Over the past year I have subbed Mt. Hood hops in my lager beers and I have been pleased with the results. I was wondering if any of you have used American hops in place of German/Noble hops with similar results?
I certainly have, Mt. Hood being my most common sub. But I have to say, I haven’t found any that I feel can replace good Hallertauer Mittelfruh or Tettnang.
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For many years I was very happy with the homegrown Hallertau hops from my back yard, which closely resembled the ones I have bought from Germany. But my plant is now almost 20 years old and quit producing more than like a tenth of an ounce the last couple of years. Time to rip 'er out. I guess these plants don’t live forever, they use all the nutrients and I’d have to fertilize much more heavily before bringing anything back in the same spot.
I have toyed with Mt Hood, Crystal, Sterling, and others many years ago, but they were never quite as awesome as the original nobles, in my opinion. Close, but not the same.
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Yeah, that was my conclusion, too. If I can’t get good Hall Mitt, they’ll do. Good being the key word.
When I lived in WA I grew sterlings. Bettering with them and finishing with saaz made a great pilsner.
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I tried some Michigan-grown Mittelfrüh and was surprised how close they were to the Hallertau version. Close, but not exactly the same. Michigan Saaz is worth a try as well.
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