Saaz is a "noble" variety of hops

Hops

Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...

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It was named after the Czech city of Žatec

Žatec

Žatec is an old town in the Czech Republic, in Louny District, Ústí nad Labem Region. It has a population of 19,813 .The earliest historical reference to Sacz is in the Latin chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg of 1004. During the 11th century it belonged to the Vršovci - a powerful Czech...

 . This hop is used extensively in Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

 to flavor beer styles such as the Czech pilsener

Pilsener

Pilsner is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the city of Pilsen , Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic, where it has been developed since 1842, when a bottom-fermented beer was first produced. The original Pilsner Urquell beer is produced there today.-Origin:Until the mid-1840s, most ...

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Saaz hops accounted for more than 2/3 of total 2009 hop production in the Czech Republic.

Characteristics

Saaz has a very distinctive flavour. When used in beer, the resultant aroma is very mild, earthy, herbal and spicy. Despite its popularity and noble pedigree, Saaz generally has a very low Alpha Acid level and is not very effective as a bittering hop. This hop is generally used for Bohemian style lagers and Pilseners.

Czech/US Varieties

Another variety of Saaz hops has been propagated in the United States of America. The US variety has a higher Alpha Acid content than the original Czech variety.

Acid and Oil Breakdown

Property	Czech Variety	US Variety
Yield (Kg/Ha)	800 - 1200	N/A
Alpha acids (%)	2.5 – 4.0	6.3 – 7.0
Beta acids (%)	4.6 – 6.0	N/A
Alpha/Beta Ratio	0.6 – 0.9	N/A
Cohumulone (% of alpha acids):	23 – 26	N/A
Colupulone (% of alpha acids):	39 – 43	N/A
Total Oils (Mls. per 100 grams dried hops)	0.4 – 1.0	0.6
Myrcene (as % of total oils)	25 - 40	37
Linalool (as % of total oils)	0.4 - 0.8	N/A
Caryophyllene (as % of total oils)	6 - 9	7
Humulene (as % of total oils)	15 - 25	23
Farnesene (as % of total oils)	14 - 20	N/A
Selinenes (as % of total oils)	0.5 - 1.5	N/A
Possible Substitutions	Centennial, Amarillo

Beers that use Saaz hops

• Pilsner Urquell
  Pilsner Urquell
  Plzeňský Prazdroj , known better by its German name Pilsner Urquell , is a bottom-fermented beer produced since 1842 in Pilsen, part of today's Czech Republic. Pilsner Urquell was the first pilsner beer in the world...
  
  
• Bell's Oberon
  Bell's Brewery
  Bell's Brewery, Inc. is a brewery located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently brewed in Comstock, Michigan. Bell's Brewery produces the Bell's brand of beers. Bell's also has a brewpub called the Eccentric Cafe which serves their beer and food....
  
  
• Hansa Pilsener
  South African Breweries
  The South African Breweries , then called Castle Breweries, was founded in 1895 specifically to serve a new market of miners and prospectors in and around Johannesburg. Two years later, it became the first industrial company to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange...
  
  
• Baderbräu
  Baderbräu
  Baderbräu was a Czech-style pilsener beer brewed in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst, Illinois from 1988 to 2002, first by the Pavichevich Brewing Company and then by Goose Island Brewery . At its height, Pavichevich Brewing brewed over 14,000 barrels of Baderbräu annually...
  
  
• Rogue Dead Guy Ale
• Jacobsen Saaz Blonde
  Jacobsen (beer)
  Jacobsen is an upscale brand of specialty beers owned by Carlsberg. Named after Carlsberg's founder, J.C. Jacobsen, it is housed in the original Carlsberg brewery in Valby in Copenhagen, Denmark and is currently headed by brewmaster Morten Ibsen.- History :...
  
  
• Club Pilsener