Hops

Brewing its world-famous beer, Hofbräu München uses four types of hops that are grown in Hallertau, a central Bavarian region: the bitter Northern Brewer and Magnum varieties, and the milder, aromatic varieties of Hallertauer Perle and Select. Hop gardens are planted using cuttings only from female plants. They climb seven to eight metres high on metal frames, always spiralling, in an anti-clockwise direction. This “green gold” is harvested in August and September. The hops are then dried and stored, and then taken to a hop factory for further processing. This is where the cultivated, unfertilised cones are separated from the unusable parts (leaves and stems). These cones will be grinded and compressed into small pellets. In this form, the hops can be stored for several years at a temperature of 10°C or less without any detriment to quality. The proportions of the different hop varieties used depend on the type of beer. For example, one litre of Hofbräu Original or Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier contains around 0.035 ounces of natural hops, while the Münchner Kindl Weissbier contains around 0.028 ounces.