In order to produce beers with a unique character that can easily be distinguished from other brands, brewers worldwide depend more and more on new and special varieties. Bravo has been proven in commercial production for several years, and the brewers’ feedback has been enthusiastic.

The Hop Storage Index (HSI) is used to describe the freshness of raw hops and hop pellets. The analysis is done by spectrophotometric methods as described in the Analytica-EBC 7.13 and ASBC Hops-12.

As in previous years we would like to demonstrate the variations in the contribution of hop oils to beer depending on the crop year. As a representative hop aroma substance we have chosen linalool, which correlates well with the sensory impression of a hoppy aroma in beer.

The Hopsteiner Guidelines 2011 will soon be published and be available at Brau Beviale 2011 in Nuremberg. We are still working on some details of the beer production and will present the balance of World Alpha Acid Supply and Demand as soon as possible.

The use of hop oils provides significant advantages with regard to achieving a consistent hop aroma in beer. There are three types of hop oils available: Type Dry, Type Noble and Type Noble Plus with the Type Dry product having the added benefit that it can be produced from specific hop varieties.

The last outstanding official 2011 crop estimate figures for German growing areas, namely those for the Hallertau, were published on August 18th. We are pleased to provide a list comparing the crop results for 2010 with the estimates for 2011 for the world’s main growing areas.

Nowadays most leaf hops worldwide are processed into various hop products after harvesting. Hop products are more homogeneous, easier to handle and have better storage stability than leaf hops. In addition, brewers’ modern day requirements have become more complex, as a result of which there is a huge range of hop products with varying compositions.

One of the most widely known and studied medicinal properties of hops is its ability to induce sleep. In the European HMPC (Herbal Medicinal Product Committee) Monographs hops are officially recommended as traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep.