Hops Hallertau Hersbrucker is a German hop that originated in the Hallertau region and is considered a classic noble type hop. It imparts a spicy, herbaceous and fruity aroma.
It was bred with the intention of producing a variety resistant to verticillium wilt. However, the wilt disease killed many of the hop plants in the region and the acreage plummeted.
Origin and History
Originating as a landrace variety in the Hersbruck Mountains of Franconia, Hersbrucker has grown in significant acreage in the Spalt and Hallertau regions. It is a noble hop that imparts floral, spicy, and fruity notes in traditional Bavarian lagers.
Hersbrucker has lower alpha acids than other modern varieties and imparts a more delicate aroma profile. This makes it ideal for beers where restrained hop character is important.
Hersbrucker is a classic hop that does well in Munich-style pale and dark lager, Weissbier, Oktoberfest, and Bock. Its mellow spiciness is also at home in many Belgian ales or more hop-forward lagers like pilsner.
Characteristics and Flavor Profile
Hallertau Hersbrucker is a classic German landrace variety that imparts balanced notes of floral, spice, and fruit. Its low alpha acid content and mellow pungency make it an excellent choice for lager brewing.
It is a traditional hop used in Munich-style pale and dark lagers, Weissbier, Oktoberfest, and Bock. Its mellow spiciness also works well in Belgian ales or more hop-forward lagers like Pilsner.
One of four noble hops (also including Terrnanger, Spalt, and Saaz), this variety is a workhorse aroma hop for refined European-style beers. It has a relatively low alpha acid percentage but generous oil content, which makes it suitable for a wide range of brew styles.
Brewing Uses
Known as a workhorse aroma hop for refined European-style beers, Hersbrucker is a staple in the traditional lightly hopped lagers and ales of southern Germany. Its mellow spiciness works well in Munich-style pale and dark lager, Weissbier, Oktoberfest and Bock.
Its aromatic oils add spice and floral notes to the flavor of your brew. Myrcene adds resinous, fruity, and citrusy flavors while humulene provides pepper, wood, and floral notes.
While Hersbrucker is a classic German landrace variety, there are clonal variations within the Hallertau region that can impart different characteristics to your beer. This is because the hop has been cultivated for centuries and its brewing characteristics have been naturally developed over time by natural selection and cross-breeding.
Pairing
The first step in the pairing of beer with food is to know which features you are looking for to achieve a particular flavor profile. Whether you’re cooking a main course or preparing canapes, figuring out which flavors you are trying to accentuate and what you’re trying to detract is crucial.
A basic principle of food and beverage pairing is aromatic similarity, which suggests that certain flavors will be more compatible with each other if they share the same aroma. This principle may be particularly helpful in the case of hops, which are often known to provide a wide array of distinct aromas.
Availability and Cultivation
Hersbrucker is a classic landrace hop originating in the Hersbruck region of Southern Germany that has expanded and is now widely grown throughout the Hallertau and Spalt regions. It displays a delicate aroma profile that is often compared to other noble varieties.
A low alpha acid variety, Hersbrucker imparts floral and herbal aromas and notes. It is often used as a finishing hop in German and Bavarian style Lagers and Pilsners.
Hersbrucker is also a robust hop that is resistant to verticillium wilt. This hop is very popular in Germany and can be found organically on boutique hop farms around the world.