Saaz is a "noble" variety of hops. It was named after the Czech town of Žatec (German: Saaz). This hop is used extensively in Bohemia to flavor beer as the Czech pilsner.
Saaz hops accounted for more than +2⁄3 of total 2009 hop production in the Czech Republic.[1] It is the main hop variety used in the production of global beer Stella Artois, a Belgian pilsner.
Saaz has a distinctive flavour. When used in beer, the resultant aroma is very mild, earthy, herbal and spicy. Despite its popularity and noble pedigree, Saaz generally has a very low Alpha acid level and is not very effective as a bittering hop. This hop is generally used for Bohemian style lagers and pilseners.[2]
Another variety of Saaz hops has been propagated in the United States of America. The US variety has a higher Alpha acid content than the original Czech variety.[3]
| Property | Czech variety[3] | US variety[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Yield (kg/ha) | 800–1,200 | N/A |
| Alpha acids (%) | 2.5–4.0 | 6.3–7.0[5] |
| Beta acids (%) | 4.6–6.0 | N/A |
| Alpha/beta ratio | 0.6–0.9 | N/A |
| Cohumulone (% of alpha acids): | 23–26 | N/A |
| Colupulone (% of alpha acids): | 39–43 | N/A |
| Total oils (mls. per 100 grams dried hops) | 0.4–1.0 | 0.6 |
| Myrcene (as % of total oils) | 25–40 | 37 |
| Linalool (as % of total oils) | 0.4–0.8 | N/A |
| Caryophyllene (as % of total oils) | 6–9 | 7 |
| Humulene (as % of total oils) | 15–25 | 23 |
| Farnesene (as % of total oils) | 14–20 | N/A |
| Selinenes (as % of total oils) | 0.5–1.5 | N/A |
| Possible substitutions | Centennial, Amarillo, Motueka, Stirling, Summer | |
