Hops are one of the most important ingredients in any beer. They give the beer its distinctive bitterness and attractive aroma. If you are curious about this ingredient and want to learn about the types of hops used by 12 famous brands in Vietnam, check out:
1. The secret of hops and hops in beer production
Hops (English name is Houblon and scientific name is Humulus lupulus) – is a perennial climbing plant belonging to the Cannabaceae family (hemp family). Hops are often grown on trellises with an average stem length of 10 – 15m. The leaves are oval, the stem is large and strong. The average lifespan of a hop plant can last over 30 – 40 years.
Although originating from Europe and imported from many countries such as the US, Germany, France, Australia, etc., in Asia, including Vietnam, the tree hops Hops are also being grown in many places on a small scale. The way to grow hops is very easy, just need to cut the branches 12 – 20cm long from the previous year to root and plant. When the plant is mature and has flowers, people often cut off the male flowers, leaving only the female flowers, to avoid pollination, creating fruit that will not yield flowers that meet the standards for beer production.
Image of Houblon flower tree planted directly in the garden (Screenshot from VOV).
In the beer production process hops is one of the indispensable ingredients to create flavor for finished beer. The special feature of hops in beer production is that only female and unpollinated flowers are used. Not only to create aroma and flavor for beer, the effect of hops in beer production also plays a role in helping to maintain the quality of yeast to work better and keep beer foam longer.
2. Summary of the main types of hops used by 12 famous beer brands
If you are familiar with famous beer brands such as: Saigon Beer, Hanoi Beer, Heineken, 333, Tiger, Heineken, Corona,… and are curious about what kind of beer they use, hops If you are interested in any of the main aspects of beer production, the following summary information will be useful to you:
Beer brand name
Main hop names used
Interpretation
Saigon Beer
Yakima
– This is an American variety of Hop, grown extensively in the Yakima region, Washington, USA.
– This Houblon has a fresh and balanced aroma, along with a slight bitter taste.
– This is also the type of hops used a lot in brewing craft beer and premium beer.
Hanoi Beer
Saaz
– Saaz is a famous type of Houblon imported from the Czech Republic. It is grown a lot in the Zatec valley.
– Saaz flower brings a characteristic herbal flavor, balanced, refreshing, pure and slightly bitter.
– A special feature of Hanoi beer is that it not only uses Saaz hops but depending on the line and the specific style the company wants to convey, the company can combine it with some other types of Hops such as: Czech Premium and Hallertau Perle.
Larue Beer
Saaz and Cascade.
– If Saaz hops imported from the Czech Republic have a balance between light bitterness and herbal aroma, Cascade hops imported from the United States have a characteristic citrus aroma, creating a lingering aroma while helping the beer to be less bitter and more balanced.
– In Larue beer, the combination of Saaz flowers in stage 1 (cooking) and Cascade flowers in stage 2 (fermentation) creates a rich flavor, adding refreshment to the finished beer.
Huda Beer
Saaz and Hallertauer.
– Hallertauer is a type of Houblon imported from Germany that not only has a light, refreshing, balanced bitter taste but also has a prominent tropical fruit flavor.
– Also combined with Czech Saaz flowers, but in Huda beer, Saaz flowers are added in stage 2 (fermentation). Stage 1 (cooking) uses German Hallertauer flowers. This results in a finished beer with a balanced taste, rich and refreshing.
– Currently, there are many types of Huda beer on the market. But depending on the ratio of the 2 types of Houblon added at each stage, combined with the temperature and brewing time, each type will have its own unique flavor and style.
– In addition, to enhance the flavor and create a difference for the new product, Huda also combines a variety of other types of Hops. For example: Cascade flowers imported from the US in Huda Ice Blast beer.
Halida Beer
Tetra
– Tetra is a German Houblon with a citrus aroma, light bitterness and balance.
– This German Hop gives Halida beer a delicious, easy-to-drink flavor, a refreshing first taste, and a very characteristic slightly bitter aftertaste.
Heineken Beer
Saaz and Cascade.
– Similar to the interpretation of the hops that Larue beer uses.
– Heineken also has many lines, so in addition to the two types of Houblon above, the company also combines other types of hops such as: Czech Premium and Hallertau Perle,… to create richness and diversity for the products.
Carlsberg Beer
Saaz and Pearl
– Perle is an aromatic Houblon hybrid bred from Hallertau imported from Germany, with citrus, green fruit flavors and medium bitterness.
– When combining Perle flowers with Saaz from the Czech Republic, it will give a balanced flavor with a characteristic bitter taste.
– Carlsberg beer brewing process will use Saaz flowers in phase 1 and Perle flowers in phase 2 with a ratio of 60:40 to create smoothness, balance between bitterness and herbal and fruity flavors, making it quite easy to drink.
– Besides these 2 types of Houblon, depending on the line, Carlsberg also combines some other types of hops such as: Hallertau and Magnum,… to enrich the flavor.
Budweiser Beer
Saaz and Cascade
– Similar to the interpretation of the hops that Larue beer uses.
– However, Budweiser beer in different countries may have different flavors due to the combination of regional ingredients and other types of hops such as Hallertau or Magnum.
Corona Beer
Perle and Tettnang
– If the characteristic of Perle flower imported from Germany is a lingering citrus flavor, little bitterness, medium bitterness, and aromatic smell, then Tettnang flower from Germany is similar to Hallertau flower, with a characteristic herbal floral flavor, balanced taste.
– The combination of these two German Hops gives Corona beer a unique flavor that is both aromatic, rich, refreshing and very easy to drink.
Sapporo Beer
Saaz and Hallertauer Mittelfrüh
– These are both types of Houblon with herbal and floral characteristics from the Czech Republic and Germany.
– When combining Saaz flowers in stage 1 and Hallertauer Mittelfrüh flowers in stage 2, Sapporo beer has a rich, bold flavor, slightly bitter, and a fragrant herbal and fruity aroma that is quite easy to drink.
– There are many types of Sapporo on the market, so depending on the type, the company also combines other types of hops such as: Cascade, Citra,… to create its own unique flavor.
Tiger Beer
Saaz and Pearl
– Similar interpretation of the hops Carlsberg uses.
333 Beer
Hallertauer Mittelfrüh and Saaz
– The process of using Houblon when brewing 333 beer is a bit opposite to Sapporo beer. Accordingly, Hallertauer Mittelfrüh flowers will be added in stage 1 and Saaz flowers will be added in stage 2.
– This method gives 333 beer its characteristic flavor: golden color, aromatic scent of flowers, herbs, green fruits and a slightly bitter taste.
Main types of hops used by 12 famous beer brands (VOV screenshot).
If you want to check out hop prices and do more research on them to brew your own craft beer, here is some useful information you can check out:
Hop name
Reference price of hops for 100g
Yakima
97,000 VND
Saaz
97,000 VND
Cascade
96,800 VND
Hallertauer
From 79,000 VND – 99,000 VND depending on hybrid breed.
Pearl
91,000 VND
Tettnang
From 250,000 VND – 400,000 VND depending on alpha from 4% – 9%.
Hall of Fame
86,000 VND
Citra
155,000 VND
Magnum
80,000 VND
Czech Premium
92,000 VND
*Note:
The above hop price list was last updated on December 20, 2023 according to prices from hop suppliers in Vietnam.
Prices may change over time, depending on each batch of Houblon imported from different countries or according to sales policies from the place of sale.
Hops on the market today come in many forms from seeds, dried flowers, hop extract, etc. To find a place to sell or a supplier of hops at a good price, you can enter the keyword into the Websosanh.vn portal and enter. The list of places selling hops will be displayed visually for you to easily check prices.
In Vietnam, a new wave of craft beer is starting to revive. 10 years ago, beer consumers only cared about whether the beer tasted good or not. But now, they don’t just want to enjoy beer, they are more knowledgeable, they talk about beer and the core Hoplon ingredient. They are also learning about how to make craft beer to try to create their own unique beers. So the quality of hops and price are increasingly focused on. In European countries, America, … hops have become a revolution, in the future the hops revolution may also take place in Vietnam. Hopefully the information provided by Websosanh.vn above will be useful to you! Thank you for following this article!
