The traditional and very popular English aroma hop. Developed prior to 1790. Widely cultivated. Called East Kent Goldings if grown in East Kent, Kent Goldings if grown in mid-Kent, and Goldings if grown elsewhere. Tend to have a smooth, sweet flavor. | |
| Greenburg | |
5-5 | American Hop found in southern Idaho | |||
| Hallertau | |
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4-6 | Hallertauer Mittelfruh. The original German lager hop; named after Hallertau or Holledau region in central Bavaria. Due to susceptibility to crop disease, it was largely replaced by Hersbrucker in the 1970s and 1980s. |
| Herald | |
11-13 | An English aroma and bittering hop; sister of Pioneer. | |||
| Hersbrucker | |
3-6 | Noble hop used in German pale lagers. | |||
| Horizon | |
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11-13 | American high alpha cross made in Oregon in 1970. Horizon and Nugget share a common parent | ||
| Motueka | |
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7-8 | A triploid aroma type developed by New Zealand’s HortResearch. Motueka hop was bred by crossing a New Zealand breeding selection (2/3) with Saazer parentage (1/3). First selected by a notable Belgian brewery lead to this variety being called Belgian Saaz and later shortened to B-Saaz so as not confuse country of origin. First impressions are a very lively and lifted lemon and lime followed by a background of tropical fruit. Motueka imparts a balanced bitterness as well as a desirable new world noble type aroma. |
| Mount Hood | |
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5-8 | Soft American variety developed from Hallertau. | ||
| Mount Rainier | |
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5-7 | Originally cultivated in Oregon. Mt. Rainier has a complex parentage, including Hallertau, Galena, Fuggles and other hops. | ||
| Nelson Sauvin |  |
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12-13 | Nelson Sauvin has the unique ability to impart a distinctive cool climate white wine fruitiness. The complexity of the oils profile has seen selectors stretched looking for descriptors to document this unique new world variety. |
| Northern Brewer | |
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8-10 | Developed in England in 1934 from a cross between a Canterbury Golding female plant and the male plant OB21 | |
| Polnischer Lublin | |
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3-5 | Finishing hop. Another source of the classical noble-aroma type hop with long and strong traditions. | |
| Poperinge hops |  |
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3-8 | Poperinge is known as the 'Hop Capital' of Belgium and you will see 275 hectares of hops in the surrounding countryside. The region is famous for growing hops. Poperinge is home to the national hop museum. |
| Saaz |  |
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3-5 | Named after the czech city of Saaz (in the Czech Republic). Saaz hops accounted for more than half of total hop production in the Czech Republic. Noble hop used extensively in Bohemia to flavor pale Czech lagers such as Pilsner Urquell. Cinnamon-spicy, earthy. Substitutes: Tettnanger, Ultra, Crystal. |
| Simcoe | |
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12-14 | Simcoe is a unique American hybrid. Although it is primarily a bittering hop, it's clean, pine-like aroma and a taste with a slight hint of citrus. It is less astringent than other pine-like hops and has been highly sought after to make distinctive and unique Pale Ales and American Ales. Simcoe's flavor is believed superior due to low cohumulone levels. |
| Spalt | |
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4-5 | Traditional German noble hop from the Spalter region south of Nuremberg. | ||
| Strisselspalt |  |
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3-5 | French aroma hop from Alsace, used mostly in pale lagers. |
| Styrian Goldings |  |
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5-6 | Slovenian variant of Fuggles, but are similar to East Kent Goldings. Used in English ales and Belgian strong ales amongst others. Substitutes: East Kent Goldings. |
| Tardif de Bourgogne | |
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3-5 | French hop, used as an aromatic in continental lagers. |
Brugse Zot blond from Brewery De Halve Maan is available in the Beer Store
