The Hop Chronicles | Spalter Select (2022) Pale Lager

Author: Will Lovell

Bred at Hüll Hop Research Center by crossing Hallertau Mittelfrüh and Spalt, Spalter Select was publicly released in 1993 and gained recognition as a variety that contributes the spicy and floral characteristics Spalt hops while possessing good disease tolerance.

Alpha: 3 – 6.5%
Beta: 2 – 5%
Cohumulone: ​​20 – 28% of alpha acids
Total Oil: 0.5 – 1.2 mL/100g
Myrcene: 40 – 50%
Humulene: 15 – 20%
Caryophyllene: 6 – 8%
Farnesene: 10 – 15%
Linalool: > 1%
Geraniol: unknown
ß-Pinene: unknown
Parentage: Cross between Hallertau Mittelfrüh and Spalt hops

I’ve used both Spalt and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops many times, typically in lager styles where their “nobility” really shines. Having never used Spalter Select, and being a big fan of its parents, I was excited to see what tasters would think of a single-hop pale lager made solely with this variety.

| MAKING THE BEER |

I went with our standard Hop Chronicles pale lager recipe for this batch, making adjustments to the kettle hop additions to keep the bitterness in check.

Spalter Select Pale Lager

After collecting the full volume of RO water and adjusting it to my desired profile, I weighed out and milled the grain.

When the water was properly heated, I incorporated the grains in my Delta Brewing AIO System before checking the 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 before quickly chilling the wort with my immersion chiller.

After transferring the wort to a sanitized Kegmenter, I took a refractometer reading showing it was at my target OG.

At this point, I transferred the wort to a sanitized fermenter and direct pitched a single pouch of Imperial Yeast L13 Global.

The beer was left to ferment at 64°F/18°C for 10 days 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 23 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:

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 aroma and flavor characteristic I got from this Spalter Select pale lager mostly matched what I expect from classic noble hops. To me, floral was most prominent, but that’s not to say it was very intense; I also perceived notes of citrus and stone fruit. Overall, this was a rather enjoyable, albeit simple, beer.

| CONCLUSION |

Bred to be a heartier and more disease resistant noble hop analogue, Spalter Select is said to impart beer with similar characteristics as its parents, Spalt and Hallertau Mittelfrüh, perhaps with a touch less spice. The fact Anheuser-Busch swapped to this variety can be viewed as a sign of its quality, which brewers of every stripe have also experienced.

While tasters rated both citrus and stone fruit as being among the most prominent aroma and flavor characteristics of this single-hop Spalter Select pale lager, it’s important to note that overall ratings on these descriptors were relatively low, likely due to the lower hopping rate. Moreover, a majority of tasters rated the pungency as mild, while nobody felt it was strong or extreme. Still, a number of participants felt Spalter Select would work well in IPA/APA, though pale lager and Blonde Ale received the most votes.

As a fan of simple pale lager, I was quite pleased with this beer, though I wouldn’t say the hop character necessarily stood above the malt and fermentation characteristics, which I think works well for this style. I detected a stronger floral hop note than I typically get when using classic noble hops, and the spice more faint than I expected; I also picked up nice hints of citrus in the finish. I hadn’t considered Spalter Select as being a variety to use in hoppier styles, but considering the taster ratings, I’d be curious to see how it works with higher late process usage rates, and I’ll definitely keep some around for use in various lager styles!

Spalter Select 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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