The Hop Breeding Company Introduces New Sabro Hop

YAKIMA, WASHINGTON, April 23, 2018 – The Hop Breeding Company (HBC), a joint venture between John I. Haas, Inc. and Select Botanicals Group LLC, is excited to announce the release of the new proprietary hop Sabro™ brand HBC 438.  Sabro is an intensely unique hop, notable for its complexity of fruity and citrus flavors, including distinct tangerine, coconut, tropical fruit, and stone fruit flavors, with hints of cedar, mint, and cream.

Sabro is a strongly expressive hop that translates its flavor incredibly well into beer, according to Virgil McDonald, Brewmaster at the Haas Innovations Brewery.  “It gives a robust brewing performance with a versatility that lends itself to many styles, particularly hop-forward beers.”

Sabro’s exceptional flavor profile has its roots in its H. lupulus var. neomexicanus heritage.  Indigenous to the American Southwest, the neomexicanus “wild hops” can be difficult to breed.  However, HBC’s advanced breeding program, led by breeders Jason Perrault of Select Botanicals Group and Michael Ferguson of John I. Haas, successfully harnessed the properties of theneomexicanus heritage to create this new hop variety with an incredibly unique aroma and flavor profile.

“Sabro HBC 438 is the culmination of a two-decade-long breeding effort aimed at combining the uniqueness of neomexicanus genetics into a background with good agronomics and exceptional brewing qualities,” says Perrault.  “It was a long process, but the results speak for themselves.”

Alex Barth, CEO of John I. Haas, agrees, “Aside from its wonderfully complex and unique flavor profile, we also love the fact that this new hop is more genetically diverse.  If part of your heritage includes the desert and mountain environments of the Southwestern US, you have a strong survival spirit in your genes – the essence of sustainability.”

Sabro joins other HBC proprietary varieties Citra® brand HBC 394, Mosaic® brand HBC 369, Ekuanot™ brand HBC 366, and Loral® brand HBC 291.  Mike Smith of Loftus Ranches and Select Botanicals Group says, “Together, Citra and Mosaic comprise almost 15% of hop acreage in the US.  Brewers love using these hops for their consistency, high quality, and distinct flavor profiles.  We at the HBC truly believe that Sabro will quickly become another brewer favorite, from the smallest local brewpubs to the large national brands.”

Beers brewed with Sabro can be sampled at the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville next week, at both the John I. Haas booth #1112 and the Yakima Chief-Hopunion booth #824.  For additional information, contact your Haas or YCH sales representative or email info@hopbreeding.com.

The Hop Breeding Company is a joint venture between John I. Haas, Inc. and Select Botanicals Group, with the mission to develop pest-resistant and disease-resistant hop varieties with strong commercial qualities.  In addition to their commercialized brands Citra, Mosaic, Ekuanot, Loral, and the newly-released Sabro, the HBC is continually breeding new and exciting experimental hop varieties for brewers to test and provide feedback on.  For more information, visit www.hopbreeding.com or email info@hopbreeding.com.