Author: Paul Amico
An old-world landrace variety that was discovered in the German region from whence it gets its name, Hersbrucker is noted for its similarity to Hallertau Mittelfrüh, though with greater resistance to verticillium wilt. In addition to possessing low alpha acids, Hersbrucker is known to impart balanced notes of floral, spice, and fruit, making it a common hop used various styles of lager beer.
Alpha: 1.5 – 4%
Beta: 2.5 – 6%
Cohumulone: 19 – 25% of alpha acids
Total Oil: 0.5 – 1 mL / 100g
Myrcene: 15 – 30%
Humulene: 20 – 30%
Caryophyllene: 8 – 13%
Farnesene: > 1%
Linalool: > 1%
Geraniol: unknown
ß-Pinene: unknown
Parentage: German landrace variety
As a fan of most lager styles, I’ve almost certainly consumed commercial beers made with Hersbrucker, though I’ve never used it in my own brewing, as I typically opt for one of the 4 classic noble hops. Out of curiosity, I recently picked up a bag of this classic variety and was excited to see how it’d play when used on its own in a Pale Ale.
| MAKING THE BEER |
I went with our standard Hop Chronicles Pale Ale recipe for this batch, making small adjustments to the kettle hop additions to keep the bitterness in check.
Hersbrucker Pale Ale
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 gal | 60 min | 34 | 4.5 SRM | 1.057 | 1.013 | 5.78 % |
| Actuals | 1.057 | 1.013 | 5.78 % | |||
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pelton: Pilsner-style Barley Malt | 10 lbs | 83.33 |
| Vanora: Vienna-style Barley Malt | 2 lbs | 16.67 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hersbrucker | 34 g | 60 min | Boil | Pellet | 3.2 |
| Hersbrucker | 44 g | 30 min | Boil | Pellet | 3.2 |
| Hersbrucker | 56 g | 15 min | Boil | Pellet | 3.2 |
| Hersbrucker | 56 g | 2 min | Boil | Pellet | 3.2 |
| Hersbrucker | 56 g | 4 days | Dry Hop | Pellet | 3.2 |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship (A07) | Imperial Yeast | 77% | 0°F - 0°F |
Notes
| Water Profile: Ca 92 | Mg 1 | Na 10 | SO4 153 | Cl 50 |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
I started off my brew day by collecting the full volume of water for this batch.
After adjusting the water to my desired profile, I flipped the switch on my controller to heat it up then weighed out and milled the grain.
When the water was properly heated, I incorporated the grains and set the controller to maintain my desired mash temperature of 152°F/67°C before preparing the kettle hop additions.
Once the 60 minute mash rest was complete, I removed the grains and let them drip into the kettle as the wort was heating up.
I proceeded to boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times stated in the recipe. When the boil was complete, I used my CFC to chill the wort during transfer to a sanitized fermenter.
A refractometer reading showed the wort was at my target OG.
Next, I direct pitched a single pouch of Imperial Yeast A07 Flagship into the wort.
The beer was left to ferment at 66°F/19°C for 2 weeks before I took a hydrometer measurement confirming FG was reached.
With fermentation complete, I transferred the beer to a CO2 purged keg.
The filled keg was placed in my keezer and burst carbonated overnight before I reduced the gas to serving pressure. After a week of conditioning, I began serving it to blind tasters.
| METHOD |
Participants were instructed to focus only on the aromatic qualities of the beer before evaluating the flavor. For each aroma and flavor descriptor, tasters were asked to write-in the perceived strength of that particular characteristic on a 0-9 scale where a rating of 0 meant they did not perceive the character at all and a 9 rating meant the character was extremely strong. Once the data was collected, the average rating of each aroma and flavor descriptor was compiled and analyzed.
| RESULTS |
A total of 26 people participated in the evaluation of this beer, all blind to the hop variety used until after they completed the survey. The average aroma and flavor ratings for each descriptor were plotted on a radar graph.
Average Ratings of Aroma and Flavor Perceptions
The 3 characteristics endorsed as being most prominent by participants:
| Aroma | Flavor |
| Floral | Floral |
| Apple/Pear | Citrus |
| Tropical Fruit | Apple/Pear |
The 3 characteristics endorsed as being least prominent by participants:
| Aroma | Flavor |
| Onion/Garlic | Onion/Garlic |
| Dank/Catty | Dank/Catty |
| Grassy | Berry |
Next, participants were asked to rate the pungency/strength of the hop.
Tasters were then instructed to identify beer styles they thought the hop would work well in.
Finally, participants were asked to rate how much they enjoyed the hop character on a 1 to 10 scale.
My Impressions: The characteristic I found most noticeable in this beer was moderate floral with mild notes of melon, apple/pear, and citrus. While it was a perfectly fine and refreshing beer, I feel as though my expectation for such aroma and flavor in less hoppy lagers got in the way of me truly enjoying this single-hop Pale Ale.
| CONCLUSION |
As a classic German landrace variety, Hersbrucker sports a much lower alpha acid content than most modern hops and is known for imparting more delicate characteristics. Indeed, even when used at higher rates in a single-hop Pale Ale, tasters noted floral as being most prominent in the aroma and flavor, with apple/pear, citrus, and tropical fruit also receiving higher ratings.
Less desirable characteristics of onion/garlic and dank/catty were rated lowest by tasters, and perhaps unsurprisingly, a majority felt this beer possessed a mild to moderate hop pungency. When it comes to beers styles tasters though Hersbrucker would work well in, pale lager was rated the most followed by APA/IPA and Amber Ale.
As unusual as it is to brew a hoppy Pale Ale with classic low alpha varieties, Hersbrucker seemed to work relatively well on its own, with a majority of tastes rating it a 5 or higher on a 10 point scale. While I found the beer to be refreshing and generally enjoyable, I’ll be reserving Hersbrucker less hop-forward styles and am excited to use it on its own an upcoming Pilsner!
Hersbrucker hops are available now at Yakima Valley Hops, get some while you can! If you have any thoughts on this variety, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
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