Huell Classic – the future of German hop nobility (Part 1)

Fighting climate change | The German Hopfenforschungszentrum (Hop Research Center) in Hüll, Bavaria, has released a new hybrid aroma hop called Huell Classic. Registered with German and European Union food safety authorities as H17107, it was purposefully developed during more than a decade of genetic marker-guided breeding, as well as selections in greenhouses and trial plots. The objective was to create a climate-hardy replacement of such classic, now climate-threatened Central European landraces as Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Hersbrucker, Spalter, and Tettnanger.

The alpha acid content of hops from the 2025 crop year with updated averages over multiple years

Alpha acid values | The 2025 hop harvest has now officially come to an end. The Arbeitsgruppe Hopfenanalyse or AHA (Hop Analysis Working Group) has announced the mean alpha acid values determined in freshly harvested hops.

“Thiol impact” – a useful classification tool of hop varieties

Hop aroma | Hops contribute significantly to beer aroma through a variety of known aroma substances, with free thiols having the lowest odour threshold values. These thiols, particularly those associated with fruity and citrusy notes, play a key role in the aroma profile of dry-hopped beers.

The influence of protein content in barley and malt on beer quality (Part 2)

Limiting quality | Annual quality assessment of malting barley has shown a clear tendency towards reduced protein contents for some years, see part 1 of this article series in BRAUWELT International, No. 4, 2025, pp. 206–209. The value-added chain will probably have to accept lower protein contents in malting cereals in the long term. What would technological approaches for processing low protein contents look like?

Assessment of climate-tolerant aroma hop varieties for brewing

Climate-tolerant hop varieties | This article focusses on a holistic, neutral overview of a selection of new aroma hop varieties from publicly subsidised hop research and private hop breeding. It is important to carry out adequate tests in breweries in order to maintain the aroma profiles of existing beers and to continue to offer customers a consistent quality.

New application for non-alcoholic beer production

Dynamic fermentation system | Non-alcoholic beers can be produced by dynamic fermentation using units like Poseidon and crabtree-negative yeasts. Targeted adjustments to recirculation and sedimentation processes in the fermentation tank make it possible to achieve high quality in the beers produced and increase the efficiency of individual processes.

Impact of branched-chain fatty acids from aged hops on beer aroma

Hops and beer flavour | What are aged hops? Aged hops have been traditionally used in Lambic style beer, and usually impart an unpleasant cheesy aroma [1], which is contributed by branched chain fatty acids (BCFAs) formed by oxidative degradation of hop bitter acids during the ageing process.

More bitterness, less hops

Increasing efficiency | The economic situation is currently challenging for many breweries. Regardless of the reasons, it is essential for efficient and thus sustainable operations to use the raw materials as effectively as possible. This article describes the Hopnomic technology introduced by Steinecker GmbH in 2020, a new approach to increasing efficiency in hop utilization.

The influence of protein content in barley and malt on beer quality (Part 1)

Limiting quality (LQ) | Protein content in malting barley and the resulting nitrogen fractions in malt, wort and beer have major repercussions for malt and beer production from a technological point of view as well as for quality of the sales beer product. Free amino nitrogen, e.g., is used as yeast nutrient or coagulable nitrogen impacts foam stability of beer. As far as the protein content in barley or malt is concerned, technological orientation values within the so-called limit values referenced should be complied with to avoid jeopardising processability as well as quality.

Bitter is beautiful

Hop bitterness | Compared with sweet, salty, sour and umami, our sense of bitter taste is the odd one out, as it’s the least researched and the perception thereof and impact of its various constituents are rather complex. The positive properties of bitter substances for the human organism are becoming more widely acknowledged – as are those of hops. It’s thus worth breweries developing the bitterness of their products.

Rapid quality assessment of malting barley

Innovative technology | Regular quality control of germination parameters in malting barley is essential for successful malting. A newly developed fast, simple and sound method can predict key traits of seed quality – germination capacity, germination energy, water sensitivity, and germination index. Based on a single test, all relevant germination parameters can be predicted using AI, thereby overcoming the well-known challenges associated with conventional barley testing — such as lengthy procedures, significant investment, and labor-intensive tasks.