Loral
BarthHaas describes it as geranium, thyme, bergamot, red currant, fresh cut grass.
- Smells like
- Floral, Herbal, Citrus, Berry, Grassy
- Bitterness
- High (9.7–15% alpha)
- In the glass
- 53 beers here
- Swap it for
- Styrian Eureka · compare them →
Brewing values
Alpha acid
9.7–15% typical 11.9
3 sources, spread of 5.3%
- Yakima Chief Ranches11.3–12.2
- BarthHaas9.7–15Range over the last 4 crop years.
- Hop Breeding Company11.3–12.2
Beta acid
4–6.5% typical 5.0
3 sources, spread of 2.5%
- Yakima Chief Ranches4–5.4
- BarthHaas4–6.5Range over the last 4 crop years.
- Hop Breeding Company4.9–5.3
Cohumulone
21–24% of alpha typical 22.5
2 sources, spread of 3% of alpha
- Yakima Chief Ranches21–24
- Hop Breeding Company21–24
Total oil
1.8–2.9 mL/100g typical 2.4
1 source, spread of 1.1 mL/100g
- Hop Breeding Company1.8–2.9
Alpha to beta runs about 2.4:1, which is what governs how fast the bitterness fades in storage.
Oil composition
- Myrcene54.8%
- Humulene33%
- Caryophyllene9.9%
- Linalool1.7%
- Geraniol0.6%
Normalised to 100% so this hop can be compared like for like. The published components sum to 68.4% of total oil in the source data.
Where it's grown
In 2025: withheld in Washington (NASS withholds a figure when it would identify a single farm).
Acres by year
| Year | Washington |
|---|---|
| 2015 | withheld |
| 2016 | withheld |
| 2017 | 186 |
| 2018 | 172 |
| 2019 | 125 |
| 2020 | 164 |
| 2021 | 197 |
| 2022 | 199 |
| 2023 | 161 |
| 2024 | 106 |
| 2025 | withheld |
Acres harvested, from the USDA NASS National Hop Report. Where America's hops grow →
Aroma
In the glass · 53 beers from 7 breweries
- Citra Slicker Wet Hop IPA Bale Breaker Brewing
- Field 41 Yakima Pale Ale Bale Breaker Brewing
- Abort the Court IPA Cloudburst Brewing
- Big Softy IPA Cloudburst Brewing
- Cool Story IPA Cloudburst Brewing
- Pattern Interrupt IPA Cloudburst Brewing
- That Funny Feeling IPA Cloudburst Brewing
- Diane Fair Isle Brewing
- Isabelle Fair Isle Brewing
- Myrtle Fair Isle Brewing
- W&L No. 033: Camillo Fair Isle Brewing
- Ales for ALS Georgetown Brewing
Brewed alongside · in 49 beers that use Loral with other hops
Counted from the hop lists of every beer in What's in the can: what Pacific Northwest brewers actually put next to Loral.
What to swap it for
Scored on aroma overlap, oil composition and acid chemistry, then nudged up where a brewer has vouched for the swap by hand. An axis we haven't measured earns nothing, so a hop known only by its acid numbers caps out around 30 — the score is how much evidence there is for the swap, not just how close the numbers happen to be. Anything under 50 is a different beer, not a substitution.
Pedigree
Parentage unrecorded.
Notes on this record
purpose defaulted to dual, unconfirmed -- was not researched individually for this bulk scaffold pass. Correct before publishing.
For brewers and data folks: this hop as JSON · the source file · where America's hops grow