Named after a mountain in the US Pacific Northwest (like Mt. Hood hops), Mount Rainier hops are a relatively new variety available to homebrewers.
It is a product of the John Henning led USDA-ARS breeding program in collaboration with Oregon State University. The parentage was hard to track down with some sources stating but as Mr. Henning stated below in the comments it is just a cross of Magnum and a numbered male variety.
I think that this hop variety would be a good substitution for some of the US grown German varieties. If you can’t find the exact variety you’re looking for, maybe give Mt. Rainier a try.
Origin: USA – USDA-ARS/Oregon State University at Corvallis
Aroma/Flavor: Spicy, Floral, Noble, Has an aroma with licorice notes and hints of citrus
Alpha Acid: 6 – 8%
Typical Usage: Aroma and Bittering
Beer Styles: American Ales and lagers. The licorice descriptor is making me think of a nice baltic porter.
John Henning
Hey There!
Just a quick note here as I’m right in the midst of putting together a presentation and ran across this during a google search. First, all the varieties developed from Corvallis, Oregon were developed and released by USDA-ARS and not Oregon State University (they collaborated but were not the primary developer). The same is true for Mt Rainier…it’s a USDA-ARS variety. It resulted from a cross between Halletauer ‘Magnum’ and male hop USDA 19085M. It has excellent resistance to both powdery and downy mildews and as such growers do not have to spray as often. These characteristics might also allow for organic production. The genetic background of the parents is primarily “Galena” “Fuggles” and “Mittelfrue.” I’m trying to get more of this hop out into the market right now so hopefully, it will become more and more available. It’s an excellent all around hop!
John
Thanks John. We appreciate the information. I will update my post.