There’s something pure and almost meditative about doing a SMaSH beer: one malt, one hop, water, yeast. What we are seeking is to learn what a hop really brings to the beer.

This round is all about Contessa hops, US-grown “noble hop” developed by Hopsteiner. Let’s see what we learned from this experiment.

The Process

As we do for all our 1 US gallon SMaSH beer experiments, we keep it to two pounds of base malt, one ounce of hops, in this case, Contessa hops, and good old US-05 yeast.
Because of the “nobel” nature of the variety, I evenly spread the additions of the hops across the brewing process.

Contessa Hops SMaSH Beer:

  • Malt: 2 pounds of Rahr 2-row pale malt

  • Hops: 1 ounce (28 g) of Contessa hops

    • 7 g at 60 minutes to go in the boil

    • 7 g at 15 minutes to go in the boil

    • 7 g at flame-out

    • 7 g dry-hop after chilling

  • Yeast: 3 g of SafAle US-05

  • Water: 2 gallons to boil, spring water from the store

  • Procedure: 60 minute mash, 60 minute, chill, pitch yeast, ferment, dry-hop after 24 hour chill for 1 day, package

Our Tasting Notes

From the pour, Contessa delivered something interesting: herbal and green, like green tea and soft lemongrass and something floral. There’s also a light, underripe pear vibe, maybe a hint of light citrus, but nothing aggressive or juicy like your typical American “punch-you-over-the-head” hops.

In flavor, that herbal, vegetal quality carries through. Mike said it was a little reminiscent of mushrooms or a subtle forest-floor vibe, but not dank or funky. It’s more “quiet forest walk” than “pine stinky trail.” The bitterness is smooth and gentle, clean on the palate, light enough that you just keep sipping.

Our Overall Thoughts

So what do we think? Contessa hops are quiet, refined, and elegant. If you’re chasing big citrus bombs or tropical hop bombs, this hop variety is not what you are looking for.
This hop is for beer that’s subtle, drinkable, and maybe a bit contemplative. We think it would be good in light lagers, Kölsch, or a soft wheat beer or Gose.

Certainly if you are looking for a change from the typical, traditional noble hops,  give Contessa a shot. With a light malt bill, I don’t think you’ll go wrong.

Brew ON!