Aurum & Diamant: Brewhouse Trials with Two New German Hops
Aurum Lager from Marble Brewery
In the midst of the dreary winter months, there’s something new to get excited about. New hop varieties Aurum and Diamant from Germany are coming to the US, and we asked Marble Brewery of Albuquerque, New Mexico to give them a trial run. “BSG had reached out to us to see if we would be interested in trying out some new products; Rahr North Star Pils™ first, then Aurum and Diamant hops to follow,” explained Brewmaster Josh Trujillo. “With the slowing of the world, we were able to utilize malt and hops together on the same timeline.”
Marble Brewery brewed two lagers, a single-hop lager with Aurum, and another single-hop lager with Diamant. With Aurum, Josh was expecting “…a more traditional Noble hop profile; Tea, spicy, soft bitterness, mild fruit.” Upon receiving the hops, Aurum delivered with the spicy, herbal notes with mild fruit when they were rubbed from the bag. “Upon brewing with Aurum, our initial sensory evaluation did translate very well to the finished product as we had expected,” Josh said. “Definitely suited for more traditional type Lagers ranging from Pilsner to Dunkel to Schwarzbier, and even a Saison or Brett spiked Farmhouse ale perhaps.” Josh went on to describe some of his favorite Aurum characteristics. “We really liked the soft, low alpha type bitterness of this variety, it did not have any kind of bite or harsh linger. Along with the more traditional profile expected from a German hop.” The Aurum Lager was such a hit at their 3 taproom locations that it’s already sold out!
Luckily for craft beer fans, Marble’s Diamant Lager is still available. When it came to Diamant, Josh expected a more fruit forward profile, with hints of the traditional floral/herbal characteristics. Once he got them, he discovered that when raw, Diamant had “a nice balance of all the traditional qualities expected in a German variety (Spicy, Herbal, Floral) but also had an unmistakable fruitiness amongst the traditional profile.” Once they brewed with the Diamant, Josh explained how “a candied-citrus note really moved up front, both in aroma and flavor.”
“With Diamant, the balance of floral and citrus offered a nice contrast to the herbal/spicy characters expected in a German variety,” Josh said.
In all, the Brewmaster gives the two varieties a hoppy green light. “It’s always hard to decide whether a new product would suit your brewing style from a data sheet or other brewer’s feedback, so we like to go for it and try new stuff out in our own setting. After brewing with the Aurum and Diamant, I would certainly recommend using either of these hops for a wide range of brews.”
To try these rising star German hops yourself, contact your BSG sales manager, and check out the BSG website for more information about Aurum and Diamant. Happy brewing!