Santiam

Hop Variety

Santiam

Origin

US

Alpha Acid %

5 – 8%

Beta Acid %

5 – 7%

Background

Santiam is a US hop bred in Oregon in 1988 and released by the USDA’s hop breeding program in 1997. It’s bred from Tettnanger, Hallertauer Mittelfruh and Cascade hop varieties as a European style aroma hop. Santiam is a triploid variety of hop meaning it is nearly seedless even in the presence of male pollinators.

Santiam is an often overlooked hop despite having pleasant brewing qualities very similar to noble hops such as Tettnang. In the US the quality of Santiam hops is actually better than that of actual Tettnang hops grown in the US which bear closer resemblance to Fuggle in terms of aroma and flavour character.

Brewing Attributes

As you are probably aware by now the Santiam hops  brewing qualities are very similar to that of the German noble hop Tettnang. Being primarily an aroma variety the characteristics of Santiam are floral and spicy notes with a hint of pepper the oil composition and ratios are very similar to the previously mentioned Tettnang which make this a good choice for US brewers who are trying to achieve noble hop characteristics in their beers using native hops.

Possible Substitutions

German variety noble hops are good substitutes and as you might of guessed Tettnang is the closest match in terms of essential oils and flavour compounds so this is the closest option. It may be best to choose Santiam over US grown Tettnang hops if you are looking for a noble hop aroma for your beer.

Commercial Examples

Commercial examples of the hop being used are hard to come by, there have been several breweries that have made single hop beers as a special but they are unavailable currently. If you know of a beer that uses them, drop a comment.