Aromatic hops

Aromatic hops

Whether you're looking for an explosively fruity aromatic hop or the subtle, floral expression of a noble hop, discover our catalog dedicated to aromatic hops.

What's the best aromatic hop?

It all depends on the beer you want to brew. The best aromatic hop will be the one best suited to the style you've chosen.

A good IPA will benefit from a combination of fruity aromatic hops like citra or cascade, for example. A Czech Pilsner will benefit more from a noble, spicy Saaz hop.

Matching the right hops to the right beer can also be done by country or continent. For example, an English Bitter will work well with a fuggles hop. German beers work best with a range of Hallertau hops, which are themselves German. 

However, we don't recommend combining highly expressive American hops with more subtle, noble European hops. One is not superior to the other, far from it, it's just that the use of this or that type of aromatic hop does not serve the same purpose. In fact, American hops, explosive as fruity aromatic hops, would totally overwhelm European hops, rendering their use ineffective. As you can see, you'll have to choose sides, or brew more different beers.  

When to use aromatic hops ?

The longer a hop is boiled, the more its aromatic compounds will evaporate. As you can see, aromatic hops are best used at the end of the boil, or even after the boil.

In fact, it all depends on the degree of expression of the aromatic hop you're looking for. Saaz hops, for example, are used like spices. We don't want it to dominate the beer, but rather to bring out its subtle floral and spicy notes. We're looking for balance. Its use at the end of the boil (10 or 5 minutes from the end) will be most appropriate.

On the other hand, in an IPA where you want the full expression of a fruity, aromatic hop like citra, you'd rather use it after the end of the boil, and also at the end of fermentation (Dry Hop).

Aromatic hops dosage

It's exactly the same as in the previous paragraph. It all depends on the desired expression of the aromatic hops. 

However, there are a few rules to be observed, especially with IPAs. You can have the best aromatic hops in the world, but if you use too many, the beer will oxidize and there will be no hop aroma at all! Hops are a fragile material that is highly sensitive to oxygen, which is the worst enemy of hopped beers. As a general rule, we advise against using more than 5g/l of aromatic hops in dry hops if you're not equipped with CO2.

Bittering or aromatic hops ?

Some aromatic hops, especially American ones, contain high levels of alpha acid. You might be tempted to think that such and such an aromatic hop would make a good bittering agent. In itself, you wouldn't be wrong. However, we would advise against using an aromatic hop as a bittering agent, as it would be a pity to waste such good aromas, and the price of your brew would be affected.