Spalt hops and the spicy lagers of Franconia

A hop town in Franconia

Spalt is a small town in Franconia, in northern Bavaria. It is one of Germany's historic hop-growing areas. The Spalter landrace takes its name from it. Spalter Select is a later variety bred at the Hüll research station from Spalter, with better yields and disease tolerance. Brewers often meet it under the Spalt name too.

Both are classed as noble or traditional aroma hops. Alpha acid is low, typically 3 to 5%. Cohumulone, the alpha acid fraction linked to a harsher bitterness, is also low. Brewers often link that to the smooth bitterness of noble hops, though the science on cohumulone is not settled.

What it smells and tastes like

Spalt is delicate. Tasters report spice, dried herbs, a light floral note and sometimes a hint of tea or hay. There is no tropical fruit and no resin. In a pale lager it sits close to the malt, adding a dry, peppery edge rather than a perfume.

Noble hop oil tends to be low in myrcene, the oil behind the green, resinous smell of many American hops. It carries more humulene and related compounds, which read as woody and spicy.

Franconian lagers it belongs in

Franconia brews more varieties of lager than most regions have names for. Helles, Kellerbier, Zwickel and the smoky Rauchbier of Bamberg are all at home there. Many of these beers are served unfiltered or lightly filtered from the cellar, with a bready malt body and a moderate, clean bitterness.

Spalt suits them because it supports the malt rather than competing with it. If you brew a Kellerbier, try it as the main late hop. If you want spice from outside the hop sack, our guide to saffron in beer shows how little it takes.

Dosing in a 1,000 litre lager

Low alpha makes Spalt a poor choice for the whole bitter charge. For a 1,000 litre Helles at 22 IBU, Spalt at 4.5% alpha and 25% utilisation would need 22 x 1,000 / (0.045 x 0.25 x 1,000), about 1.95 kg, in a 60 minute addition. A 15% alpha bittering hop does the same job with roughly 590 g.

Most brewers split it:

• 60 minutes: a clean, high alpha hop for around 20 IBU.
• 15 minutes: Spalt at 0.2 g per litre, 200 g in total, for about 1 IBU and flavour.
• Whirlpool at 80 °C: Spalt at 0.3 g per litre, 300 g, for aroma.

That puts roughly 500 g of Spalt in the beer. Taste a jar of the finished wort before fermentation. A noble hop that tastes grassy in wort usually calms down in the lagering tank, but one that tastes harsh will not.

Fermentation and lagering

Franconian brewers let the beer age. Ferment at 9 to 11 °C with a lager yeast. Allow a diacetyl rest at 14 to 15 °C as fermentation ends. Then lager for four to six weeks close to 0 °C. The long cold rest drops yeast and haze, softens sulphur and lets the hop character knit into the malt.

In a hot city, the pressure is to speed this up. Tanks, glycol and time cost money. Impatient brewers cut the lagering to a week. The resulting beer tastes green: a touch of sulphur, a rough hop edge and a malt that has not settled. A delicate hop like Spalt will not hide it.

Sourcing and freshness

Noble hops are grown in small quantities. Spalt volumes are small even by noble standards. Ask your supplier for the crop year and for pellet or leaf format. Store frozen. Noble hop aroma is low in intensity to begin with, so any ageing shows quickly as a dull, cheesy smell.

If you cannot get Spalt in India, ask what your importer holds with a similar character. Kazbek and Loral sit nearby in character. Our guide to hop oil chemistry explains why hops with similar oils behave alike.

Try a side by side

Split a lager wort across two fermenters. Hop one with Spalt and the other with a neutral bittering hop alone. After lagering, taste them together. The difference is small but clear: a dry spice and a fuller finish. Learning to notice it is a skill. It is also the sort of tasting we build into our advanced course.

Common questions

What does Spalt taste like?

Spice, dried herbs and a light floral note. It is gentle and supports malt rather than adding fruit or resin.

What is the alpha acid range of Spalt?

Usually around 3 to 5%, so it is used mainly for late additions, not for bittering.

Is Spalt Select the same as Spalt?

They are related. Spalter Select was bred from Spalter for better yield and disease tolerance. Both are classed as noble aroma hops with a similar profile.