German hops

The epicentre of German hop-growing is in the Hallertau region, where hops have been grown since time immemorial and on a large scale for hundreds of years. The gently undulating hilly landscape betweenIngolstadt and Munich is known as one of the largest hop regions in the world, and as terroirs is an unmistakable part of the famous Bavarian beer culture.

At our hop farm Van Begeerte we grow two German varieties from the Hallertau region:

Hallertau Magnum

Magnum is a cross between the American variety Galena and a German male plant, which was grown in 1980 in the Research centre for hops in the German town of Hüll (Bavaria).

Magnum contains a high alpha acid percentage (10.0% to 14.5%) and a rather neutral aroma. As a result this hop variety is often used as a powerful and efficient bitter hop.
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Saphir

Saphir is an aroma hop which was also launched around the year 2000 by the Research centre for hops in the German town of Hüll (Bavaria). This new variety was developed as an alternative to the popular Hallertau Mittelfrüh which is very susceptible to disease. Hallertau Saphir has a relatively low alpha acid percentage (2.0% to 4.5%) and an aroma tending towards citrus.

* The Hallertau is an area in Bavaria, Germany. With an area of 178 km², it is listed as the largest continuous hop-planting area in the world:
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