Hop breeding

In comparison with other crops, it is typical of hop growing that 99 % of hops are planted with Slovenian varieties that have been bred at the Slovenian Institute for Hop Research and Brewing. In the development of new varieties, it is necessary to follow new trends in quality parameters of aromatic and bitter hops, the emergence of new diseases and to climate change.

There are so far 17 Slovenian hop varieties, in addition to autochtonus Savinjski Golding. Two new varieties – Styrian Wolf and Styrian Cardinal – were released in the spring of 2016. They are characterized by a different, less hoppy and more fruity – floral aroma, which is very interesting for various types of beer with a distinctive aroma and flavour. There are still 6 breeding lines in the registration procedure. All new varieties are already in production.

In the Committee of Hop Technology and Breeding, hop farmers, hop traders and experts cooperate to achieve common goals, because everyone is aware that only through the participation of users can the results be directly applied.

Because of the need for the development of new methodologies related to hop breeding, professional work is complemented by various research projects.

Hop variety catalogues