BYO magazine is doing a profile on Australian beers in their March/April 2009 issue. Pride of Ringwood hops are a variety that was mentioned a lot in that issue, so I thought I would pull together some information. I have never used this hop so I am going on what other sources are stating.
Origin: Bred in Australia as a cross between the English hop Pride of Kent (I wonder if that variety is publicly available anymore?) and a Tasmanian wild hop. There are some conflict dates of when it was released (1958 vs. 1965), but when it was released, it was known worldwide as the highest alpha acid hop variety. It has since been eclipsed by other varieties but maybe it started a trend. Ringwood is a suburb of Melbourne…how about that?
Aroma: Strong citrus aroma. “Strong” is a descriptor that is used a lot when it comes to Pride of Ringwood hops. Robust, coarse but not unpleasant. It appears to have a distinctive aroma and flavor.
Alpha Acid: 7.5 to 10%
Typical Usage: Bittering mainly, but you could make a one hop variety beer with Pride of Ringwood.
Beer Styles: Australian lagers and sparkling ales are the best fit naturally, but who’s going to stop you from using it in a APA? (Does that first “A” stand for American or Australian?)
Kevin
If this is the hop variety they use in VB (Victoria Bitter), I can’t stand it!
Matt
Pride of Ringwood is used in all the Coopers line of beers and Homebrew Concentrates .
http://www.coopers.com.au/
Fosters Brewing in Australia that makes VB uses hop extract .
Mike
I would like to try a brew with this hop. Anyone know where I may order it online? As for the VB comment. It’s like the Red Strip effect. I had fond memories of it after returning from Australia. When I had a friend send me a bottle it was not as remembered.
Mike
So I tried some Coopers ale this weekend!
That Pride of Ringwood hop….no so great, IMO. When they say earthy they mean it. The bitterness was more smooth than I expected, but the flavor was definately earthy.
If you have ever really wondered what it means to taste earthy, then go find yourself a 6-pack of Coopers. I enjoyed the base beer, I may even try to culture some yeast from the bottle.
The hop wasn’t bad, but it was just too much of one flavor for me. Maybe blending it with a more citrus like hop to brighten the flavor a bit would work well with this hop!
BREW ON!