* Random observation
* Vanishing varieties
* Chinook Cup winners
* Hop profile: Herkules
Welcome to Vol. 8, No. 9. Hello hop industry subscribers who are headed to the American Hop Convention in Southern California later this week. If you want to drop me a postcard post-convention with your thoughts it will help make for a better February newsletter. Seriously, although in this case I mean an email.)
RANDOM OBSERVATION: THE MANY FACES OF SUSTAINABILITY
In the most recent Hop Notes, Eric Sannerud pleads the case for supporting public hops. Six-plus years ago I wrote a story for Beer Advocate magazine about the relationship between public hops and proprietary hops. It was their final issue and not all the stories within are archived at the BA website, so I will share two quotes.
“I believe in the small democratic nature of farming. I’m an idealist in that way. Public hops allow everybody the opportunity,” said John Mallet, then director of operations at Bell’s Brewery and now retired.
“Our industry was built on public hops. We cut our teeth growing these hops,” said Blake Crosby, CEO of Crosby Hops.
I was already convinced, but my interview with Hop Research Council director Alicia Adler reminded of the scope of the government-funded hop research program. (The interview for Technical Quarterly will post soon at www.mbaa.com.) We talked about what sustainability means to the HRC.
“Ultimately, sustainability is the long-term viability and profitability of crop production in this particular region of the United States. The question becomes, ‘What does that entail?’ It involves understanding the impact of pest and disease pressure on plants and developing new tools to manage them given pesticide resistance and government regulations and preparing for severe climate events that are becoming more frequent, as well as the effects of changing market conditions and global demand for beer,” she said.
“The goal is to develop more resilient agricultural systems and practices to manage the impact of those changes. Another unique hop industry attribute is the historical legacy of farming in these communities. There are a lot of specialized skills that are passed down from generation to generation. You want to preserve that and ensure that there’s a business for these families to inherit. Sustainability means taking a comprehensive look at the challenges and pressures on production and developing tools to help address them.”
There are many aspects to sustainability. Regular readers are probably tired of me yammering away about the importance of reducing the carbon footprint of hops as a whole. Fact is, when fewer inputs are needed the cost of production decreases. Farmers need to sustain their businesses, which means having agronomically strong cultivars that have the attributes brewers (and drinkers) will pay for. Brewers need reasonably priced hops that drinkers want in beer.
Which brings me to something Sannerud wrote. I don’t mean to pick on him, but I don’t think focusing on sustainability is wildly self-serving. He wrote:
“The largest private breeding companies have started marketing various of their lines as replacements for either Cascade or Centennial. I would be wary of these pitches if I were a brewer. First of all, because none of them that I have smelled are clear replacements for either variety and secondly, because this is a wildly self-serving sales pitch.”
Sannerud is referring to presentations that representatives of Yakima Chief Hops and John I. Haas (the Hop Breeding Company relies on its partners for marketing) that promote the sustainability of two HBC experimental cultivars. Because they require fewer inputs and yield more pounds of hops per acre they provide a better return for a grower, yet cost less for a brewer to buy.
Yes, I agree that HBC 638 is not a one-for-one replacement for Centennial. Nor is HBC 522 an aromatic twin of Cascade. Those “C hops” are not going anywhere soon, and thank goodness. But, dang, it is complicated, and a conversation that extends to other “classic” varieties, such as Saaz and Hersbrucker. I expect to write more about the roles all breeding programs play in the future for Brewing Industry Guide. For now, I’ll defer to something else Crosby said for the BA story. “It is a huge topic. It’s one I struggle with myself.”
LAST CALL FOR THESE VARIETIES?
Crosby Hops shared this chart in their regular newsletter and on Instagram.
They provided the question in the headline above, and invited comments. “We want to hear your take. Are these hop varieties crucial to your brewery? Are there varieties from the past that meet current style trends that need a reboot?” I’m sure they would welcome yours.
Interesting reading, and totally related to any conversation about sustainability. I will remind you that no acreage reported does not mean no acreage. The USDA withholds some data to avoid disclosing details for individual operations.
MIGHTY FINE CHINOOK
It seems that Dog Star Hops outside of Charlotte, Michigan, is pretty good at growing Chinook hops. The farm captured Michigan’s Chinook Cup for the third time in four years. Mr. Wizard Hops was second and Bell’s Brewery Estate Hop Yard was third.
Modeled after the Hop Quality Group Cascade Cup, the Chinook Cup is awarded to Michigan’s top hop grower as determined by a panel of craft brewers through a series of blind sensory tests. This year, nine Chinook entries were ranked with scoring provided for aroma, appearance/color and brewing values. The three largest (acreage) hops in Michigan in 2023 were Centennial (92 acres), Cascade (42) and Chinook (40).
HOP PROFILE: HERKULES
When I visited the Bogensberger hop farm in Germany’s Hallertau region in 2011, Florian Bogensberger told me the story about the outcomes his father, Michael, and other growers considered 20 years earlier before they planted what were then high alpha hops, Nugget and Target, developed in the United States and England, respectively.
In the early nineties, the two highest alpha hops grown widely in Germany were Northern Brewer and Brewer’s Gold. “People here were not so sure it was a good idea to have high alpha,” Bogensberger said. “If too many . . . started producing, it would eliminate others. On the other side, we would not stay relevant in the market.”
The Hop Research Center in Hüll released Magnum and Taurus, soon after—then Herkules, a 2006. Herkules became the most widely grown variety in Germany in 2013, and accounted for 36 percent of acreage in 2023.
She is an alpha machine, the combination of high alpha and yield, and looks like a hop tree in the field, with cones right to the ground. Herkules seems like a perfect name.
Heritage: She is a daughter of Taurus, and her heritage goes as far back as Brewer’s Gold (and BB1). Yes, Herkules and Citra are distant cousins.
The basics: 12.4-22.9% alpha acids, 3.3-5.9% beta acids, 1.4-2.9 mL/100 grams total oil.
Aroma qualities: The BarthHaas Aroma Compendium describes cool notes of melissa and citrus fruit in a cold infusion, delicately balanced with floral nuances and the sweet flavor of honeydew melon. But, honestly, who cares? Most of her cones will be pelletized and then turned into CO2 extract.