Hop comparison

Saaz vs XJA2/436

Saaz is an aroma hop from Czechia; XJA2/436 is a hop variety from South Africa. Alpha acids: 3–4.3% for Saaz versus 11.5–15.4% for XJA2/436, so XJA2/436 brings noticeably more bitterness per gram. Total oil: 0.4–0.75 versus 1.1–1.7 mL/100 g. Saaz adds spices, herbs, grass; XJA2/436, bergamot citrus, dried lemon zest, candied papaya. Both stand out for bergamot notes, an uncommon descriptor in the catalogue.

	Saaz	XJA2/436
Use	Aroma hop	Hop variety
Origin	Czechia, Germany, Serbia	South Africa
Year	–	–
Breeder	–	–
Alpha acids (% w/w)	3–4.3	11.5–15.4
Beta acids (% w/w)	4–6	5–6
Co-humulone (% of alpha)	24–26	28–29
Total oil (mL/100 g)	0.4–0.75	1.1–1.7
Myrcene (% of oil)	25–40	19–34
Humulene (% of oil)	15–25	21–35
Caryophyllene (% of oil)	5–8	10–13
Farnesene (% of oil)	13.5–21	4–18
Linalool (% of oil)	0.4–0.8	0.4–1.3
Aroma families	citrus, floral, herbal, spicy, earthy and woody, sweet	citrus, tropical fruit, other fruit, resinous
Descriptors	spices, herbs, grass, lemon	bergamot citrus, dried lemon zest, candied papaya, ripe cantaloupe, gooseberries, resin
Sources	5	1

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