Czech Republic: The new atlas of Czech hop varieties shows genetic relationships between hop varieties

The Hop Research Institute in Zatec with a financial support from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic published a new Atlas of Czech hop varieties, Hop-growers Union of the Czech Republic published on June 24th. Czech hop varieties are described according to their brewing characteristics: Saaz as a fine aroma variety, Sladek, Harmonie, Bor and Premiant as aroma varieties and varieties Agnus and Rubin as representatives of bitter varieties.

Each variety is presented with an overall view at the vegetation of the variety, with its origin and registration year. Further each variety is accompanied with its characteristics including agro-technical differences. Results of chemical analysis of hop resins, hop oils and hop polyphenols are part of the publication. Two innovations were integrated into the new atlas. Firstly it is the genetic DNA analysis. With the dendogram it is possible to evaluate the genetic relations to other hop varieties from the whole world. Secondly the new publication brings an evaluation of the influence of Czech hop varieties on beer bitterness.

“The Atlas was prepared for promotion of Czech hop varieties that is for breweries and merchants. We have encountered also a great interest from the education side” said Mr. Zdenek Rosa, the representative of Hop Growers Union of the Czech Republic.

The head of the hop breeding department, Mr. Vladimír Nesvadba, Ing. PhD., answered several questions:

What is drawing such a large interest in this new Atlas of Czech hop varieties?

In my opinion it is above all the genetic DNA analysis and the evaluation of the beer bitterness that increased the interest in this publication. The Atlas is prepared as a Czech/English issue and therefore there is also a large interest from abroad.

Who apart from you prepared the publication and how long did it take?

Of course there were my colleagues from the Hop Research Institute, Mr. Karel Krofta, PhD., Mr. Josef Patzak, PhD. and Mr. Jiri Kopecky, CSc. I also should not forget the technical support, especially the photo-documentation of the whole plants was very demanding as well as the analysis of hop cones. The final preparation of the publication took us three months because it was necessary to process results of chemical analysis from previous years from all hop growing localities.

When was the last publication about Czech hop varieties prepared and what awaits us in the future?

This atlas was prepared about five years after the previous publication about Czech hop varieties. We currently have two new hop varieties prepared for registration. We can say that in three, four years there will be time for a new atlas. Therefore already now we are monitoring all parameters in all perspective genotypes (possible future hop varieties) that we will need to prepare their characteristics.

27 June, 2008