1. The Hop Map
Currently the country that dedicates the largest area to hop cultivation and the main producer is the US, where the most important area is the Pacific Northwest. Washington State alone produces 69% of the national total, primarily in the Yakima Valley.
Germany is the second largest producer in volume although, historically, it has always been the first. The main varieties are Mittelfruh, Tradition and Hersbrucker grown in the Bavarian area.
China is far behind with the varieties it grows in the center and northwest of the country.
2. A hop flower in a Spanish cathedral
Did you know that in the Gothic cathedral of León you can find hop flowers? The chapel of Nuestra Señora del Camino has an ornamental frieze of carved stone in which some hop stalks can be seen along with others of vine.
The coincidence of being next to each other demonstrates, according to some scholars, flamenco influences in Castile. The chapel was built between the 15th and 16th centuries by Juan de Badajoz, El Viejo, coinciding with the arrival in Spain of the Flemish court of Carlos I, who, as we have already told you several times, was a great beer fan. SEE MORE.
3. Where are hops grown in Spain?
In 1915 the first commercial plantations were developed in Galicia but from 1945, when the Spanish Society for the Promotion of Hops was created, cultivation was concentrated in the Órbigo Valley (León), where Today, 95% of the 570 hectares of this crop in the country grow.
Although it seems like a large number, it is interesting to know that in the 1980s there was three times as much area. Hopping areas are currently being recovered, such as Asturias or Navarra, where new projects are being developed.
4. There are “noble” hop varieties
In the 1980s, the expression noble hops appeared to refer to the first varieties of hops grown in central European regions with a long tradition such as Germany or the Czech Republic.
These are varieties with an elegant aromatic profile and low bitterness (between 2.5 and 5% AA approximately) that offer delicate herbal and floral nuances of green tea, citrus peels and aromatic herbs. The downside is that they require great care during cultivation because they are sensitive to various diseases, and have a relatively low shelf life once harvested.
The varieties Saaz, Spalt, Tettnanger and Hallertauer Mittelfruh are usually considered “noble”.
If you want to try beers with these noble hops we recommend the Caleya Milenta Lager (with Saaz) or the Garage Beer Riba Pils (with Hallertau Mittelfruh and Tettnang varieties)
5. The most popular hop varieties are less than 100 years old
At the beginning of the 20th century, research began on crossing traditional hop varieties to obtain new plants with greater resistance to diseases.
Around 1920, researchers at Wye College in Kent, England, combined English hop varieties with other wild ones from Manitoba in North America, resulting in new varieties -such as Brewers Gold or Bramling Cross - which have a higher AA level with a peculiar “fruity” aroma (and which, strangely enough, traditional brewers discarded at first)
Sources at the time spoke of “blackcurrant” or “muscatel grape” flavors with a taste “much more bitter than European hops and overly perfumed”
But it was not until the 70s and the craft movement in the US that this blend was replicated in the Cascade variety. Its distinctive aromas of flowers, grapefruit, and pine were prized by newer craft brewers, creating some of the iconic modern American styles, such as IPAs.
In the following years, varieties such as Centennial, Columbus and Chinook appeared, with high bitterness profiles and intense and differentiated aromas. These varieties are called “C” hops. If you want to try an artisan beer made in Spain with these hops, you can do it with the I PA Tarántula Black IPA (with Chinok and Cascade) or with the Triple West Coast IPA Disorder, from the brewery La Quince Disorder that uses Columbus, Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops in the hot phase and Citra, Simcoe, Idaho7 and Amarillo in Dry Hopping. And these are just two examples, because these hops are super easy to find in current craft beer recipes.
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In 1915 the first commercial plantations were developed in Galicia but from 1945, when the Spanish Society for the Promotion of Hops was created, cultivation was concentrated in the Órbigo Valley (León), where Today, 95% of the 570 hectares of this crop in the country grow.
Although it seems like a large number, it is interesting to know that in the 1980s there was three times as much area. Hopping areas are currently being recovered, such as Asturias or Navarra, where new projects are being developed.
4. There are “noble” hop varieties
In the 1980s, the expression noble hops appeared to refer to the first varieties of hops grown in central European regions with a long tradition such as Germany or the Czech Republic.
These are varieties with an elegant aromatic profile and low bitterness (between 2.5 and 5% AA approximately) that offer delicate herbal and floral nuances of green tea, citrus peels and aromatic herbs. The downside is that they require great care during cultivation because they are sensitive to various diseases, and have a relatively low shelf life once harvested.
The varieties Saaz, Spalt, Tettnanger and Hallertauer Mittelfruh are usually considered “noble”.
If you want to try beers with these noble hops we recommend the Caleya Milenta Lager (with Saaz) or the Garage Beer Riba Pils (with Hallertau Mittelfruh and Tettnang varieties)
5. The most popular hop varieties are less than 100 years old
At the beginning of the 20th century, research began on crossing traditional hop varieties to obtain new plants with greater resistance to diseases.
Around 1920, researchers at Wye College in Kent, England, combined English hop varieties with other wild ones from Manitoba in North America, resulting in new varieties -such as Brewers Gold or Bramling Cross - which have a higher AA level with a peculiar “fruity” aroma (and which, strangely enough, traditional brewers discarded at first)
Sources at the time spoke of “blackcurrant” or “muscatel grape” flavors with a taste “much more bitter than European hops and overly perfumed”
But it was not until the 70s and the craft movement in the US that this blend was replicated in the Cascade variety. Its distinctive aromas of flowers, grapefruit, and pine were prized by newer craft brewers, creating some of the iconic modern American styles, such as IPAs.
In the following years, varieties such as Centennial, Columbus and Chinook appeared, with high bitterness profiles and intense and differentiated aromas. These varieties are called “C” hops. If you want to try an artisan beer made in Spain with these hops, you can do it with the I PA Tarántula Black IPA (with Chinok and Cascade) or with the Triple West Coast IPA Disorder, from the brewery La Quince Disorder that uses Columbus, Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops in the hot phase and Citra, Simcoe, Idaho7 and Amarillo in Dry Hopping. And these are just two examples, because these hops are super easy to find in current craft beer recipes.
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