Hops

Hops for Regensburg come primarily from the Hallertau, the largest contiguous hop-growing region in the world, southwest of the city. According to figures from the BarthHaas Report, Germany's hop acreage grew to 18,962 hectares in 2025, with about 83 percent of that in the Hallertau.

Hops from the Hallertau have held protected geographical indication status since 2010. In the fields, tall trellises with wires let the plants climb up to six or seven meters high in early summer. Harvest comes in late summer.

For Regensburg's beers, the classic varieties matter most: Hallertauer Mittelfrüh and Tradition for fine aroma, Perle and Magnum for bitterness. The Herkules variety covered about 7,848 hectares in 2025, making it the most widely grown variety in the region.

Hops have two jobs. The alpha acids provide bitterness, which is why bittering hops are boiled for a long time. Aroma hops are added to the wort shortly before the end of the boil, so their essential oils don't evaporate.

A Helles in the Regensburg style stays deliberately restrained. At around 16 to 22 IBU, the unit of measurement for bitterness, the hops take a back seat to the malt. A Pils from the region would be noticeably more bitter.

How much hop character a beer has shows up in the finish. A bock like Kneitinger Bock needs little bitterness, because the robust malt carries the sweetness. In a Dunkel, a hop variety like Hallertauer Mittelfrüh gently balances the sweetness without pushing itself to the front. The Hallertau region is about an hour's drive from Regensburg, so the hops have a short journey to get there.