Overview on Mapuche, Traful and Nahuel, local hop varieties cultivated in Patagonia, Argentina

TESTA H; TROCHINE A; BERGAMINI H

Alsace

Congreso; Internactional Hop Growers Convention IHGC; 2019

Scientific-Technical Commission, I.H.G.C.

The hop industry in Argentina was born at the end of the 1940s. In the 1980s, Quilmes Brewing and Malting Company started its own hop breeding program with the aim of developing new varieties adapted to the local agro-climatic environment, and obtaining better yields. As a result, in the 90s, Mapuche and Traful varieties were registered, and another cultivar was registered under the name of Nahuel in 2018. Due to the greater demand from craft breweries interested in hops with different aroma profiles, in the last 10 years these varieties are having an increasing growing area, with better-known yields. Nahuel stands out for its high yield, while Traful has the lowest. The Mapuche variety achieves average yields around 1,800 Kg/Ha and shows a higher total oil content compared to the other two cultivars. The three varieties provide an acceptable bitterness quality in beer despite the high cohumulone ratio relative to total humulone. Regarding the sensory evaluations of each variety, the most studied is Mapuche, which has a citrus and slightly floral aroma profile. None of the three varieties could be considered as a flavour hop, and even though they do not have an exciting fruity profile, they have unique characteristics which support their growing demand. Hop production in Argentina should probably rely upon local varieties, properly adapted to the particular environment and to the relatively low latitude. Hop breeding efforts are necessary in the country to promote the development of not only higher yielding varieties but also diverse flavour profiles in order to respond to local craft market requirements.