New “Vera” Hop Variety Makes Brew-tiful Beers
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There’s good news, or brews, for those who love delicious beers. ARS scientists recently released a new aroma hop variety called “USDA-ARS Vera” (Humulus lupulus L.) that can be used in pale ales, lagers, and other beers. The new hop variety is a welcomed addition to the $116.8 billion beer market in the U.S.
USDA-ARS Vera hop has a complex, tropical, stone-fruit and citrus aroma. It also has resistance to the prevalent races of the causal pathogen of hop powdery mildew (Podosphaera macularis), which presently impacting the Pacific Northwest hop production region of the U.S.
“Growers and consumers alike have remarked on ‘Vera’s aroma profile and its desirable traits for brewing,” said Kayla Altendorf, research geneticist at the ARS Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit worksite in Prosser, WA.
“As a breeding program, our group strives to develop hop varieties that have improved disease resistance and desirable brewing characteristics. ‘Vera’ was derived from a cross between ‘Brewers Gold,’ a hop known for its unique aroma and for bittering beer, and a powdery mildew-resistant male hop of Wild American descent.”
Altendorf and her team began their work on USDA-ARS Vera in 2020. The hop originated from a former Washington State University (WSU) hop breeding program in Prosser and was evaluated in its final stages by ARS scientists as part of a material transfer agreement.
USDA-ARS Vera represents one of several products to emerge from a large-scale effort to evaluate, release, and utilize beneficial germplasm from a former WSU breeding program to the benefit of industry and the public. The work was done in close collaboration with industry partners and stakeholders. Two Pacific Northwest hop growers worked with Altendorf to evaluate the hop on-farm to ensure its viability for production.
“Developing new public hop varieties is a priority for the American hop industry, and the process requires a collaborative public-private partnership to ensure sufficient trials and evaluations are completed before release,” said Alicia Adler, executive technical director at the Hop Research Council.
“The Hop Research Council funded commercial grow-outs of Vera during the Elite Line phase and coordinated brewing trials at various stages in the process. The release of Vera represents a significant success of this partnership and marks a milestone for the USDA ARS public hop breeding program in Prosser, WA.”
USDA-ARS Vera is publicly available for commercial production, research purposes, and the breeding and development and commercialization of new cultivars. Growers and brewers can request the germplasm through the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). — by Jessica Ryan, ARS Office of Communications.
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