TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Central European Hop Types
Žatecký chmel are hops grown in the districts of Louny, Rakovnik, Chomutov, Kladno, Plzeň-sever and Rokycany in the Czech Republic, locally known as the Žatec hop-growing area. The hops come in the shape of golden yellow cones. They have a typical hoppy scent and a red-coloured bine.
What makes these hops unique is the fact that they have a low alpha-bitter acid content and large amounts of beta-farnesene, not found in other hops. The growing of hops has a thousand-year-long tradition in the Czech Republic and its origin was labeled and verified since the 16th century.
The first official record of hop-growing in this unique countryside between the northern shore of Bodensee lake and the Allgäu region dates back to 1150, but the first commercial cultivation of hops began here in 1844. The climatic conditions made wine-growing difficult in the region, however, they were perfect for Tettnang to make a name for itself in hop cultivation far beyond the borders of the region.
Tettnanger hops are used almost exclusively for producing beer, with a very small portion put to use in pharmaceutical products. The exceptionally delicate aromas, often described as flowery, citrusy, fruity, redcurrant-like, sweet, and spicy, are made up of over 300 essential oils.
Aromatic Hallertau hops are exported today to over 100 countries, and they add character to some of the best beers in the world with its pleasant bitterness, delicate flavor, and foam stability. Highly specialized hop farms produce over 16 varieties of hops here, from powerful high alpha hops to the finest aroma hops.
Moreover, Hallertau is home to large and highly modern processing plants. These processing plants have sufficient cooling capacity to maintain the quality of production and carefully process various hop products. Today, almost one third of world hop production comes from Hallertau.
These hops, originating from region near the town of Saale along the river Elba, boasts a tradition one thousand years long. The famous local 'Cool blonde' and 'Savory black' hops are the finest varieties from the regions of Saxony, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt.
Hops, barley malt, yeast, and water are the primary raw materials for the production of beer, Germany's favorite beverage, and hops give beer its typical aroma and bitter taste. What makes the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region special is its huge size of almost 1,300 hectares, which makes it the second largest hop-growing region in Germany.
Traditionally grown in northeastern Slovenia, Styrian hops are a versatile crop used throughout Europe. They are early yielding and known to have a natural resistance to downy mildew. As one of the essential ingredients of beer brewing, hops pack a lot of flavor and aroma.
This particular variety provides a delicate bitterness with distinctive spicy notes.
Even though hops are still mainly used for flavoring and natural preservation in the brewing process, they have also been appreciated in gastronomy for centuries. Grown in the West Flanders, around the neighboring towns of Poperinge, Ieper and Vleteren, the Poperingse hop shoots are a typical Belgian product, delivering more than half of the country's hops harvest.
They are white in color, crunchy in texture, and they have a strong peppery and nutty flavor. Considered a real delicacy, Poperingse hopscheuten are sometimes referred to as the world’s most expensive vegetable: due to the labor-intensive process of their cultivation, it comes as no surprise that 1kg of these shoots can cost up to 1000 Euros!
This is a regional Bavarian aroma hop cultivar, grown exclusively in the region around Spalt. Usually considered one of the classic noble hops, Spalter is the local landrace hop of Germany's Spalt growing region, and it is closely related to the Saaz Saazer and Tettnang Tettnanger varieties.
Spalt Spalter has a mild, spicy aroma that can be used in any beer that calls for a noble hop. Due to the poor growing characteristics and yield of this hop, a hardier cultivar called Spalt Select with a similar flavor and aroma was released by the German hop breeding program, and is now grown extensively both in Spalt and in Hallertau.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.