Umbel hops
Why are hops so perfectly suited to be used for brewing beer? The answer lies in the fact that the hop plant, Latin: humulus lupulus, is rich in resins and oils, which are responsible for the bitterness and aroma of a beer and also for its beneficial qualities.
Botanically seen, hop belongs to the family of hemp plants. It is a climbing plant that is cultivated in hop gardens. It can grow to a height of approximately 23 feet, with no more than three hop bines being trained up a supporting wire – this allows them to fully grow and bear plenty of flower cones.
During harvest time, the cones are picked and dried and then pressed into stacks. The flower, or hop cone, contains resin, which is used as a bittering agent, and oils, which lend the beer its typical hop aroma.
Basically, there are two different kinds of hops: bittering hops, which are very rich in resin, and aroma hops, which are oilier and have a fine, distinctive hop aroma.
We at the UERIGE only use the finest aroma hops, which are carefully hand-selected after harvesting. This means that our baas, Michael Schnitzler, personally travels to the harvest regions to view and feel the quality of the hops and ensure that they answer the high standards set by the UERIGE.
The most famous hops-growing region in Germany, where we obtain our hops, is the Hallertau, situated between Munich, Ingolstadt and Regensburg in the south of Germany.
Another renowned region for growing hops lies to the southwest of Nuremberg, in the Spalt region. This is where the UERIGE obtains a large part of its highly aromatic hops.
Of course, all the hops we use are left in their natural state, in the form of umbel hops. We strictly disapprove of using pellets, extracts and other convenience products.