ALL GRAIN BEER

Serebrianka (aka Silver) is a Russian aroma hop, and is one of Cascade’s parents along with a Fuggle. Serebrianka was tested for 20 years in the U.S. before being discarded due to low yield, vigor, and storage stability (53%) and susceptibility to disease. It is still available for homebrewing use. It has nice aroma characteristics, and is probably related to the Saazer variety. It has high humulene and farnesene (12%) which contributes to its pleasant aroma and taste.

The Elsaesser hops’ commercial production is confined to very limited acreage in the Alsace region of France, where they probably came from an old land race in the same area. Charlemagne’s father was said to have had a hops garden in the 7th century even though the use of hops in beer isn’t recorded until the 11th century. Perhaps today’s are a descendant of the same variety that graced Pepin III’s garden. The Elsaesser has the aroma of a noble European type. It is said that its storage ability is fair to good, retaining 60% of alpha acid content after 6 months; however, there seems to be no available information on its alpha acid percentages. It’s oils average at 0.63% with a 32% humulene content.

Ella hops, formally known as Stella, gained celebrity status practically overnight when her outstanding qualities were noted as a seedling in 2001. By 2007 she was released for brewing trials. An immediate hit, Ella was fast-tracked into commercial production. Her amazing nature is such that, due to her high level of oils she can completely change character depending on how she is handled in the brew. When used in low quantity, she displays a spicy, floral character like star anise. When used in greater quantities or in dry hopping, she holds her own with any robust malt, conveying a decided tropical and grapefruit flavor. She was bred from a female tetraploid (J78) with a Spalt, and is a half-sister to Galaxy®.

Cerera, sister to Celeia, has that pleasing, continental aroma that likens it to a Saazer hop. It has great vigor and good yield potential, but its poor storage stability makes it a poor candidate for widespread commercial production. This hop is high in tannins, but the tannins in hops are milder than the tannins in tea. High tannins only become problematic when too many hops are used or they are left too long in the fermenter. Because Cerera has a lower alpha acid profile, it is best to combine it with a bit of higher alpha acid hops for the bittering. If you try to just add more Cerera for bittering, the tannins will end up coming through astringently which does not make for a pleasant brew.

Super Alpha Apollo is pricey, but worth it if you are an Imperial Pale Ale lover. It was first bred in 2000 by Hopsteiner, and released in 2006. You might suspect that Apollo is a descendent of Zeus as well as two other USDA hops. With that kind of breeding strength, it’s no wonder Apollo, with its ultra-high alpha acid & bittering profiles, is the requisite choice of several ales and pale ales. Apollo is highly desirable due to its great storageability and disease tolerance, but is usually employed alongside other hops in order to balance more aroma with its high bittering. You can find Apollo in Brown Bison Ale, Pirate Pale Ale, Pin-Head Pilsner, and Belgo Pale Ale to name a few, and often alongside Glacier, and Palisade hops varieties.

Atlas has been described as having good bittering and aroma, with intense notes of lime, blossom, and pine. Like its siblings Aurora, Ahil, and Apolon, Atlas has been cut back in commercial production due to the industry confusion it caused when it was released as a SuperStyrian breed when it is actually a Brewer’s Gold seedling. It is susceptible to and often infected with several viruses such as Prunus, Hop Mosaic and Necrotic Ringspot. It is a Slovenian breed which accomplished USDA accession. Its production has been reduced in favor of the more traditional Styrian varieties.

CTZ stands for Columbus, Tomahawk, Zeus Once thought to be separate varieties, however evidence now suggests that they are genetically similar if not identical hops. Thus these high alpha varieties can be used interchangeably…

Zeus is a high yielding hop with a pleasant aroma, and is described by some has having a pungent kick, but what else would you expect of a hop named for a god of thunder and lightning? It is on the commercial market, but usually all tied up by S.S. Steiner. It has also been valuable for breeding. Father of Apollo (in case you couldn’t guess).

A rare, high alpha bittering hops from Yakima Valley, Washington. Bittering is considered intense. Related to Zeus. Sun is a proprietary hop controlled by S.S. Steiner, Inc.