Hop Categories and Information

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Originally grown in Kent and Surrey , the majority of Goldings are now produced in Worcestershire. The beautiful, flowery Goldings aroma is highly prized by brewers, but supplies are becoming harder to obtain due to poor yields and low resistance to disease.

This year we are again fortunate to be able to offer East Kent Goldings to the trade. Use these for your best Pale Ales and Bitters.

Fuggles are used extensively in Bitters and Pale Ales but are unsurpassed for flavouring the darker British styles.

A new hedgerow variety with excellent brewing quality, Sovereign is a true 'English noble hop' which can be used to good effect as a substitute for, or to blend with traditional aroma hops, Fuggles, Goldings, Challenger etc.

Originally bred by Whitbread's Brewery, this variety displays both Goldings and Fuggles characteristics. Although very fine ales can be made using WGV exclusively, they are usually used in combination with other varieties.

Originally bred from the Bramling Golding and a wild American hop, Bramling Cross is a low yielding variety grown in Kent and Sussex. Although an easy hop to grow, it is very low yielding so not an attractive proposition to the farmer. It has a very distinctive aroma, which is best suited to stronger, darker styles of beer. Although its popularity has been declining over the past 20 years or so, it is now making a comeback amongst the new breed of microbrewers.

Originally grown as a Fuggles replacement, Progress is a very versatile hop that combines fine aroma properties with a respectable alpha acid content. It seems to be at its best when combined with Goldings in high class Bitters and Pale Ales.

One of the new exciting varieties of 'dwarf hops', First Gold is a very fine aroma hop reminiscent of the Golding. It is a seedling of WGV and has been bred to grow to a height of just 2 to 3 metres to aid harvesting. Its delicately spicy aroma renders it particularly suitable for late and dry hopping. The fairly high alpha acid content makes for economy in the boil. First Gold is certain to gain popularity with brewers and farmers alike.

Grown in the Hersbruck district of the Hallertau, the largest hop-growing region in the world, this is the classic Lager hop.Its fine aroma properties are world renowned, ideally suited to all Lagers and can even be used to good effect in Bitters.

Hallertauer Mittelfrüh (Middle Early) is arguably the world's finest aroma hop. Brupaks is proud to be able to offer this variety to the home brew trade. Much of the production is shipped to the USA where it is used in the production of the multi-award winning Samuel Adams beers. The remainder is used primarily in premium quality Pilsners. 

An aroma hop in the classic German style bred from the famous Hallertauer Mittelfrüh variety. Use in Pilsner style beers where a refined hop aroma is required.

Although grown in southern Germany, the distinctive Tettnang aroma is more often found in the well-hopped Pilsners of the north. Jever and Bitburger are two famous brands that employ Tettnang. Large amounts of this hop can be used for bittering without imparting harshness so it is highly recommended for very bitter beers, including Bitters and Pale Ales.

Although generally regarded as an aroma hop, the moderately high alpha acid content of this variety will find more brewers employing Perle in the copper. Its high resistance to disease has made it a favourite with German farmers. Perle is now grown all over southern Germany and is suitable for all types of lager beers.

After their indigenous varieties were exterminated by powdery mildew in 1930, the Yugoslavians imported Fuggles from England , probably under the name 'Fuggles Goldings' as at that time Fuggles were considered to be inferior to Goldings. Since then they have been known as Styrian Goldings. Although essentially Fuggles, they have a beautiful perfumey aroma which lends itself to both Continental Lagers and the less malty English ales. Many English brewers use these for late and dry hopping Bitters

The classic Pilsner hop from the Czech Republic is used in many of the world's finest beers, including the exceptional Pilsner Urquell. It's beautiful aroma and delicate bitterness make it suitable for many styles. The Altbier brewers of Düsseldorf use vast quantities of Saaz to achieve the very high bitterness levels required for this style. 

Originally developed from the German Hallertauer Mittelfrüh variety, Mount Hood has evolved into a very versatile hop. It can be readily used in both lagers and ales where a mild aroma is required. Grown now in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Although originally bred from the Fuggle, Willamette is now regarded as an aroma variety in its own right.Its blackcurrant/herbal aroma is quite distinctive and can be used to great affect in all ale styles.

Due to the somewhat abnormal levels of some of the essential oils, Cascade has an aroma which is all its own. It is very popular among the new breed of American microbrewers and the Cascade 'nose' is immediately evident in their beers.This variety is now being introduced into some English micro brewed beers with good effect.

Tests made in a number of British breweries have produced very favourable results and Liberty will gain much wider recognition in the future. It is bred from Hallertauer Mittelfrüh and retains some of that variety's characteristics. It can, however, be used to great effect in English style ales where it displays some Fuggles notes.

Bred from Hallertauer Hersbrucker and Cascade, this is a hop of the very highest quality.Use for all beers where a distinct, floral aroma is required. 

Often described as Super Cascades this variety will give Pale Ales and IPA’s that characteristic powerful hop flavour and aroma found in the very best American ales.

Bred as per Pacific Hallertauer, this variety has a similar, but richer, aroma which keeps its freshness even in older beers. Perfect for strong lagers and robust bitters.

Growing in popularity as an alternative to the pungent Cascade in Pale Ales and Bitters, Ahtanum provides a delightful flowery aroma to these styles.

A crossbreed of New Zealand varieties and Saaz parentage, this variety is ideally suited to big Czech style Pilsners. It has a delightful flavour and a distinctive aroma which can also be utilized in other styles, particularly Belgian ales. 

Originally developed as a Goldings replacement, Challenger is a very versatile variety. Many brewers have found that excellent beers can be brewed from Challenger alone. It has fine bitteringproperties and a respectable aroma. More commonly, though, it is combined with a dedicated aroma variety. Challenger is gradually commanding less and less acreage these days as it gives way to more disease resistant varieties, such as the dwarf Pioneer.

This dual-purpose variety has an intense but pleasant aroma is great for bittering and aroma. It can be used in all ales (and judiciously in some lagers).

Northdown is a seedling of Northern Brewer, which is no longer grown in Britain. It retains much of its parent's fine bittering properties but has a much-improved aroma.. Although Northdown can be used on its own to good effect, especially in darker styles of beer, it is the ideal accompaniment to aroma hops such as Fuggles or Progress. It is particularly suited to Irish Stout

Pioneer is one of the new breed of 'dwarf hops' developed at Wye College in Kent. These plants grow to a height of around eight feet which makes harvesting them much easier than the usual eighteen feet varieties. Brewing trials by commercial breweries have been encouraging, with a fine aroma and a delicate bitterness in evidence. These are likely to become a firm favourite with home brewers in the future.

Only developed by Wye College in 2000, Pilgrim has already proved popular as an alternative to the more traditional high-alpha hops such as Northdown and Northern Brewer.  It is a true dual purpose hop as, besides its high bittering power, Pilgrim possesses excellent aromatic properties.

Very popular in Germany as a copper hop. Its bitterness is highly suited to Lager beers as it shows no sign of harshness. Brewers Gold is at its best when used in conjunction with 'noble varieties' such as Tettnang and Hallertauer Mittelfrüh.

Exceptional quality hop with an orange-citrus flavour. Use sparingly for flavouring as the orange flavour can dominate. Superb for late/dry hopping.

A new variety released in 2000, Simcoe is very versatile as it posses high bittering power with a somewhat unique, pine-like aroma. It can be detected in many high-class American ales.

Exceptional quality hop which has a pleasant aroma as well as a very high alpha acid content. Used in New Zealand for many lager types, Green Bullet can be economically substituted for StyrianGoldings.

Although it has one of the highest alpha acid contents in the world, Pacific Gem has a delicious berry-fruit aroma much prized by many commercial brewers. More suited to ales than lagers.

Target is by far the most widely grown variety in Britain due to its heavy cropping, excellent resistance to disease and high alpha acid content. It now takes up almost a third of the total acreage. Although recognised by some brewers as an aroma hop, Target is at its best in the copper for the production of beers with a low bitterness. Its powerful flavour would be overwhelming in more assertive brews. Used with discretion in combination with fine aroma hops.

Very high alpha acid content and a mild flavour make Admiral the bittering hop of choice for many brewers. Best in conjunction with more flavourful finishing hops.

Although originally developed in Britain, Northern Brewer is now grown almost exclusively in Germany . It is very versatile in that it can be used to provide bitterness in both Ales and Lagers. Its low aroma requires it to be used with other, more flavourful hops for the best results. 

A very clean bittering hop with little flavour and aroma. Very popular with lager brewers for base bitterness but also finding favour with brewers of ales. Excellent when used with noble finishing hops.

Galena is now by far the widest grown hop in America . It is a heavy cropper and has good resistance to disease. Brewing tests have revealed a Bullion-like flavour and Galena can be used as a replacement for this variety, which is now almost extinct.