Hallertauer Hops
Hallertauer Hops is the name of a traditional variety that is grown in the Hallertau section of Bavaria…which is a state (Bundesland) of Germany. To be even more specific, the variety that is known as “Hallertauer Mittelfrüh” is the one that is considered noble.
Because Hallertauer Mittelfrüh is prone to fungal disease, the acreage for this specific variety is not large. More energy is spent growing varieties that produce larger yields. To get your hands on some genuine Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hops may be a bit of a challenge.
Better brewing through science has given us substitute varieties that are close to the noble hop. They have the Hallertauer name, and they are similar to Mittelfrüher…but they are not the exact same. Here’s a list:
- Hallertauer Gold
- Hallertauer Tradition
- Hallertauer Magnum
- Hallertauer Merkur
- Hallertauer Taurus
Some other varieties that were bred as substitutes include:
This hop is the key flavoring and aroma hop for Sam Adams Boston Lager.
More Stats:
Origin: Germany (see above for more details)
Aroma/Flavor: Very Floral, earthy with a little spice
Alpha Acid: 3% to 5%
Typical Usage: Flavoring and Aroma
Beer Styles: German and American Lagers
on September 21st, 2009 at 10:45 am
Im having a difficult time trying to find a list of beers that would of been made using this specific hop. That is, other then Sam Adams.
Im currently living in Bavaria, but originally from the Boston area.. Id like to try some local German beer made from the same hops as my favorite home brew.
Any suggestions? ..thanks =)
on September 21st, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Beer Connoisseur has a great tool that displays commercial beers based on hop varieties. Here’s what they have listed for Hallertauer Hops:
http://tasteyourbeer.com/Hop.php?HopId=17
on August 31st, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Great post. Pretty old, but I thought I might add that Brooklyn Brewery uses Hallertauer in its Oktoberfest. Decent beer, too
on March 1st, 2011 at 2:16 pm
German breweries are notoriously secretive about all areas of their operations, and thgis is certainly true about which hops they use in which beers they make. I can tell you that any list which purports to authoritatively cite the hops used in specific German beers is highly speculative guesswork based on style guidelines at best, and flat out bullshit at worst. German brewers frequently alter their recipes based on the best ingredients available to them at that time. Also,
on March 1st, 2011 at 10:23 pm
I would say that most of the breweries on the list and Brooklyn Brewery are US based and are more open about sharing their ingredients.
on July 5th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
[...] adjective) maltiness to the beer. The malt sweetness is balanced nicely with the fruity zest of Hallertauer hops, which dominate the aroma of the [...]