Sladek hops have their origins as a cross between Saaz and Northern Brewer, first registered as VUCH 71 in 1987 and renamed Sladek in 1994. This high-yielding aroma variety is named after the Czech word for brewer and features a balanced aroma profile and bitterness.
Sladek hops’ flavor and aroma profile are a combination of floral, fruity, and spicy notes. The fruity flavors include essences of peach, passionfruit, grapefruit, and red berries like cassis, currant, and strawberry. At the same time, vegetal notes of dill and overtones of coffee can also be detected.
Sladek hops can be used for brewing various beer styles, including Pilsners, Lagers, Czech-style Pale Ales, Belgian Ales, and Saisons.
| Usage: | Aroma |
| Country of Origin: | Czech Replublic |
| Hop Growers Code: | SLD VUCH-71 |
Where To Buy Sladek Hops
Sladek Flavor And Aroma
Sladek is an aroma hop that is often described to have the following aroma characteristics:
floral
spicy
stone fruit
Sladek 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. | 4.5% – 8% |
| Beta Acid % Beta acids are what give hops their more aroma and flavor compounds. | 4% – 7% |
| 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 – 2:1 |
| Co-Humulone as a % of Alpha Higher numbers are said to impart a harsher bitterness. | 23% – 30% |
| Total Oils (mL/100g) With more total oils, typically comes a more complex hop profile but these are highly volatile compounds. | 1.0mL – 2.0mL |
| Myrcene green, resinous | 35% – 50% |
| Humulene woody, piney | 20% – 40% |
| Caryophyllene woody | 9% – 14% |
| Farnesene floral | 0% – 1% |
| Other Oils: Includes beta-ionine, beta-pinene, limonene, linalool, geranoil & selinene | 0% – 36% |
| 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 |
Sladek 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 Sladek, 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 Sladek 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
