One of the hops that people search for on our site is Herkules hops. Since we don’t have a profile of it, I did some research into the variety and put this post together.
To tell you the truth, there wasn’t much information about them. I read that they were bred at Huell, the German Hop Research Institute. They are a high alpha variety and were bred for high yields, resistance to wilt, and resistance to mildew. They are a cross between Hallertauer Taurus and an unnamed powdery resistant male hop.
There were some conflicting statements about the aroma. Some sources said powerful, other said not it was average. If Herkules is anything like Magnum, it’s probably just a good high alpha acid bittering hop.
Origin: Germany
Aroma/Flavor: Spicy, floral, could be powerful, could be average
Alpha Acid: 12 – 17%
Typical Usage: Bittering
Beer Styles: From what I read, I think this variety would work best for bittering in German lagers. Give them a try if you can get your hands on some.
TheNaked Apiarist
I’ve used Herkules extensively in single hops brews. It makes an excellent saison hop with a crisp clean bitterness and an almost black pepper spice note in late addition.
John
Awesome – thanks for the information!
Doublew
It is a very good bittering hop to combine with aromatic hop like saaz or US hops. Based on the productivity it is a well priced hop, not overrated like US hops. Buy if you can