Guess The Hop

We’ve been excited to share Guess The Hop with you for a few reasons. Firstly, it’s a great excuse to release three single-hop IPAs. They’re all in a sweet spot of strength and bitterness and you’re going to love them. Secondly, being able to try different hops in the same base beer gives us a true indication of how the hops present in the way that we’re using them. It’s very rare to be able to try single hop beers like this all together, but that can be a great way to catch the differences and nuance in each. Thirdly, we thought it would be a lot of fun! Both in our team, web customers and out in pubs, bars and shops, it’s a great chance to drink and talk about beer… which has to be a big part of why we’re all in this in the first place.

So what even are hops?

Quite simple, hops are the why we're all here. Without hops, there'd be no beer as we know it. Going back to their roots, hops are plants, and it's the flowers of which we use for beer. They can grow wildly in the British Countryside so you may have seen them, but we get most of our hops from the US - specifically the Yakima Valley in the Pacific Northwest, or Cascadia region. That region alone accounts for 99% of all US hops, the Yakima Valley 69% of that figure.

To put that into context, it’s more hops than the Czech Republic, China, Poland, Slovenia, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the UK grow combined. Considering that those countries make up 8 of the top 10 hop producing countries in the world in 2021, that’s quite some scale. The United States is the biggest grower in the world, Germany is second.

A bit of history then! In 1620, English settlers arrived in the US. These pilgrims brought along English hops with them, which they cross cultivated with the new world hops found growing there already.

The settlers spread across America, and so did hop growing, but it soon found a home in the aforementioned Pacific Northwest due to its perfect climate for hop growing.

The flavour in hops all comes from Lupulin, the yellow powdery bit on the hop. Which you can see here:

It's the Lupolin that contains many of the hop acids and essential oils that make beer so delicious, and give each hops their unique flavours.

Modern hop growers can now use breeding programmes to target certain flavour and aroma profiles. Have a read of some of the notes from these hops below and see if any of them match your findings from the Guess The Hop beers!

We reached out to the highly knowledgeable Luke from Yakima Chief Hops for his advice on picking out flavours and identifying hop. Check out the video here if you're a little stuck!

Help from Luke, Yakima Chief Hops

For some help in you hop selection, check out some of these hops and their tasting notes, taken from the Yakima Chief website: 

Amarillo

Origin - America

Aroma - CITRUS, HERBAL, SPICY, STONE FRUIT, WOODY

Description - Discovered by Virgil Gamache Farms, Amarillo® Brand VGXP01 is one of the top ten aroma varieties utilised by craft brewers. It features relatively high alpha acids along with extremely high levels of myrcene for citrus and grapefruit flavours.

Azacca

Origin - America

Aroma - BERRY, CITRUS, PINE, STONE FRUIT, TROPICAL

Description -  Azacca®, named for the Haitian god of agriculture, is a hop big in citrus and tropical fruit tones. It’s excellent aromatic qualities have quickly made Azacca® a go-to hop for late and dry hop additions in varying styles of beer.

Cascade

Origin - America

Aroma - FLORAL, GRAPEFRUIT, GRASSY, HERBAL, PINE

Description - Originating from the USDA-ARA breeding program, Cascade is an aroma-type cultivar bred in 1956 and released in 1972. It was developed by open pollination of a Fuggle seedling. Cascade is the most popular variety in craft brewing and is known for having a unique floral, spicy and citrus character with balanced bittering potential.

Centennial 

Origin - America

Aroma -  FLORAL, LEMON, ORANGE, TROPICAL, WOODY

Description -  Bred in 1974 and released by Washington State University in 1990, Centennial is an aroma-type cultivar that has found favour as one of the most popular varieties in craft brewing. It is often referred to as a super-Cascade (containing nearly double the alpha content) and can be used for bittering purposes. Centennial is a diploid cross between Brewer’s Gold and a USDA male.

Citra

Origin - America

Aroma - CITRUS, STONE FRUIT, TROPICAL, WOODY

Description - Developed by Hop Breeding Company and released in 2007, Citra® HBC 394 features high alpha acid and total oil content with a low percentage of co-humulone. It is one of the top ten aroma varieties for craft brewers imparting distinct citrus and tropical fruit flavours.

Ekuanot

Origin - New Zealand

Aroma - BUBBLEGUM, CITRUS, STONE FRUIT, TROPICAL, WOODY

Description - Developed by Hop Breeding Company and released in 2014, Ekuanot® HBC 366 features pronounced aroma characteristics and extremely high oil content. This variety bursts out of the spring soil in vibrant yellow and gradually matures to a deep green colour by Fall harvest.

El Dorado

Origin - America

Aroma - CITRUS, STONE FRUIT, TROPICAL, WOODY

Description - El Dorado was released by CLS Farms in the fall of 2010. El Dorado's high alpha acid levels combined with its unique aromas, give craft brewers maximum supply chain flexibility.

Fuggle

Origin - UK

Aroma - EARTHY, GRASSY, HERBAL, WOODY

Description - Selected from a seedling in 1861 and released in 1875, Fuggle is the most revered and famous English variety. It is known for its classic English aroma and is often used in conjunction with Golding.

Galaxy

Origin - Australia

Aroma - CITRUS, STONE FRUIT, TROPICAL

Description -  Commercially available since 2009, Galaxy is the most internationally recognized Australian hop variety. Its lineage includes high alpha Australian hops and European cultivars, specifically German Perle.

Mandarina Bavaria

Origin - Germany

Aroma - CITRUS, ORANGE, SWEET AROMATIC

Description - Bred at the Hop Research Institute in Hüll and released in 2012, Mandarina Bavaria was commercialised as a new, German aroma variety in response to growing demand from the craft beer industry for distinct flavour profiles. It is the daughter of Cascade and displays many citrus characteristics, however, the most notable aroma is tangerine.

Motueka

Origin - New Zealand

Aroma - FRUITY, LEMON, LIME, TROPICAL

Description - Developed by the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research hop breeding program and released in 1996, Motueka is a cross between a New Zealand breeding selection and Saaz. It offers a unique aroma and flavour profile suitable for producing big beer styles. Motueka performs well when used in multiple additions from a single hop bill.

Nectaron

Origin - New Zealand

Aroma - CITRUS, STONE FRUIT, TROPICAL

Description - A triploid aroma type hop developed in collaboration with New Zealand’s Plant & Food Research. Passionately crafted over 17 years by the hands of New Zealand’s Godfather of Hops – Dr. Ron Beatson. Nectaron® Brand HORT4337 is a full sister to Waimea. Nectaron® provides an intense mix of distinctive pineapple stone fruit citrus that lends itself perfectly to a range of beer styles including NEIPA, IPA, Pale Ales and Lagers. Nectaron is best used late or when dry hopping and has proven itself as an award-winning hop, delivering a consistent dose of high quality tropical hop character every time.

Nelson Sauvin

Origin - New Zealand

Aroma - CITRUS, TROPICAL, WHITE WINE

Description - Developed by the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research hop breeding program and released in 2000, Nelson Sauvin is a triploid variety bred from the New Zealand Smoothcone and a selected New Zealand male. It is known for being one of the most unique hop varieties, displaying strong fruit and white wine aroma characteristics.

Saaz

Origin - Czech Republic

Aroma - EARTHY, FLORAL, GRASSY, SPICY, WOODY

Description - A Czech Republic landrace variety, Saaz is the most classic "noble" aroma hop with longstanding and strong traditions. It is associated with and defines Czech-style pilsners.

Sabro

Origin - America

Aroma - CITRUS, COCONUT, HERBAL, STONE FRUIT, TROPICAL

Description - Sabro® HBC 438 is the newest release from the Hop Breeding Company. Sabro is an aroma hop that is notable for its complexity of fruity and citrus flavours. 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 flavour incredibly well into beer. 

Simcoe

Origin - America

Aroma - CITRUS, GRAPEFRUIT, STONE FRUIT, TROPICAL, WOODY

Description - Developed by Yakima Chief Ranches and released in 2000, Simcoe YCR 14 is known for its brewing versatility and unique aroma characteristics. It continues to rise in popularity becoming one of the top ten varieties in the craft and home brewing industries.

Sorachi Ace

Origin - Japan

Aroma - HERBAL, LEMON, SPICY, WOODY

Description - Developed in Japan in 1984 for Sapporo Breweries, Ltd., Sorachi Ace is a cross between Brewer’s Gold, Saaz and Beikei No. 2 male. It is available in limited quantities, however, it remains a popular variety among craft brewers for its unique citrus fruit, herbal and dill aromas.

Talus

Origin - America

Aroma - GRAPEFRUIT, HERBAL, PINE, ROSE, TROPICAL

Description - Talus ® delivers big aromas of pink grapefruit, citrus rinds, dried roses, pine resin, tropical fruits and sage. These unique and impactful aromas remain throughout the brewing process. With Talus, what you smell in the field is what you’ll get in your glass.

Triskel

Origin - France

Aroma - CITRUS, FLORAL, HERBAL, SPICY

Description - Developed in 2006 as a cross between Strisselspalt and Yeoman, Triskel contains many of the same characteristics as Strisselspalt but displays a more pronounced flavour profile.