Hops

No hops grow in the fields around Bremen — they travel in. According to Beck's, the brand's hops come from the Hallertau region in Bavaria, considered the largest contiguous hop-growing area in the world. By the time brewing begins, the hops have already made quite a journey.

Hops keep beer stable and give it bitterness. Their resins, the alpha acids, provide the bitterness measured in International Bitterness Units, or IBU. By style guidelines, a German pilsner falls between 22 and 40 IBU, making it noticeably more bitter than a Helles, which sits between 16 and 22.

This difference is at the heart of Bremen's pilsner. Taste a clean, dry finish with a fine lingering edge from a Bremen beer, and what you're tasting is hop bitterness that doesn't cling to the palate. The aroma — floral, herbal, or hay-like notes — stays restrained by comparison.

To achieve both qualities, hops are usually added separately: a bittering variety early in the boil, an aroma variety late. The longer hops boil, the more bitterness they release and the less aroma remains. Bremen's breweries don't specify exact varieties, but Hallertau origin is treated as a hallmark of the brand.

Fresh hops smell more intense than old ones. That's why, after harvest, they're typically pressed into pellets or processed into extract and stored cool and airtight before Haake-Beck or Beck's puts them to use. Raw materials came in via the Weser and the road, and the finished beer went back out the same way.