Loral variety is a hop coming out of Hops Brewing Company (HBC), a joint venture between John I. Hass and Select Botanicals Group. Considering the popularity of HBC’s Mosaic and Citra hops, this hop is in some pretty stellar company. With thirteen years spent experimenting with this hop, Loral finally made its way into consumer’s hand May of 2016.
From Experimental Hop to the Big Times
Initially known as HBC 291, this hop has become known in the beer world as Loral Hops. The aroma profile of this hop has some great floral, peppery, and even herbal notes to it, reminiscent of German noble hops. However, it doesn’t stop there. The citrus (specifically lemon) and some dark fruit character make this a truly unique hop. The name “Loral” came about interestingly enough as a combination of the words lemon and floral; to help identify it.
Lineage
Loral comes with a noteworthy lineage. Starting out as an offspring of a breeding between Glacier and the male plant, HBC 9902, son of the Nugget variety. Loral also had a noble French history on its mother’s side; Glacier is the granddaughter of Tardiff De Bourgogne.
Usage
With alpha acids between 10-12.2%, Loral hops are considered a dual-purpose hop. With enough alpha acids, Loral hops can be your answer to the bittering charge you are looking for in IPAs, Pale Ales, Lagers, or even Saisons. A late addition can certainly help bring out the floral, lemon, and possible dark fruit characters. Dry hopping is a strong possibility as well.
Pedigree U.S. Glacier and U.S. Nugget
Aroma/Flavor Floral, herbal, citrus
Alpha Acids* 10.0 – 12.0 %
Beta Acids 4.5 – 5.5 %
Cohumulone 21 – 23 % of alpha acids
Total Oil 1.5 – 2.5 ml/100g
Myrcene 37 – 39 % of total oil
Humulene 23 – 25 % of total oil
Caryophyllene 6 – 8 % of total oil
Farnesene < 1 % of total oil
As stated on Yakima Valley Hops’ website.
Cryo Hops
Using Cryo hops in your brewing process posses quite the advantage to brewers. Yakima Chief Hops came up with a way to freeze the hops with liquid nitrogen. This process separates the lupulin of the hop leaf to create a concentrated high alpha pellet. In theory, since Cryo hops are twice as concentrated, brewers do not need to use as much but still produce a beer with a good hop punch. It is suggested that Cryo Hops be used late in the boil or during dry hopping. Read more about Cryo Hops here.
American Noble Hops
The debittered portion of the hop leaf that is leftover from creating the Cryo Hops is what becomes the American Noble Hops. There is no vegetal character to these hops and also very little lupulin. Much like Cryo Hops, I tend to use the American Noble Hop varieties later in the boil.
Yanny – The IPA
10 lbs. Pale 2-Row Avangard
1 lb. Honey Malt Gambrinus
1 lb. White Wheat Rahr
1 oz. Loral Hops @60 min.
1 oz. Loral Hops @20 min.
4 oz. Loral Hops @Flameout
1 oz. American Noble Loral Hops @Flameout
1 oz. Cryo Loral Hops Dry Hop 4 Days
Mangrove Jack’s U.S. West Coast Yeast M44
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About The Author
Steve Thanos Bio: I have been teaching 7th grade reading for the past 17 years. I live in Darien, IL with my lovely wife, incredible 7 year old daughter, and awesome 10 year old Boston Terrier. I have been an avid homebrewer for the past 5 years. I am a proud winner of many homebrew competitions still looking for more homebrewing hardware. I am the current Vice President of my homebrew club, Plainfield Ale and Lager Enthusiasts (PALE). I am very interested in the homebrewing community. I am currently blogging for Homebrew Academy and Sommbeer. Finally, I am currently brewing through the 2015 BJCP styles, trying to medal in all categories, and blog about each beer. You can find my writings at Bareknucklesbrewing.wordpress.