The Hop Chronicles | Ella (2018) Pale Ale

Author: Brian Hall

As the half-sister to Australia’s highly lauded Galaxy hop, it might be easy to assume that Ella contributes similar punch-you-in-the-face fruity notes. However, existing descriptors seem to suggest it inherited more of the noble characteristics from its father, Spalt, imparting beers with pleasant floral and spicy aromas when used in moderate doses. That’s not to say Ella should be relegated to lighter styles, as it offers solid alpha acid and oil content, making it well suited for bigger and hoppier beers.

Alpha: 13 – 16.5%
Beta: 4.8 – 7.8%
Cohumulone: 34 – 38% of alpha acids
Total Oil: 2.4 – 3.4 mL/100g
Myrcene: 40 – 50%
Humulene: 16 – 22%
Caryophyllene: 12 – 18%
Farnesene: < 1%
Linalool: unknown
ß-Pinene: unknown
Geraniol: unknown
Parentage: Tetraploid Hallertauer mittelfrueh and USDA 21381M male hop

Hitting the market in 2007 under the original moniker Stella, Ella was fairly well received by brewers who noted its ability to impart noble characteristics when used in small amounts while contributing fruitier notes at higher usage rates. Having never used this relatively new variety myself, I was excited to see how it would play in a single hop Pale Ale.

| MAKING THE BEER |

With the goal being to place the hop character front and center, I went with a simple Pale Ale recipe for this batch.

Ella Pale Ale

After collecting the full volume of water and lighting the flame under it, I weighed out and milled the grains.

Once the water was properly heated, I added the grains and stirred to incorporate before checking to ensure it hit my target mash temperature of 154°F/68°C.

When the 60 minute mash was complete, I pulled the grain bag out of the kettle and let it drip while the wort was heating up.

At this point, I weighed out the kettle hop additions.

The wort was then boiled for 60 minutes with hops added at the times listed in the recipe.

When the boil was finished, I quickly chilled the wort.

A hydrometer measurement confirmed the wort was at my target OG.

The chilled wort was then transferred to a sanitized Brew Bucket.

Next, I pitched a pouch of Imperial Yeast G03 Dieter.

The beer was placed in my chamber and left to ferment at 66°F/19°C for 5 days before I returned to add the dry hop charge.

After another week, fermentation activity was absent so I took a hydrometer measurement indicating FG had been reached.

The beer was then transferred to a sanitized keg.

The filled keg was placed in my keezer where it was burst carbonated then left to condition for a week before 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 19 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:

The 3 characteristics endorsed as being least prominent by participants:

When asked to rate the pungency/strength of the hop, most tasters perceived it as being mildly to moderately pungent.

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: I perceived the flavor of this Ella Pale Ale as being a combination of tropical fruit with some light floral notes. The pungency was low to me, even though it was hit with a fairly large dry hop charge, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

| CONCLUSION |

With such a close relation to Galaxy, one of the beer world’s most notably strong hop varieties, the assumption that Ella would share certain characteristics is easy to understand. While tasters who blindly evaluated a beer made entirely with Ella tended to agree it wasn’t quite as pungent as its popular sibling, they did endorse it as having certain similar characteristics including tropical fruit, which received the highest rating in terms of both aroma and flavor.

Moreover, it seemed tasters had a pretty strong liking of Ella hop characteristics as indicated by a majority of tasters rating their preference a 6 or higher on a 10 point scale. Unlike some modern varieties, these results also suggest Ella has the ability to impart desirable fruitiness without the cat urine or garlic detested by some.

Being fully aware of Ella’s heritage prior to brewing this Hop Chronicles beer, I admittedly developed some expectations that influenced my initial thoughts about this variety. However, as I worked my way through the keg and acknowledged my bias, my opinion began to change. Would I select Ella as the feature hop in a NEIPA? Probably not. But I do feel it would work nicely in a hoppier pale lager and may even do some good as a mid-boil addition in other styles.

Ella hops are available now at Yakima Valley Hops, get them 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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