Seven hot hop varieties for craft brewers, via the experts at Crosby Hop Farm

With the high demand for hops these days, brewers need to be cognizant of all that goes into hop selection — predictions of what is coming in the next few years, staying up to date with what’s new in the world of hop breeding and development and even contracts. Crosby Hop Farm is uniquely positioned to help with all of those inquiries. As a vertically integrated hop grower, merchant and processor in the Pacific Northwest, Crosby is a Certified B Corp. and Salmon-Safe grower that sources breweries around the world. We stopped by its booth at the Craft Brewers Conference last week, and we asked what were the hottest new hops on the marketplace. They picked seven (a lucky number indeed):

Amarillo (VGXP01)

The Amarillo variety was a chance discovery by Virgil Gamache Farms Inc. of Toppenish, Wash. Joining an exclusive pantheon of land-race varieties, Amarillo has been a proud contributor to the success of the U.S. Craft Beer movement. Sold under the brand name Amarillo and managed exclusively by Virgil Gamache Farms, it continues to see commercial success in numerous beer styles around the world. Amarillo pairs well with a multitude of yeast strains and works harmoniously with other hop flavor profiles in both kettle and dry hopping processes.

Aroma: orange, citrus, floral

Alpha Acids: 8-11 percent
Beta Acids: 6-7 percent
Total Oils (ml/100g): 1.5-1.9

Azacca (ADHA 483)

Azacca, named for the Haitian god of agriculture, is a hop big in citrus and tropical fruit tones. Its excellent aromatic qualities have quickly made Azacca a go-to hop for late and dry hop additions in varying styles of beer.

Aroma: mango, papaya, grapefruit

Alpha Acids: 14-16 percent
Beta Acids: 4-5.5 percent
Total Oils (ml/100g): 1.6-2.5

Remember when we did five questions about English hops with Stocks Farm? Remember right here.

Comet

Comet is a vigorous hop bred from the English hop Sunshine and a North American native hop from Logan Canyon, Utah. It is increasingly recognized as an excellent aroma and flavor hop by U.S. craft brewers. It has an especially unique “wild American aroma” that imparts intense grapefruit, dank, citrus and tropical notes.

Aroma: grapefruit, tropical fruit and citrus.

Alpha Acids: 9-11 percent
Beta Acids: 4-6 percent
Total Oils (ml/100g): 1-1.5

El Dorado

El Dorado is a special dual-purpose variety with exceptional aroma qualities and high alpha acids. It was developed by CLS Farms LLC in 2008 and released in 2010. El Dorado consistently elicits responses of fruity notes, specifically tropical fruit flavors. Other fruit notes offered have been pear, watermelon and stone fruit.

Aroma: watermelon, pear, apricot, stone fruit

Alpha Acids: 14-16 percent
Beta Acids: 7-8 percent
Total Oils (ml/100g): 2.5-2.8

Idaho 7

Idaho 7, developed by Jackson Hop in Wilder, Idaho, is an exciting new aroma variety released in 2015. With a strong tropical fruit character, it exhibits balancing notes of pineapple and mango on top of a bouquet of stone fruit, pine and mild citrus. In the kettle, this translates into a sophisticated palate of juicy flavors and aromas. Its enticing and modern profile makes Idaho 7 an excellent choice for later additions and dry hopping.

Aroma: pineapple, stone fruit, pine, herbal

Alpha Acids: 12-14.5 percent
Beta Acids: 4-5 percent
Total Oils (ml/100g): 1.3-2.0

Mandarina Bavaria

Bred from a daughter of Cascade, Mandarina Bavaria (MB) first appeared in 2007 and possesses a fruity, sweet aroma with a remarkable citrus character — in particular tangerine/mandarin orange — that carries over into the beer.

Aroma: tangerine, fruity, citrus

Alpha Acids: 7-10 percent
Beta Acids: 4-7 percent
Total Oils (ml/100g): 1.5 – 2.2

Sterling

Sterling is an aroma variety that was bred from Saaz and a number of other varieties. It has herbal and spicy aroma notes with a hint of floral and citrus. Sterling is perceived to be similar to a combination of Saaz and Mt. Hood, and many brewers use it as a replacement for Saaz. It is typically used in pilsners and lagers, as well as Belgian-style ales.

Aroma: floral, spicy, citrus, herbal

Alpha Acids: 6-9 percent
Beta Acids: 4-6 percent
Total Oils (ml/100g): 1.3-1.9