Hop comparison

Saaz vs Styrian Cardinal

Saaz is an aroma hop from Czechia; Styrian Cardinal is an aroma hop from Slovenia. Alpha acids: 3–4.3% for Saaz versus 10–15% for Styrian Cardinal, so Styrian Cardinal brings noticeably more bitterness per gram. Total oil: 0.4–0.75 versus 3–4 mL/100 g. Styrian Cardinal has a clearly higher share of myrcene, the oil behind resinous, citrus and fruity notes. Saaz adds spices, herbs, grass; Styrian Cardinal, fruity (pineapple, plums, banana. Both stand out for chamomile notes, an uncommon descriptor in the catalogue.

	Saaz	Styrian Cardinal
Use	Aroma hop	Aroma hop
Origin	Czechia, Germany, Serbia	Slovenia
Year	–	–
Breeder	–	Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing, Žalec
Alpha acids (% w/w)	3–4.3	10–15
Beta acids (% w/w)	4–6	3.2–4.6
Co-humulone (% of alpha)	24–26	31–37
Total oil (mL/100 g)	0.4–0.75	3–4
Myrcene (% of oil)	25–40	40–50
Humulene (% of oil)	15–25	15–22
Caryophyllene (% of oil)	5–8	8–11
Farnesene (% of oil)	13.5–21	5–7
Linalool (% of oil)	0.4–0.8	0.6–1
Aroma families	citrus, floral, herbal, spicy, earthy and woody, sweet	citrus, tropical fruit, stone fruit, berries and red fruit, other fruit, floral, herbal, spicy, sweet
Descriptors	spices, herbs, grass, lemon	fruity (pineapple, plums, banana, caramel, black current, raspberry), citrus (orange, lime
Sources	5	1

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