South African hops are becoming more popular in the US due to their unique flavor and aroma qualities. They are also a good choice for brewers who want to try something new and different for their brewing recipes.
Southern Passion Hops are an aroma hop that is used in late boil additions including dry hopping. They have a fruity aroma with passion fruit, guava, red berries and floral notes.
Origin and History
South African hops are a unique breed because they have European genetics, but they’re also adapted to the country’s climate and soil. They survive in areas that receive less than three hours of sunshine per day, and they don’t require additional illumination to produce their best hops.
Southern Passion Hops originate from a cross between German Hallertauer and Czech Saaz hops. This cross has produced a variety that offers a rich, complex flavor profile with tropical fruit flavors like passion fruit and guava.
The resulting aroma hop is versatile and well-suited to session IPAs, pale ales, Saison & Belgian Ales. Southern Passion’s ripe tropical fruit flavors pair well with the beer’s underlying light, clean bitterness.
Characteristics and Flavor Profile
Southern Passion Hops have a unique, complex aroma and flavor profile. They offer ripe tropical fruit flavors including passion fruit, guava, red berries, melon, black currant, coconut, tangerine, grapefruit, and calendula.
These hops are typically used as late boil additions, and they also make great dry hopping additions. This variety is very high in myrcene oil, which helps to produce a clean citrus aroma and flavor.
This hop can be paired with many different beer styles, especially those that are looking for a more juicy, tropical flavor and aroma. It can be used to make IPAs, Session IPAs, Pale Ales, and Saison & Belgian Ales.
Brewing Uses
Southern Passion is a unique and complex hop that has genetic roots in Europe. This cross of Czech Saaz and German Hallertauer is known for ripe tropical fruit flavors like passion fruit, guava, and coconut along with citrus and red berries.
It’s used as an aroma hop in the late stages of the boil, including dry hopping. Brewers describe it as a sunny floral fragrance that works well in lagers, wits, and Belgian ales.
This South African bred aroma daylight neutral hop whose pedigree is a diploid seedling originating from Saaz and Hallertauer crossings has an aroma profile of passion fruit (granadilla), guava, red berries, melon, black currant, coconut, tangerine, grapefruit, and calendula – unique. It’s a good choice for lightly hopped session beers and all hop-forward beers of American and Belgian origins, pale ales, IPAs, and Saisons.
Pairing of $ prompt with different beer styles
Southern Passion is a high-alpha, low-bittering, South African bred aroma daylight neutral hop that has won many beer drinkers over. It is a cross between a Czech Saaz and a German Hallertauer and produces a top notch IPA and pale ale. Despite its name, it is most often used as a finishing and dry hop to complement its more traditional cousins. Depending on the brew, Southern Passion can make the short list of your favorite hops. The best way to test out the merits of this illustrious hop is to try it yourself in one of the hundreds of craft brewery tap rooms near you.
There are a plethora of ways to use this wonder of a hop and many different styles to suit the needs of the brewer. Some of the more common brewing uses for this little jukebox include IPAs, pale ales and even Belgian style ales.
Availability and Cultivation
Southern Passion Hops are a highly sought after local aromatic variety that is gaining popularity with the craft beer community. But the global brewing giant AB InBev announced that it would stop selling hops grown by its South African Breweries hop farm subsidiary, leaving thousands of independent brewers without access to these varieties.
Fortunately, Southern Passion hops are available in the United States through Colorado-based hop broker ZA Hops. But ZA Hops founder Greg Crum claims that A-B’s decision is “anticompetitive” and aimed at putting craft brewers at a competitive disadvantage.