Do you know your hops oils?

Lots of brewers and craft brewers use the basic alpha and beta acid oils when It's time to spice up their beer. That said, are you familiar with the most important components of the green flowers and what they bring to your beer?

Hops, (houblon in French), have been used spices in be for over beer for over 2000+ years. They also help controlling bacteria infections and much more. 

There are over 500 flavours and many different essential oils in every varieties.

 Let's have a look at the 6 most important oils. 

1- Myrcene. Myrcene or B-myrcene are responsible for the resinous, citrus and fruity flavours. You can think of the Amarillo, Citrahops, Hydrahops, mostly Canadian, American, Australian and the New Zealand cultivar. They can contain 55 to 65% of Myrcene and usually great for the popular IPA and NEIPA.

2- Humulene exibits mostly woody, and spicy flavors. Noble hops such as; Saaz hops, Tettnang, Spaltz and Hallertau, usually contain lots of that oil.

Our Crystal, MT Hood, our proprietary as well as our wild Canadian hop EXPQ24 also contain high humulene.

Those plants with high Humulene are usually used in Czech pilsner, Czech lagers, saison, belgian style and pale ales. 

3- Caryophyllene. Woody, Peppery, herbal. 

The noble plants also showcase these attributes as well as EKG (East Kent Golding), Golding Hops, and our new proprietary; Aztec hops, Fuggle, MT Hood and Triple Pearl

4- Farnesen oil. The fresh, green and mostly floral oil. 

Cascade, EXP24Q, Limonadier, our indigenous Riel and Willamette, are all high in Farnesen oil. They grow on our main Hopfarm: La Houblonnière Double LL Farm. 

5- LINALOOL

It is a sedative oil, an active component very well used in different products. It is extracted from different plants, including ours. Linalool is very volatile and It is also an antimicrobial agent. 

All our 5 proprietary hops (Aztec, Bergamot, Emerald Spire, Hydra, Mackinac hops, contain lots of Linalool. Otherwise, Columbus and Opal houblon also hold lots of Linalool.

6- Finally, the Geraniol.

Geraniol exibits aromas of Rose, geraniums, and flowers.

Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Mosaic hops, Motueka as well as our 5 proprietary hops contain 1.00% + Geraniol

Some important oils are very volatile and will evaporate during the boilling process. This is why brewers will often add them during the whirlpool (at under 80 Celcius) or for a DDH (Dry Hops).

Aroma Hops and Bittering Hops 

Brewmasters usually add their bittering agents at the beginning of the boil while the aromatic flowers are added, at the end the boiling process.

Lately, we've seen brewers playing around timing of when adding the hops. To extract as much aromas as possible, they totally skip the boiling process, and add their aromatic ingredients, during the whirlpool or only in DDH (Dry Hopping)   

Hop Growers for the craft beer industry

In the United States the Pacific Northwest tends to focus on cultivar with high alpha acid, and myrcene content. Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic and Germany hop farms, the hop producer are focused on woody and spices flavours that they get from the NobleHops.

At Duke25, our Canadian hops production range from many different cultivars. Some having high myrcene, humulene and linalool others showcasing woody, spicy and floral flavours from the other oils.

We are at the perfect parallel in North America to grow many different species. Our hops grow nice and quick during the summer and produces surprisingly big hop cones.

Let's now take a look at the oil content of the cultivars we grow at our farm!

In the High Myrcene content with offer: 

Aztec, Bergamot, Cascade, Centennial, Hydra (the most with 53.68%), Opal and Riel. 

Which as mentionned above, have lots of Citrusy, resinous and fruity flavours.

For the Linalool oils (the sedative and anti bacteria oil) we have: 

Aztec, Bergamot, Crystal, Emerald Spire, Mackinac and opal

The Following score the most in Caryophyllene or Beta-Caryophyllene oils: 

Aztec, Cascade, Chinook, Fuggle, Mackinac, Hydra, Mt Hood, Saaz and Tettnang. 

Aromas of Wood, Spices, Cloves, and Pepper

Now the Farnesen oil: 

Cascade, EXP24Q, Limonadier, Riel, Willamette

Fruity, Fresh, Green, Sweet and Floral

Humulene (responsable for the Woody and Spicy aromas): 

Bergamot, Cascade, Crystal, Fuggle, Magnum, Mt Hood, and Willamette

We find high Geranole oil content in the following:

Aztec, Bergamot, Centennial, Emerald Spire, and Mackinac

Geraniol contains floral, sweet rose alike aromas

 

 

In the last few years, we've seen the total oils going up. We've been impressed with the proficiency of our exclusive varieties, created by the Great Lakes hops). As you can see on our specs sheets, they are showing a massive potentiel for the ever growing beer styles in the craft industry.    

We've had many many beers brewed with our hops and much more to come in 2025. Take a look at our list! 

Cheers 🍻 🍻

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Bitterness and Aromas

 

The resins and alpha-acids found inside hop pellets are accountable for making beer bitter, while the essential oils contribute many of the flavour and aroma characteristics that we, and the craft beer industry love so much. If you drink an IPA with a citrus or pine aroma, you can thank the hop oils for delivering those wonderful sensations. That is also what motivated us, here at Duke 25 Hops to start growing hops.

• Myrcene – Myrcene is the most prevalent hop oil found in many hop varieties, often comprising 50% or more of the total oils in the hop cone. Myrcene is commonly associated with floral or citrus aromas in beer. Comet and Cashmere Hops are good examples of varieties with very high myrcene content.
• Humulene – Humulene is the second most common oil, though in some cases it may be in greater quantity than myrcene. It contributes woody, spicy, and herbal characteristics, and tends to withstand high temperature better than myrcene. Many of the European and noble varieties exhibit higher levels of humulene. Some humulene-dominant examples of hops include Mt Hood and Saaz.
• Caryophyllene– Though usually lower in quantity than myrcene and humulene, It has a distinctive woody and herbal aroma, and often contributes an herbal character to beer. Golding and Triple Perle hops often have higher levels of caryophyllene oil.
• Farnesene – Farnesene usually represents less than 1% of the oils in the "houblon", though may be as high as 10% or more of the total oil content. But just because it is lower in quantity, doesn’t make it any less potent than the other oils. Farnese usually contributes a woody or herbal character. It is seen in Saaz, and Tettnang.

What is hop oil?

Hops humulus lupulus oil (also known as hop essential oil) is derived from the hop cones, or flowers, of the hop plant, much the way lavender essential oil is derived from lavender flowers. These essential oils generate the familiar aroma and taste related to the hoppy characteristics of beer.

Because these oils are derived from the whole hop cones, they represent the unique and complex combination of chemicals (known as terpenes) that produce the distinct waves of scent for that type of hops.

For example, when Cascade Hops is described as “citrus, spicy and floral” that is the aroma of the hop essential oils, or “total hop oil”, for this variety. Each one of those dominant scents is created by one or more specific hop terpenes found in the Duke25 Cascade plant. These terpenes interact with one another creating the nuanced lemon/lime aroma for Cascade.

 The term “total oil” reflects the amount of essential oil present in a given hop variety. This may range from 0.5 to 4% of the hop cone. Total oil content can be impacted by hop variety, growing location, and other factors. The higher the total oil value, the more aroma potential the variety has.

However, just knowing the amount of total oil alone does not tell you what the dominant scent or flavour of that hop variety will be. To understand what to expect from a specific hop, you need to know which aromas are dominant in the variety. 

In the past, this scent description work was done primarily by people with sensitive noses and a gift for describing aromas. Today, thanks in a large part to the advancements made with cannabis, hop aromas can now be described by their terpene content. 

By knowing which terpenes dominate in the total oil, you can make better choices on how and when to add that hops to your brew and create the American pale ales or hop-forward beer or any beer styles you’ve been chasing.

Health Benefits of The Oil

Reduces Pain

One of the most common applications of hops essential oil is an an analgesic substance. Hops essential oil can provide general sedative qualities, which is why people who suffer from chronic pain of all varieties have turned to hops essential oil in the past. For Its sedative qualities, hops essential oils is commonly used by people suffering from anxiety and mood swings, as it can help to settle stormy minds and calm the body.

Treats Insomnia

Those same sedative qualities make hops essential oil the perfect addition to a treatment for insomnia or sleeplessness. Hops essential oil can be diffused while sleeping and enhance the depth and quality of your slumber so you wake feeling refreshed and energized. 

Reduces Menstrual Cramps

For women, hops essential oil has been linked to a reduction in menstrual pain and cramping, which can be quite severe. Again, the sedative qualities that loosen the muscles and reduce pain are the main reason for this useful application of the essential oil. 

Improves Sexual Performance

For generations, hops essential oil has been used by men to enhance their sexual performance, and more particularly, to extend it. This is a common treatment for premature ejaculation, as it soothes the body and makes certain vital elements less sensitive to sexual stimulation. 

Reduces Respiratory Issues

While inflammation and irritation are the most common reasons for breathing distress, using aromatherapy with hops essential oil can help to soothe those irritated parts of your respiratory tract as well as reduce inflammation. 

Skin Care

Similarly, hops essential oil or hop pellets are known as a natural remedy for psoriasis and skin irritation. The calming nature of hops essential oil functions as an anti-inflammatory and antiviral agent to protect your skin from any possible infections or irritants. 

Hair Care

When used in combination with other natural oils on the hair, hops oils can improve the look and strength of the hair. Thanks to its potent volatile components that interact with hair follicles and natural oils to improve the appearance and health of your hair. 

Eliminates Headaches

Perhaps the most important and effective application of hops essential oil is for tension and headaches. The relaxing effects of hops flowers can loosen even the tightest muscles in your shoulders and neck, while also easing your anxiety and calming your mind.

Hops oil is most often used as a source for pain relief. There is plenty of shops but the best place is to go is your local hop farm to find the best quality hops for sale.

A Final Word of Warning

One of the important warnings for this oil is not to use it if you are already suffering from deep depression. The sedative quality can often exacerbate that mood and emotional direction, which could be dangerous. Furthermore, as this volatile compound is unusually strong for an essential oil, be wary of using hops essential oil if your skin is particularly sensitive or prone to breakouts.

Written on Feb 23rd by Duke25 Hops

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