Behind The Pint with the Hallertauer Hop Queen

Did you know there is a Hallertauer Hop Queen? Neither did I. When I first ran into her at the Brew Expo America trade show during the Craft Brewers Conference I thought she was just a pretty face at the German hop booth. Turns out on further investigation that not only is the Hop Queen the real deal and not just a sexy girl dressed up with a tiara and beautifully crafted hop scepter but a knowledgeable professional in the field of German hops. Each year a new Hop Queen is elected to represent their hop growing region and to act as a traveling ambassador along the lines of a more intelligent Miss America.

We met current reigning Hop Queen Veronika Springer at the Hop Growers of Germany booth showing off new varieties of hops beind developed in one of the biggest hop growing regions in the world. To be honest we had no idea Germany was doing so much with new hybrids and breeding. In addition to being able to touch and smell a few varieties they even had Victory Brewing brew a handful of beers with test varietals. Many of these beers were quite good including a Hefeweizen IPA hybrid and a Pilsner with a new kind of Hallertauer.