HBC introduces new flavor hop Sabro
The Hop Breeding Company (HBC), a joint venture between John I. Haas, Inc. and Select Botanicals Group LLC released the new proprietary hop SabroTM brand HBC 438. Sabro is an intensely unique hop, notable for its complexity of fruity and citrus flavors, including distinct tangerine, coconut, tropical fruit, and stone fruit flavors, with hints of cedar, mint, and cream.
Sabro is a strongly expressive hop that translates its flavor incredibly well into beer, according to Virgil McDonald, Brewmaster at the Haas Innovations Brewery. “It gives a robust brewing performance with a versatility that lends itself to many styles, particularly hop-forward beers.”
Sabro’s exceptional flavor profile has its roots in its H. lupulus var. neomexicanus heritage. Indigenous to the American Southwest, the neomexicanus “wild hops” can be difficult to breed. However, HBC’s advanced breeding program, led by breeders Jason Perrault of Select Botanicals Group and Michael Ferguson of John I. Haas, successfully harnessed the properties of the neomexicanus heritage to create this new hop variety with an incredibly unique aroma and flavor profile.
“Sabro HBC 438 is the culmination of a two-decade-long breeding effort aimed at combining the uniqueness of neomexicanus genetics into a background with good agronomics and exceptional brewing qualities,” says Perrault.
Alex Barth, CEO of John I. Haas, agrees, “Aside from its wonderfully complex and unique flavor profile, we also love the fact that this new hop is more genetically diverse. If part of your heritage includes the desert and mountain environments of the Southwestern US, you have a strong survival spirit in your genes – the essence of sustainability.”
