The largest contiguous hops growing area in the world is located in the Hallertau region in the state of Bavaria in Germany. Here, growing premium hops and brewing beer has a long tradition. It is no surprise then to find one of the worlds’s most advanced hop research centers in a small town in the center of this hops growing area.
Since 1926, the town of Huell has been home to the Hop Research Center Huell. The Hop Research Society founded the institution in response to an endemic of downy mildew in Germany. It was endowed with a land grant of 71 Ha in Huell to conduct hop breeding experiments to generate mildew-resistant hop cultivars. Over time, the focus included hop chemistry and hop oils.
In yet another innovative move, the research center in Huell augmented its research program again around 2006. Before, breeding programs pursued the objectives to develop aroma varieties of the classical European noble aroma hops and high yielding, high-alpha varieties. At the time, both types fully satisfied the demands of growers and brewers around the globe.
However, initiated by craft brewers worldwide, novel hop-derived aroma and flavor notes in beer started the demand for different flavored hops. The new aroma hops developed in Huell feature multifaceted floral, fruity and citrusy aroma impressions.
Today, premium hops from German growing regions benefit not only from the development of new lines of hops and strategies to control pests and disease, but also from environmentally and quality oriented hop production methods which were developed in the Hop Research Center Huell.. German hops are protected by the EU and are products of origin. German hops are displaying the EU quality labels PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) respectively PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and guarantee European high quality products.