Hops

Which hops go into Budweiser beer? Budějovický Budvar names Saaz hops as its variety and states it uses whole cones. The hops, however, don't grow in South Bohemia but around Žatec in northwestern Bohemia, known in German as Saaz.

Žatecký chmel has been registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since 2007. The classic variety is called Žatecký poloraný červeňák, known in German as Saazer Halbfrüher (Saaz Semi-Early Red). It's associated with the finest hop bitterness known in pale lager. The name of the growing region is thus protected just as strictly as the names of the Budweiser beers.

Cones are the dried flower clusters of the hop plant. Most breweries today use pressed pellets, since they're easier to store and dose. Whole cones are considered gentler on the brew but more laborious to work with, since they soak up wort during boiling and take up more space in the kettle.

Saaz hops differ from the more robust hops grown in America. They bring little fruit and plenty of spice: herbs, hay, a light floral note, paired with a bitterness that stays fine and doesn't linger. For Czech lager, style guidelines list values of roughly 30 to 45 bitterness units (IBU).

The town brewery Samson and the Platan brewery in Protivín also follow this restrained, Bohemian hop profile. Readers wanting the full detail on hop varieties can find it in the Saaz region chapter. Here it's enough to know that bitterness in Budweiser beers tends to whisper rather than shout.