The Hop Chronicles | Aramis (2020) Pale Ale

Author: Paul Amico

Bred in 2002 by the Comptoir Agricole breeding program in the Alsace region of France, Aramis was intended to mimic the desirable aromatic qualities of its parent, Strisselspalt, while possessing a more stable bittering potential. Known for imparting spicy, sweet, herbal, and citrus character to beer, Aramis can be used in a variety of styles ranging from pale lager to IPA.

Alpha: 5.5 – 7.5%
Beta: 3.0 – 4.5%
Cohumulone: ​​20 – 22% of alpha acids
Total Oil: 1.2 – 1.6 mL/100g
Myrcene: 38 – 41%
Humulene: 19 – 21%
Caryophyllene: 7.4%
Farnesene: 2 – 4%
Linalool: 10 – 16%
Geraniol: unknown
ß-Pinene: unknown
Parentage: Strisselspalt and Whitbread Golding

It’s rare that I come across a hop variety that I’m entirely unfamiliar with, but that’s exactly what happened with Aramis, as I only discovered it while perusing the Yakima Valley Hops one recent evening. Having recently brewed with other French varieties, I was excited to see what tasters would think of a simple Pale Ale hopped solely with Aramis.

| MAKING THE BEER |

I stuck 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.

Amaris Pale Ale

I started off my brew day by collecting the full volume of water and adjusting it to my desired profile.

After flipping the switch on my controller to heat the water up, I 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 while the wort heated up.

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 10 days before I took a hydrometer measurement confirming FG was reached.

With fermentation complete, I pressure 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 31 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: The most prominent aroma I got from this beer was a blend of nondescript fruit with hints of berry and cream, while the flavor was marked by notes of potpourri and wet bark. Overall, while I found this single-hop Aramis Pale Ale to be reasonably well balanced, there was nothing really remarkable about it.

| CONCLUSION |

As the first hop variety released by France’s Comptoir Agricole, Aramis has been around for nearly two decades, though appears to have received little attention compared. Bred specifically to possess similar aromatic qualities as its parent, Strisselspalt, while having a higher level of alpha acids, Aramis is expected to contribute floral, spicy, fruity, and herbal notes to beer, all of which blind tasters of a Pale Ale hopped entirely with this variety rated as perceiving.

Interestingly, whereas tropical fruit, citrus, and stone fruit were the most highly rated aromatic descriptors, tasters rated earthy/woody, floral, and pine as being most notable on the palate. Despite the relatively heavy hopping rate in this beer, participants felt the pungency was mild to moderate, which may explain the reason so many thought it would work well in pale lager.

Preference is certainly subjective, as evidenced by taster ratings on this Amaris Pale Ale, which were all over the board. While I thought this beer was perfectly fine with not glaring flaws, it wasn’t terribly exciting to drink, so I can relate with the blind participants. Given its lineage, I’m curious how Aramis does on its own when used at a lower rate in a more delicate style and plan to try it out in the near future.

Amaris 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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