Hallertau Tradition is a German hop variety I’ve used in Helles and Pilsner recipes where I wanted the reliability of a modern Hallertau selection without sacrificing the classic noble character.
Saphir is a German hop variety I discovered when researching alternatives to standard Hallertau for a Märzen I wanted to make slightly more interesting.
Spalter Select is a German noble hop that I use in German Pilsner and Kölsch recipes when I want something close to the original Spalter character but with better availability and more consistent alpha acid.
Sorachi Ace is the hop variety that divides homebrewers more than almost any other. The first time I used it in a cream ale I thought the dill character was an infection — then I tasted it again and realized …
First Gold is a UK hop variety that I think of as the dual-purpose workhorse of English ale brewing — it was specifically developed to bring higher alpha acid to the classic Goldings family without losing the floral, spicy character …
Target is a high-alpha English hop that I first used when building a traditional British bitter recipe from a 1980s homebrew book.
Apollo is the hop I reach for when I need a very high alpha acid bittering addition and want to use as little hop mass as possible.
Ahtanum is a Washington State hop that I discovered through a Pacific Northwest pale ale recipe that specifically requested it for its floral and grapefruit character alongside a distinct earthy quality that the brewer said gave the beer “place.
Spalt is one of the four classic German noble hops — alongside Hallertau, Tettnang, and Saaz — and it’s the one I associate most strongly with traditional German Pilsner character.
Bravo is one of the cleaner American high-alpha bittering hops I’ve used, and I first tried it when a homebrew shop ran out of Magnum for a lager I was building.