Aramis is a relatively new hop, "from the Alsace region of France, a triploid variety developed as a cross between tetraploid Strisselspalt and a male seedling of WGV to create a unique variety with reasonable bittering potential and strong noble aroma characteristics, notably citrus, herbal, fruity and spicy", it says at SimplyHops.co.uk. Fascinating, but what does that really mean?
Arbor Ales Aramis smells like the steampunk future of hops. It's steampunk in the the sense that it's not some immense fruit bomb, some hydroponic citrus monster hop that will make all beers taste the same, but it's a traditional set of flavours that has been amplified somewhat for the modern palate. In this beer, it's a very European-smelling hop, with a real noble Saaz quality, including some of that slightly earthy, dirty, catty character. But at the same time, there's a citrussy lemon edge to it, some faint black pepper spiciness, and a fleeting suggestion of fruitiness mid-palate (peaches? tangerines?) that makes it bang on trend for 2012. At the same time, there's a faintly smoky note that suggest Lapsang Souchong tea, or perhaps the interaction between this and the fruit suggests Earl Grey.
And in this beer, there is plenty of bitterness, so the overall impression is a beguiling package that is simultaneously delicate and assertive. When Mark Dredge, Pete Brown and I brewed Avery Brown Dredge, BrewDog's Martin Dickie tried it and said "I feel like I'm being punished by Saaz, which is something I never thought I'd say". This beer has that same quality, albeit toned down from 11 to, say a 6 or 7 in volume terms, which given ABD's hooligan credentials is perhaps no bad thing.
So, Aramis. An interesting hop, and a very good beer.
NOTE: I buy and sell this beer through the business I own, although I don't think this has influenced my opinion of it
I had a pint of this a few weeks back, my comment at the time was: A new hop variety from France... has the earthy potato patch taste of UK hops... still quite a refreshing pint though
ReplyDeleteAs usual, your words make me ashamed of my pitiful attempts at beer critique. Time for another pint and a reappraisal me thinks.
PS: I love Arbor Ales
We all love Arbor Ales. And to be fair, you sort of condense everything I said into 21 words!
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DeleteAn excellent and a very educating post Zak. Cheers pal
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise that hops were so engineered. The triploid female hop is, as a consequence of its triploidy, seedless, which is apparently what the brewers told the breeders they wanted. Seeds lend the brew a harsh flavour.
ReplyDeleteAccording to a talk from Paul Corbett of Charles Faram Hop Merchants at the recent Beer Bloggers Conference, if hops were allowed to fertilise naturally, each seed could potentially a new variety, which would be a disaster for large-scale cultivation
DeleteIt's presumably similar to wine grape varieties being cloned rather than being allowed to reproduce naturally. You have to minimise natural variation.
DeleteI've rambled on about hop selection and breeding over at my blog for anyone who's interested.
DeleteCan we expect Athos, Porthos and d'Artagnan single hopped beers from Arbor too? The "All For One" single hop range?
ReplyDeleteOn that trip: when I was a kid my dad's 2nd fav aftershave was Aramis so perhaps we'll see a single hop Drakkar Noir hitting the beer taps and shelves soemtime soon
Deletewould that be the 3 musketbeers?
Delete'Steampunk Hops' - wonderful, Avery - Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteJust catching up with this and it sounds a very interesting new hop, I'd like to try it.
ReplyDeleteAbout some German noble varieties having a dank, catty or earthy note: this is very true in my experience, at times some of it seems onion-like or scallion perhaps. Not all Central European hops taste like that - I never get the flavour in Pilsner Urquell or some other beers - but many do offer the characteristic.
I think it's probably a trait of some of the soils there. It's not my preferred taste although one reason for the fame of these hops I think is it makes the beers go very well with food.
Gary