The Hop Series aims to showcase different types of hops in their finest form. We want to raise awareness about all of the ingredients that go into our beers. So we wanted to tell you all about the different characteristics of hops and what to expect in terms of flavours and aromas when certain ones are featured in beers.
Hops are the flowers or cones of the hop plant. They are the reason your beer is bitter, fruity, piney or citrusy. Hops are grown all around the world and different strains have vastly varying characteristics. Majority of the world’s production is done near the equator, where the climate is perfect for growing all different kinds of hops. The most popular types of hops are found in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, with the USA being the largest producer worldwide. Here at SALT, we have a huge range of different hops that go into our beers, we use global suppliers - Yakima Chief & Baarthaas for our supply.
Hops are most commonly produced in two kinds of ways - whole leaf hops and hop pellets. Whole leaf hops, also known as raw hops, are the dried and pressed flowers of the plants.The cones are removed from the plants, then dried in a kiln and pressed into bales - all within hours of being harvested in the field.
Whereas Hop Pellets are whole cone hops, that have undergone a special pelletization process. The whole hops are stripped from the stems during the harvest, processed and then pushed through compression tubes that force the matter into firm pellets.
Here at SALT, we predominantly use T90 Hop Pellets in both the boil and for dry-hopping. T90 Pellets are pellets where 90% of the total hop cone weight is retained, meaning that they are the purest form of pellets on the market. We use them because they represent the best value for money against flavour impact, meaning that we are able to extract all of the flavour from the pellets in the brewing process.
The Hop Series aims to champion these incredibly varied products, by showcasing them in their finest form. Over the years, we have completed four different instalments of The Hop Series.
The Hop - Mosaic Edition (Sold Out)
The first ever Hop series beer, Mosaic hops are complex and best known for their notes of Mango, Stone Fruit, Floral notes, Tropical Fruit, Citrus and Pine.
The Hop - Simcoe Edition (Sold Out)
The second of the series showcased Simcoe, one of the most popular hops within the UK craft market. Simcoe hops are best known for their notes of passionfruit, pine resin, apricot and both a fruity aroma and flavour.
The Hop - Citra Edition (Sold Out)
Citra hops are up there with one of our favourites, best known for notes of peach, apricot, passionfruit, lemon, melon and more tropical flavours.
The Hop - Sabro Edition (Currently in stock - Click Here to order yours)
Sabro hops are packed full of complex and interesting flavours. With distinct notes of coconut, passionfruit and grapefruit which combine together to create a challenging, yet well-rounded flavour.
Available now in ASDA Stores Nationwide and on our Webshop.
Click here to see ASDA store availability.
