The Galaxy from Down Under
One of the more popular imports, Australia’s Galaxy hops, has successfully endeared itself to American brewers. Galaxy is a dual-purpose hop — ideal for both bittering and flavoring. Galaxy has strong citrus and passion fruit tones.
You could influence the flavor profile to lean toward one or the other depending on where you add the hops in the brewing process. Galaxy has no trace of pine, floral or spice tones — making it one of the few hops that have a purely fruity flavor profile.
The English Challenger
The English love their tea, so it’s no surprise that their favorite brewing hop has a tea-like earthiness. Challenger has a spicy and cedar-like aroma, reminiscent of green or earl grey tea.
It gives you a full-bodied, rounded bitterness when used as a bittering hop, and it gives a crisp and fruity flavor when used as a flavoring hop.
The Noble Hops of Germany
Noble hops come in four varieties, each one with its own distinct flavor. Hallertauer is the most popular of the four, and it has subtle floral undertones, together with peppery and woodsy spiciness.
Tettnanger is both zesty and grassy, with a bit of earthy spiciness and a mild citrus aroma. Spalt has a mild flavor profile that is both woodsy and a bit peppery. Saaz has a strong earthy spiciness that can be a bit overwhelming to some people.
Introducing foreign hops in your brews once in a while or on special occasions gives your patrons one more reason to frequent your brewery. Adding different flavors and varieties to your drinks will give them more options and open their eyes to a bigger world of beer and brewing.
