Crystal Hop
| Purpose: | Aroma |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States of America (USA) |
| International Code: | CRY |
| Comparison | Compare with other hops |
Purchase Crystal Hops
Crystal hops are available to be purchased at multiple suppliers. We've conveniently linked to the most popular hop suppliers as well as Amazon.com. Every supplier may have different prices, harvest years and amounts available for purchase.
Origin and Geneology of the Crystal Hop
Crystal is a triploid of Hallertau Mittelfrueh crossed with (Cascade x USDA 65009-64034M). It is also the half-sister of Mt. Hood, Liberty and Ultra.
US hops begin to be harvested in mid-to-late August for most aroma varieties.
Flavor & Aroma Profile of Crystal Hops
Crystal is an aroma hop that is typically used in only late boil additions, including dry hopping.
The Crystal hop has aromas of woods, green, floral and fruity with herb and spice notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper.
Tags: #woody #floral #green #fruity #spicy #cinnamon #nutmeg #black_pepper
Brewing Values for Crystal Hops
These are the common ranges that we've seen with Crystal hops over the years. Each year's crop can yield hops that have slightly different qualities, so these number ranges are based on history.
| Alpha Acid % (AA) Alpha acids are the main source of bitterness in beer. Longer boil times will result in isomerization of more alpha acids leading to increased bitterness. Learn more » | 2.8-6%4.4% avg |
|---|---|
| Beta Acid %Beta acids are a component of hop resins responsible for contributing volatile aromatic and flavor properties. Beta acids contribute no bitterness. | 4.5-8.5%6.5% avg |
| Alpha-Beta RatioThe ratio of alpha to beta acids dictates the degree to which bitterness fades during aging. 1:1 ratios are common in aroma varieties. | 0:1 - 1:11:1 avg |
| Hop Storage Index (HSI)The HSI indicates the percent of alpha and beta acids lost after 6 months of storage at room temperature (68°F or 20°C). The freshest hops will always be the best. | 30% (Good) 0.251-0.35 |
| Co-Humulone as % of AlphaLow cohumulone hops may impart a smoother bitterness when added to the boil as opposed to higher ones that add a sharper bitterness to the final beer. Learn more » | 20-26%23% avg |
| Total Oils (mL/100g)These highly volatile, not very soluble oils are easily boiled off, but add flavor and aroma to the finished beer when added very late in the boil or during fermentation. Learn more » | 0.8-2.3 mL1.6mL avg |
| Total Oil Breakdown: | |
| › MyrceneFlavors: resinous, citrus, fruity (β-myrcene) | 30-55%42.5% avg |
| › HumuleneFlavors: woody, noble, spicy (α-caryophyllene) | 20-30%25% avg |
| › CaryophylleneFlavors: pepper, woody, herbal (β-caryophyllene) | 5-12%8.5% avg. |
| › FarneseneFlavors: fresh, green, floral (β-farnesene) | 0-1%0.5% avg |
| › All OthersIncluding β-pinene, linalool, geranoil & selinene | 2-45% |
Hop Pairings with Crystal Hops
Some hops just taste better together. We recently analyzed [1] hundreds of the most popular beers to find which hops are commonly paired together. We found that Simcoe, Nugget, Amarillo, Chinook & Centennial hops are commonly used alongside the Crystal hop. This is not a complete list, but should give you a good idea of what hops are commonly used together.
Here is the relative frequency of the top 5 hops that are used with Crystal:
Beer Styles using Crystal Hops
Some popular beer styles that make use of the Crystal hop include Lager, Kolsch, ESB, Pilsner, IPA, Pale Ale & Belgian Ale.
Crystal Hop Substitutions
If the Crystal hop is hard to find or if you are simply out of it on brew day, you can try to substitute it with a similar hop. The old way of choosing replacement hops was done by experience and "feel". There is nothing wrong with that way. However, we wanted to build a data-driven tool to find your Crystal substitutions.
Experienced brewers have chosen the following hop varieties as substitutions of Crystal:
Is Crystal available in lupulin powder?
Unfortunately, there is no lupulin powder version of the Crystal hop. Neither Yakima Chief Hops (Cryo/LupuLN2), Haas (Lupomax) or Hopsteiner have created versions of this hop variety in lupulin powder form yet. Too bad too - it is pure hop lupulin powder, which leads to huge, concentrated flavor when used in the whirlpool or dry hop additions.
Crystal Hop Statistics
We love statistics. We've analyzed hundreds of IPAs, dug into the Hop Growers of America's annual reports[2] and researched the history behind some of the most popular beer ingredients. Here are a few of the things we've found interesting about the Crystal hop:
- In 2019, Crystal was the 22nd most produced hop in the United States.
- Production of the Crystal hop has decreased by 5% between 2014 and 2019.
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