For this article, we sat down for a discussion on the history of French hops with Sebastian Hohentanner of BET, which imports a variety of hops from France.
Please give us a general overview of hop cultivation in France.
When discussing alcoholic beverages in France, most people talk about wine country, but there’s a long history of beer production, too, especially in the regions that border beer countries like Germany, Belgium, and (across the channel) England. In the northeastern part of France, in the Alsace region bordering Germany, there’s also a long history of hop cultivation. Close to 99% of French hops are grown in or near Alsace.
What is it about Alsace that created this level of activity?
It’s always been the heart of French beer culture, for starters, while the geography, which I’ll touch on later, is important, too. The brewery Kronenbourg claims it was founded here in 1664. The region went through a brief period where it was difficult to grow wine grapes and the wine supply was so bad that people started making beer. Kronenbourg was one of the local businesses that emerged to make beer. You can still see the cafe restaurant, in fact, where it got its start. Locals, in response, started growing hops and brewing barley in the region, and today the brewery’s largest production facility is in this Alsace region. It’s not only big breweries that you’ll find here; the oldest privately owned brewery, Brasserie Meteor, is located nearby, just outside Strasbourg. Hop culture is strong here.
Please tell me a little more about the brewery scene in France.
At present there are about 2500 breweries (over 90% are microbreweries) that produce a total of 350,000kl. Craft brewing has exploded over the past few years. Surprisingly, France is currently leading Europe in the number of craft breweries per the Brewers of Europe Association. Most would consider these microbreweries, of course, because many are on-premise brewpubs. But there are a lot of well-developed French breweries in their second or third stage of expansion with large brewhouses (in the 30 to 100 hectoliter range). There’s significant growth, leading in part to French hop growing having earned official recognition from the government of France. President Macron has even met with the operators of Hop France Comptoir Agricole, the official growers organization which we’ll talk about later. Francis Heitz is the person who runs the hops operation. He grew up on a hop farm and his brother still runs it; he is a fifth or sixth generation Alsatian farmer. When they met Macron, they gave him a French heritage variety which was planted in the garden of the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president. The craft beer boom in France, and everything surrounding it, has gotten such visibility, up to the president, because it presents new opportunities for work, especially for young people.
Before we turn to that organization, please tell me more about the history of hop cultivation here.
Most hop workers come from the region north of Strasbourg, the major city in Alsace. There are over forty family farms and about five-hundred hectares planted, totaling some eight-hundred tons in volume. The history of hop growing dates back to pre-industrial times here, again, due in large part to Kronenbourg, as well as Meteor Brewery, France’s oldest dating back to 1640 (still operating and family owned). 1796 marks the first confirmable date of hop cultivation, though brewing history suggests that hops have been grown in Alsace from a much earlier date. The name of the original land-grown variety, Strisselspalt, was mentioned in 1885, and that’s now its official name. Interestingly, there was much more acreage in those times because more hops were used. In the 20th century, hop production declined, in part because of increased brewery efficiency, and because of ‘big beers’ (industrial lagers) becoming the standard. Acreage later grew because of the craft beer boom. One interesting detail is that the hop bines don’t grow straight up the ropes. The trellises are about seven meters tall but the ropes are nine meters, allowing some slack. Those two extra meters at the bottom where the leaves are cut allow for growing hops with less herbicides and pesticides than in most other growing regions in the world. Based on that, France has become the leading country for organically grown hops in the EU.
As for actual cultivation methods, Alsatian hop farming is based on German technology. Over the last few centuries, the region passed back and forth between French and German political administrations, and many people there still speak German. The whole beer scene in Alsace, as well as food culture, is very similar to Germany’s. Both German and French traditions influenced the area.
When did the hop growing industry become more formalized?
There was a growers association formed in 1939. In 1960, they started growing other international varieties. Eventually, local hop growers in Alsace integrated their endeavors into Comptoir Agricole, the sort of French equivalent of JA in Japan, and they launched the Hop France quality seal to market their own varieties. It was in 2000 that they started their own breeding program. There are now seven unique French varieties, and they also grow a handful of international varieties. The seven French ones include: Strisselspalt, the original land-grown variety (in other words, not developed in a greenhouse), Aramis, Triskel, Barbe Rouge, Mistral, Elixir, and Teorem, which was just released this year.
Please explain how the breeding program works.
In the case of French hops, they crossed Strisselspalt with other hops, like Cascade for example. They start in the greenhouse, and if they grow efficiently here, they move them to the research fields. They check for resistance to disease, growing conditions, yield, and other factors. The original goal of the program was to grow hops that were similar to Strisselspalt in aroma but had more alpha acids for bittering. Strisselspalt averages between only 1.5 and 2.5%, which is super low. In a bad harvest year, that might be 0.8 to 1.2%. If you have a recipe with 2% but then the next year you get alpha acid content of only 1%, you have to double the amount of hops you use. Not all brewing systems are built for that. At bigger breweries, the process is automated; that created problems since machinery was too small to accommodate the extra hop volume. The breeders succeeded in their goal, but along the way they discovered other varieties that were interesting, too.
I imagine geography is an important variable, too. How has that contributed to such a large percentage of French hops being grown here?
The region is located between the Black Forest Mountains and the Vosges Mountains. So the actual land used for cultivation is well-protected and has a stable water supply because of the Rhine River. If you think about it, Yakima is in a valley, too. There are similar advantages. The climate is stable; it doesn’t get crazy hot. Although the world has gotten hotter in recent years, this region hasn’t been so badly affected. When you have a hotter climate and water restrictions, hops tend to have higher alpha acids.
So there’s a kind of terroir at work here, correct?
Alsace definitely has a distinct terroir. The region is famous for white wines. And where conditions are great for such wines, they are generally great for hops. If you look at where hops are grown in New Zealand and Australia, they are also wine regions. The climate and soil are favorable for both plants. Here in Alsace, you’ll see grape vineyards on the mountainsides and hopfields in the flats. It’s a scenic blend of agriculture. As a result of the terroir, French hops have flavors that are well expressed, but perhaps not as pungent as hops from the Pacific Northwest, for example. Cascade grown in Yakima, for example, will have assertive notes of citrus, pine, and resin, but in France it’s rounder–more citrusy and orange-like, and the alpha acids might be a percentage point or two lower. Dank character is diminished. There are brewers in Japan that really like the French Cascade because of those qualities. In fact, the flavor descriptors of French hops are rarely extreme in any direction.
By contrast, then, are there some styles of beer for which they might not be suitable?
If you wanted to brew a hazy IPA that’s super hop-forward and super fruity, it’s possible with French varieties, but isn’t that easy and will require some serious recipe tinkering. Some just don’t give you the punch you want. But if you’re making pilsners, pale ales, or anything with hop character that isn’t that assertive, you won’t find much better.
What are some breweries that use the hops?
I’m not permitted to name all of them, but some publicly known brands that might be recognized in Japan include Orval, Sierra Nevada, Russian River, Westmalle, St. Feuillien, Trappistes Rochefort, and several others. There are a lot of Belgian sour beers made with French hops, but what is unique is that the breweries will age the hops. They’ll store them at between 10~20C for two or three years so that the hops oxidize. Then the brewers will use them in lambics and other sour beers. We also sell ‘older’ Strisselspalt to breweries in Japan that want to use it in barrel-aged beers or sour beers.
Thank you, Sebastian. We’ll be on the lookout for beers using these hops to give them a try.
The Alsatian terroir produces seven exclusive French hop varieties each with its unique characteristics.
Strisselspalt, the heirloom variety with Saazer DNA, is famous for its round and pleasant bitterness in combination with a classic noble hop aroma. The first choice for any properly brewed Alsatian Pilsner.
Aramis, the big brother of Strisselspalt, features the same high quality of bitterness in beers but adds a subtle note of citrus, fresh herbs and spice. A perfect choice for refreshing lager beers.
Triskel is a fruity and floral aroma hop reminiscent of stone fruit and grapes in combination with jasmine and honeysuckle. A perfect accent in dry hoppy pale lagers, blond ales or saison beers.
Barbe Rouge is the pride of the French breeding program showcasing a unique aroma of red berries. Best highlighted as a distinctive strawberry flavor in sweeter beers or a raspberry flavor in sour beers.
Mistral has the intense fragrance of a rich flower bouquet combined with lychee and kumquat tropical aromas. A great hop in session IPAs and dry hopped lagers.
Elixir is fruit forward with a sweet citrusy, tangerine character backed up by tropical aromas of passion fruit. A great dry hopping choice that adds a pleasant aroma of sweet fruit to all types of IPA.
Teorem is the latest addition to the French hop line up just released in 2023. Exotic fruits, reminiscent of mango and papaya combined with a fresh citrus impression and a resinous character in the back define the aroma. A variety with great potential for modern IPAs.