Hop Varieties
Most Popular Hop Varieties
Bullion: Average alpha: 8-11%. Coarse flavor and aroma. Spicy and pungent. Used as a bittering hop only. Recommended for stouts.
Cascade: Average alpha: 5-7%. Good aroma, coarser flavor than more traditional hops. Recommended for light lagers, dark beers and American ales.
Centennial: Average alpha: 8-10%. Mostly a bittering hop, but can also be used for aroma. Recommended for medium to dark American ales.
Challenger: Average alpha: 7-10%. Bittering and aroma. Recommended for British and Belgian ales. Average alpha: 11-13%. Mild, spicy aroma. Bittering similar to Bullion, but stronger. Recommended for American ales and lagers.
Cluster: Average alpha: 5-8%. Mild bittering with floral aroma. Classic American hop for commercial beers. Recommended for light and dark American lagers.
Crystal: Average alpha: 2-5%. Mild and pleasant aroma. Derived from Hallertau and Cascade. Recommended for German and American lagers.
Eroica: Average alpha: 10-14%. Bittering with acceptable aroma (use sparingly for aroma). Recommended for Pale ales, dark ales, and stouts.
Fuggles/Willamette: Average alpha: 4-6%. Virtually identical hops. Willamette was derived from Fuggles. Spicy, aromatic finishing hop. Recommended for all British and American ales.
Galena: Average alpha: 11-14%. Mild flavor despite high alpha. Used for bittering. Recommended for American ales and lagers.
Hallertau: Average alpha: 4-7%. Mellow, spicy fragrance. Can be used both for bittering and finishing. Recommended for altbiers, Belgian ales, and all Continental lagers.
Kent Goldings:Average alpha: 4-6%. Classic finishing hop. Good for dry-hopping. Recommended for Pale ales, bitters, porters and stouts.
Lublin: Average alpha: 3-5%. From Poland. Similar to Saaz. Use as finishing hop. Recommended for pilsners and Belgian ales.
Mt. Hood: Average alpha: 4-6%. Derived from Hallertau. Used as finishing hop. Recommended for American and German ales and lagers.
Northern Brewer: Average alpha: 7-11%. Bittering hop, with clean, minty flavor. Can be used in combination with Cascade and Hallertau. Can be used as a finishing hop if used in moderation. Recommended for California beers, dark English ales and German lagers.
alpha: 11-16%. Bittering hop with a herbal/spicy aroma. Recommended for Medium to dark American ales and lagers.
Perle: Average alpha: 6-11%. Developed from Hallertau and Northern Brewer. Used mainly as a bittering hop. Recommended for lagers and wheat beers.
Ringwood: Average alpha: 8-10%. From Australia. Use as bittering hop. Recommended for British ales, Australian ales and lagers.
Saaz:: Average alpha: 3-6%. Mild, spicy aroma ¡V one of the finest hop varieties. May be used both for bittering and finishing. Highly recommended for Czech pilsners, also continental lagers and wheats.
Styrian Goldings: Average alpha: 3-7%. Not related to Kent Goldings, and is basically an Austrian Fuggles. Use as bittering and finishing. Recommended for Vienna lagers, Belgian ales or pilsners (bittering) and English ales (finishing).
Tettnanger: Average alpha: 3-5%. Mild, floral and aromatic. Enhances grain aroma. Recommended for Bavarian wheats and German lagers.