Contessa hops are a cross between Fuggle and Cascade and are known for their aromatic qualities, including notes of green tea, floral, and light pear. The name Contessa reflects the hop’s nobility and ability to add a unique flavor to various beer styles. They are commonly used as a bittering hop and are perfect for lagers, pilsners, and lighter ales.
With a relatively low alpha-acid content and high beta-acid content, they deliver a smooth and delicate bitterness with an elegant fragrance. Contessa is a U.S. cultivated hop variety that is disease resistant and grown under stable conditions in the Pacific Northwest.
Usage: | Bittering |
Country of Origin: | United States |
Hop Growers Code: | 04190 |
Where To Buy Contessa Hops
Contessa Flavor And Aroma
Contessa is a bittering hop that is often described to have the following aroma characteristics:
herbal
floral
berry
Contessa Hop Oil Breakdown
Hop oils can vary from year to year and farm to farm but based on our research, here are the typical values we have seen reported. This information comes from various hop farms, The Hop Aroma Compendium, and For The Love Of Hops.
Alpha Acid % (AA) Alpha acids are what is isomerized when boiling to create bitterness in beer. | 3% – 5% |
Beta Acid % Beta acids are what give hops their more aroma and flavor compounds. | 5% – 7.4% |
Alpha-Beta Ratio This ratio of alpha acids to beta acids determines how quickly bitterness fades during aging. Lower ratios are common for aromatic varieties. | 0:1 – 1:1 |
Co-Humulone as a % of Alpha Higher numbers are said to impart a harsher bitterness. | 29% – 32% |
Total Oils (mL/100g) With more total oils, typically comes a more complex hop profile but these are highly volatile compounds. | 0.8mL – 1.9mL |
Myrcene green, resinous | Data Not Available |
Humulene woody, piney | Data Not Available |
Caryophyllene woody | Data Not Available |
Farnesene floral | Data Not Available |
Other Oils: Includes beta-ionine, beta-pinene, limonene, linalool, geranoil & selinene | Data Not Available |
Hop Storage Index (HSI) The HSI indicates the percent of alpha and beta acids lost after 6 months of storage at room temperature (68°F or 20°C). | Data Not Available |
Hop Storage Index (HSI) Rating | Data Not Available |
Contessa Hop Substitutions
Replacing one hop for another is seldom straightforward but sometimes you don’t have the right hop or the right quantity of hops for the beer you want to make. For those situations, we have made a comprehensive list of hops to substitute on brew day.
These substitutions aren’t perfect as hop chemistry is pretty complex.
We wanted to make this list of substitutions with varietals that are easy to find when possible. For Contessa, we recommend substituting with the following hops:
Beer Styles
For the most part, any hop could have a place in just about any beer style. Based on popular beers, historical usage, and our own preferences, we would recommend using Contessa for IPA, New England IPA, Pale Ale, Wheat Beer, Golden Ale. That being said, experiment and see what works best for you.
References
https://www.hopslist.com/
https://www.ars.usda.gov/
https://www.brewersassociation.org/
https://www.barthhaasx.com/
https://www.yakimachief.com/
Hieronymus, Stan. For The Love of Hops. Brewers Publications, 2012
The Hop Aroma Compendium. 2012