Early Bird, or Amos’s Early Bird as it was formerly known, is a Goldings variety and considered one of England’s premier aroma hops. While not terribly disease and wilt tolerant, it is bred for its immensely pleasing aroma and gentle hoppiness. Discovered in 1887 by Alfred Amos, the owner of Spring Grove farm in Wye, Early Bird was hand-selected from …
Aquila
Aquila was developed in the U.S. and was established in three-acre commercial trials throughout the Northwest in 1988. It was officially released in 1994 but due to its overly high cohumulone content, its use was been considered limited and it is no longer available commercially. North American brewing giant Anheuser Busch lost interest in the variety in 1996, ultimately spelling …
Aramis
Aramis is an aroma hop from the Alsace region in France. Crossed in 2002, Aramis is a product of Strisselspalt and Whitbread Golding and was in fact the very first variety to come from the Comptoir Agricole breeding program. It inherited Strisselspalt’s excellent aromas while providing a more plentiful and stable bittering quality. It is sweet and spicy, citrusy and …
Atlas
Released in the 1970’s, Atlas enjoys both good bittering and aroma qualities with intense notes of lime, blossom and pine. Like its siblings Aurora, Ahil and Apolon, Atlas has been cut back in commercial production over industry confusion stemming from its incorrect classification as a Super Styrian. It’s a Slovenian breed but is in actuality a seedling of Brewer’s Gold. …
Backa
Dating back to 1956, Backa is an old, rare variety of aroma hop with an unknown land race pedigree. It has the potential for high yield in its native Backa region of Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia) but doesn’t seem to do all that well elsewhere. It’s highly aromatic and is said to have similar qualities to many European “Noble Hops”. The …
Bianca
Bianca (a.k.a. Bianco and Bianca Gold), with its lemon yellow color and red-brown to pink contrasting stem, is bred strictly as an ornamental hop. It must be grown in semi-shaded areas as its light leaves are subject to leaf burn in the sun. While not bred for commercial use, it is said that the cones can be used for flavoring …
Blato
Blato was one of the first hops authorized in Czechia (formerly Czechoslovakia) for commercial production. It is not usually singled out, but is one of the collective known as Saaz Hops, or Bohemian Early Red. It doesn’t yield very well in the U.S., but it is suspected to be much more prolific in its native homeland. Zatec Hop Company in …
Blisk
Dating back to the late 1970’s, Blisk was bred in its native Zalec region of Slovenia, along with Bobek and Buket in an attempt to instil both high alpha content and pleasant aroma in one cultivar. It is a cross between Atlas and a male varietal from the former Yugoslavia. Despite its decent yield, Blisk is not being commercially produced. …
Boadicea
Released in 2004, Boadicea is a finishing hop bred by Horticulture Research International. Known as the first aphid-resistant variety in the world, it also exhibits excellent resistance to wilt and downy mildew. As a dwarf/hedgerow variety, it grows to a shorter height than traditional varieties and yields just the same, making it an easier prospect to harvest. Boadicea is said …
BOR
Selected by Dr Bob Romanko, BOR 704 was so named for it’s planting position, row 7, plant 04, in the Prosser “Bone Yard” in the Yakima Valley. It features an aroma profile that is distinctly European. While BOR exhibits a relatively poor yield, it has been used to breed other seedlings in an effort to pass on its low cohumulone …