Hop
Agnus
A Czech high-alpha variety bred to give Bohemian brewers a domestic bittering hop.
Czech brewing historically imported its bittering hops or used Saaz at high rates, neither of which is efficient. Agnus was bred at Žatec to solve that, with the alpha of a modern bittering hop and enough Czech character to sit in the same beer as Saaz.
It is the most useful demonstration that Czech hop breeding did not stop with Saaz.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 9–13% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | bittering |
| Origin | Czechia |
| Storage stability | unknown |
How it is used
- Bittering (early boil). Added at or near the start of the boil, where long exposure isomerises alpha acids into bitterness and drives off aroma.
If you like Agnus
Hops with comparable character. Similarity and substitutability are different questions, so each entry says which it is: a hop can smell alike and still change the beer if its alpha acid is far off.
Target 10–13% alpha
Shares noble spice, herbal, earth and wood with Agnus; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: nothing in the recorded profile separates the two, which means BeerHQ cannot tell you how they differ rather than that they are interchangeable.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Vital 14–18% alpha
Shares noble spice, herbal, earth and wood with Agnus; a bittering variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: 5 points higher in alpha acid, so a like-for-like weight swap would change the bitterness.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Green Bullet 11–14% alpha
Shares noble spice, earth and wood with Agnus; a bittering variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: lacks the herbal of Agnus.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Pilgrim 9–13% alpha
Shares noble spice, earth and wood with Agnus; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Agnus does not; lacks the herbal of Agnus.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Pride of Ringwood 7–11% alpha
Shares herbal, earth and wood with Agnus; a bittering variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: lacks the noble spice of Agnus.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Straight substitutes
Close enough in both character and alpha acid to swap at a similar weight. Substitution is directional and imperfect — these are the nearest available options, not equivalents.
- Target — Shares noble spice, herbal, earth and wood with Agnus; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Green Bullet — Shares noble spice, earth and wood with Agnus; a bittering variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Pilgrim — Shares noble spice, earth and wood with Agnus; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Phoenix — Shares noble spice, earth and wood with Agnus; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.