Crystal
- Variety:
- Crystal
- Assignment:
- Aroma
- Genetic origin:
- US
- Direct substitutes:
- Cascade , Chinook , Willamette
- Creative substitutes:
- Amarillo, Lemondrop , Triple Pearl
Brief history
Crystal was developed by the USDA from a 1983 cross involving Hallertauer Mittelfrüh and Cascade-derived material and was released in 1993. It was bred as a US-grown alternative to traditional European aroma hops.
General description
Mild, floral and spicy, with a gentle herbal character and a clean, refined overall impression.
Brewing use
Well suited to late hopping in lagers, wheat beers, pale ales and other styles where a delicate, noble-like aroma is preferred.
Grow-on-Demand Programme
Our Grow-on-Demand Programme gives breweries access to American and New Zealand hop varieties that are currently produced in limited quantities in Europe.
Adapted to León
The programme is based on a nursery collection of 34 plants from European, American and New Zealand genetic backgrounds, established in León for more than five years.
Their agronomic performance has been monitored annually, providing a solid basis for assessing how each variety behaves under local growing conditions.
Production based on demand
The programme is designed to develop commercial production according to brewery requirements.
Reaching commercial scale takes approximately three years:
- Year one: propagation and establishment.
- Year two: first, limited harvest.
- Year three: larger and more stable commercial production.
This allows us to plan specific varieties in advance and adjust planted area and production volumes to expected demand.
Taking part
Interested breweries can contact us for more information. Our aim is to make difficult-to-source American and New Zealand varieties available through planned, demand-led production in León.