We brewed another one-gallon SMaSH beer to learn what HBC 1134 hops bring to a beer. HBC 1134 remains an experimental variety, making this tasting (hopefully) a helpful understanding of its character.

Learn more about what we thought about how this hop variety presented itself in this video.

The SMaSH Beer Process

For this experiment, I used our familiar one-gallon SMaSH format with two pounds of malt and two gallons of water.

The hop schedule used twenty-eight grams total, divided evenly across four additions during brewing and fermentation.

US-05 handled fermentation because its neutral profile lets the hop character remain the main focus.

Batch Size:
1 gallon

Water:
2 gallons

Malt:
2 pounds of Rahr 2-row malt

Hops:
1 ounce (28 grams) of HBC 1134 hops added following this schedule.

7 grams at 60 minutes left in the boil
7 grams at 15 minutes left in the boil
7 grams at the end of the boil
7 grams as a dry hop

Yeast:
3 grams of US-05 dry ale yeast.

Our Tasting Notes

On aroma, Mike found green fruit first, followed by subtle citrus, lime zest, and a cucumber-like quality. That vegetal impression was mild and fresh rather than unpleasant, adding something unusual behind the brighter citrus notes. The flavor followed the aroma, with lime, green mango, cucumber, and a subtle resinous or pine-like edge.

After tasting, we compared our notes with descriptors including rose, pine, herbal, lemon, and grapefruit characteristics. The citrus connection made sense, although our impressions leaned more toward lime and underripe green fruit. Mike also connected some herbal character with a geranium-like quality and the hop’s zippy finish. The hop’s alpha acid range is nine to twelve percent, giving it enough strength for bittering additions.

We thought HBC 1134 could work especially well in light lagers where some citrus aroma is welcome. Mike also mentioned West Coast Pilsner, cold IPA, and Italian Pilsner as possible directions for experimentation. It could also support an IPA hop blend, especially when paired with varieties providing complementary flavors.

This variety is another experimental hop worth following. Hey, it may even get a new name (maybe) someday!

BREW ON!