1.8% Alpha - Hallertauer Mittelfruh

[Tomahawk47]

Recently picked up some Hallertauer Mittelfruh with a 1.8% alpha acid content. I'll be using it for flavor & aroma additions to llimit the amount of vegetable matter in the spider. However, I've never come across such a low AA percentage. Anyone know of any issues with numbers this low?
Didn't notice 'till I got home.

 

[day_trippr]

I would say that's exceptionally low, but there has been a trend in Europe that is dragging down the production and likely some of the key quality metrics as the climate become less hospitable to growing hops in the traditional zones...

“The average alpha content decreased by 34.8% in Celje, 15.6% in Hallertau, 15% in Tettnang, 11.5% in Spalt, and 10.5% in Zatec.”

https://www.beervanablog.com/beervana/2023/10/11/european-hops-in-big-trouble

 

[Tomahawk47]

Good reply! Good article. Thanks.
So long as the flavor isn't affected, I guess I'm safe.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Flavor can be affected. Not too long ago I had a bunch of grapefruity EKG from a climate affected harvest.

"The researchers didn’t look at other hop components, like oil and terpene levels, but it’s safe to assume climate change is affecting them along with alpha acid levels."

 

[Tomahawk47]

Well, I'm mixing one pkg with 2 pkgs at 4.1%. Hopefully, this will minimize any possible flavor impact.

 

[wepeeler]

German Tett has been low for a few years now. My recent batch is 3.2%. Have to use more but I don't think the flavor has been affected.

 

[lumpher]

This is a sad trend going on because of increased temps. Soon we'll be having to use bittering and flavor hops in beers that shouldn't need both... hefes will be perle and mittlefruh...

 

[day_trippr]

A little Magnum goes a long way in most styles

 

[Bassman2003]

The hop growing regions might need to be pushed north or something. Climate change will not get much attention until the beer stops flowing

 

[McMullan]

The hop growing regions might need to be pushed north or something.

The soils get too thin a little further north and the growing season too short. They can’t even produce enough food for themselves let alone hops for the rest of Europe. Something should have been done 30 years ago. Apparently, politicians, fossil fuel CEOs and billionaires knew more about climate science than top scientists. So the impacts of doing nothing (wilfully accelerating climate change) on hop production was always predicable with a high probability.

 

[Bobby_M]

We've been watching the alphas on all the noble hops trending downward for the past 3 years. It's also a little tricky for homebrewers because the big breweries that have hand-pick lot contracts are going to take the higher alphas and the last pick is going for 1LB and 1OZ packs.

I've been even personally hourding a couple pounds of slightly older T-45 pellets of Mittelfru at a whopping 4.9% alpha for my lagers. Start shifting most of the IBU to early additions of Magnum so that you don't get your beers too grassy on the amounts of Mittelfru you'd need.

 

[Draft Master Flash]

2022 German crops were poor compared to average seasons. I compensated by adding in some Magnum and occasional Herkules to adjust ibu's. Maverick hops adjustment tool really comes in handy.

Most good German beers are malt forward anyway. The beer still taste great.

DMF.

 

[hottpeper13]

Not just there. I've got a centennial and a cascade that are both 6%

 

[Conehead]

I have a beer blog which dates back to 2008. I used Hallertau with an AA of 8.7%. The good old days.

 

[Tomahawk47]

Makes me seriously consider switching to Crystal hops. As long as American and British hops retain their aa%, I'll be ok. But then there's Tettnang, another one of my favorites.

 

[tdf]

I keep hoping to see cryo/lupomax/lupulin pellet versions of noble hops. To me it seems inevitable that’s where we will end up.

 

[McMullan]

I keep hoping to see cryo/lupomax/lupulin pellet versions of noble hops. To me it seems inevitable that’s where we will end up.

I’m sure Saaz Lupomax were available recently.

 

[Bobby_M]

I keep hoping to see cryo/lupomax/lupulin pellet versions of noble hops. To me it seems inevitable that’s where we will end up.

No one has packaged them in small bags, but I bought 11 pounds of T-45 hallertau Mittelfrue at 4.9% alpha. It's really pathetic that 4.9% is the concentrated version. T-90 is standard strength and T-45 is "cryo".