Author: Will Lovell
Developed at the Hüll Hop Research Center in the early 1970s and officially released to the public in 1978, Perle was bred as a disease-resistant alternative to Hallertau Mittelfrüh. Known for its balanced dual-purpose nature, Perle is widely used for both bittering and aroma due to its moderate alpha acid content, and it’s become a staple in traditional European styles such as Pilsner and Kölsch, but its floral, spicy, and minty profile has also found popularity in a variety of styles.
Alpha: 6 – 9%
Beta: 3 – 4.5%
Cohumulone: 28 – 31%
Total Oil: 0.8 – 2 mL/100g
Myrcene: 30 – 45%
Humulene: 28 – 34%
Caryophyllene: 12 – 16%
Farnesene: < 1%
Linalool: 0.3 – 0.8%
Geraniol: 0.2 – 0.4%
ß-Pinene: 0.3 – 0.6%
Parentage: cross between the English Northern Brewer and a German male seedling
I’ve used Perle several times in the years I’ve been brewing, typically as an early or mid-boil addition, and I’ve certainly never used it on its own. Given its German roots, I was curious how this variety would work in a subtly hopped pale lager and brewed up a batch to see for myself.
| MAKING THE BEER |
I went with our standard Hop Chronicles pale lager recipe for this batch, making small adjustments to the kettle hop additions to keep the bitterness in check.
Perle Pale Lager
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 gal | 60 min | 21.7 | 3.2 SRM | 1.047 | 1.013 | 4.46 % |
| Actuals | 1.047 | 1.013 | 4.46 % | |||
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pilsner | 10.5 lbs | 100 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perle | 25 g | 60 min | Boil | Pellet | 5.1 |
| Perle | 10 g | 30 min | Boil | Pellet | 5.1 |
| Perle | 10 g | 5 min | Boil | Pellet | 5.1 |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global (L13) | Imperial Yeast | 77% | 46°F - 55.9°F |
Notes
| Water Profile: Ca 60 | Mg 0| Na 0 | SO4 77 | Cl 50 |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
I started this brew day by collecting the full volume of water, adjusting it to my desired profile, and flipping the switch on my Delta Brewing Systems AIO to get it heating up before weighing out and milling the grain.
When the water was properly heated, I incorporated the grains then set the controller to maintain my desired mash temperature.
During the mash rest, I prepared the kettle hop additions.
Once the 60 minute mash was complete, I removed the grains and proceeded to boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times stated in the recipe.
When the boil was complete, I quickly chilled the wort while kicking it with Patrons of Brülosophy.
Next, I transferred the chilled wort to a sanitized FermTank.
A refractometer reading showed the wort was at my target OG.
After transferring the wort to a sanitized fermented, I direct pitched a pouch of Imperial Yeast L13 Global.
The beer was left to ferment at 64°F/17°C for a week before I took a hydrometer measurement confirming FG was reached.
With fermentation complete, I cold crashed the beer then pressure-transferred it to a CO2 purged keg, which was placed in my kegerator and burst carbonated overnight before the gas was reduced to serving pressure. After a couple weeks of conditioning, it was ready to serve 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 14 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 |
| Citrus + Apple/Pear (tie) | Citrus |
| Resinous | Apple/Pear |
| Tropical Fruit + Stone Fruit (tie) | Resinous |
The 3 characteristics endorsed as being least prominent by participants:
| Aroma | Flavor |
| Onion/Garlic | Onion/Garlic |
| Spicy/Herbal | Berry |
| Earthy/Woody | Spicy/Herbal |
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 0 to 10 scale.
My Impressions: Even with its subtle hopping rate, I felt the character of the Perle hops came through nicely, the aroma being largely citrus driven while I perceived fairly strong notes of pear and a touch of herbal in the flavor. Overall, I was quite pleased with this beer and felt the Perle worked really well in it.
| CONCLUSION |
Around since the late 1970s, Perle is by no means a new hop, though it certainly hasn’t received the attention other notable varieties have, German or otherwise. Still, it has remained a staple in the brewing industry, particularly in Europe where its widely used in a variety of classic lager styles, in large part due to their high agricultural yields and extreme versatility for brewers. However, Perle is also known to impart unique noble-like characteristics of floral, spice, and hints of mint to beer.
The most prominent aroma and flavor characteristics noted by people who evaluated a pale lager made solely with Perle were citrus, apple/pear, and resinous, while onion/garlic, berry, and spicy herbal were among the least endorsed characteristics. The low rating on spicy/herbal is interesting considering Perle is commonly described as possessing noble hops characteristics, though perhaps this is a function of usage rates. Predictably, a majority of tasters felt Perle would work well in pale lager styles, though Blonde Ale, IPA/APA, Wheat Beer, and Brown Ale were endorsed as well.
It’s not often I make single-hop beers, in fact it’s pretty much only for The Hop Chronicles, and while I tend to find these beers unidimensional to the point of being sort of boring, this Perle pale lager was actually quite good. I was surprised by the amount of citrus I got from this beer, especially given how little hops were used, and it was nicely supported by notes of pear and a noble-like herbal quality. I’m not sure I’ll be making a bunch of single-hop Perle pale lager in the future, but I’m definitely not against it and look forward to continuing to use this variety.
Perle 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.
Support Brülosophy In Style!
All designs are available in various colors and sizes on Amazon!
Follow Brülosophy on:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
If you enjoy this stuff and feel compelled to support Brulosophy.com, please check out the Support page for details on how you can very easily do so. Thanks!
