American Hops Varieties

Alpha Hop Varieties

• The USDA assigns a numerical rating to each year's crop of hops, by variety, based on the variety's composition of alpha acids. The acidity level of the hop provides the bitterness to the beer. When the malt ferments, the beer is initially sweet. Bitterness is required to balance the flavor. Alpha hop varieties have lower acidity ratings than "super alpha" hops. However, it is important to remember that the numerical ratings can change from year to year. Alpha varieties include "Chinook," "Galena" and "Nugget." Chinook has a woody, herbal taste and is often used for craft beers. Galena has a balanced, mellow bitterness, used to produce ales. Nugget is an alpha variety with a strong flavor and herbal aroma.

Super Alpha Varieties

• Super alpha varieties have the highest acidity ratings given by the USDA. The leaders of the "super alpha" varieties are "Columbus," "Tomahawk" and "Zeus." These three varieties are sometimes grouped together and referred to as "CTZ." Nearly 25 percent of all hop crops grown in the U.S. belong to the CTZ group. In 2010, CTZ had acidity ratings that ranged from 14.5 to 16.5 percent. Zeus is characterized as having a rich, full flavor with citrus top notes. Tomahawk was the very first commercially grown "super alpha" hop variety. Columbus has a pungent aroma and is used for brewing pale ales, stouts and lagers.

Aroma Varieties

• The third category of hops is referred to as "aroma" hops. These hops are associated with the Old World hops and have characteristics that closely resemble the aromas of hops grown in Europe. "Cascade" is one of the top three aroma hops grown in the United States. Cascade has a medium aroma and a spicy, floral-like character. The USDA, in conjunction with an Oregon breeding program, cultivated Cascade hops in 1972. Cascade hops are a top choice among craft brewers. "Centennial" is another widely grown aroma hop and a Cascade cultivar. Centennial provides strong bittering and an aromatic citrus flavor. "Glacier" hops provide the bittering and aroma for pale ales, bitters, English-style pale ales and stouts.

Washington, Oregon and Idaho Hop Varieties

• Washington, Oregon and Idaho are the top three hop-producing states in the United States. According to the 2010 USDA Hop Crop Report, the state of Washington produced more than 52.2 million lbs. of hops; more than 8.2 million lbs. of hops were harvested in Oregon, and close to 5 million lbs. were harvested in Idaho.

  The top three hop varieties grown in Washington are Zeus, Columbus/Tomahawk (grown as a group), Galena and Cascade. The top varieties grown in Oregon are "Willamette," Nugget and Cascade. Idaho (the home of a 1,500-acre private farm owned by the Anheuser Busch Company) does not disclose the pounds harvested by hop varieties -- only the total pounds harvested.