The United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has announced the release of a new aroma hop variety called USDA-ARS Vera, which has tropical, stone-fruit, and citrus characteristics.

Why It Matters

The release of Vera is more than a new hop—it’s a win for hop growers, merchants, and brewers. There has been tremendous innovation in private varieties in recent years, providing brewers with unprecedented options and flavors, and new public hops complement those innovations. As a publicly developed variety, Vera is IP-free and designed with broad industry feedback at every step. This kind of innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum: the entire hop industry helps support the USDA’s public hop breeding program. For its part, the Brewers Association has provided and advocates for federal funding, gathers sensory data, and helps ensure that new hops—like Vera—are tailored to brewer needs.

The key takeaway? When brewers come together to support public hop development, the result is a more sustainable, more accessible, and more flavorful future for the entire industry.

What’s In a Name?

The hop is named for Vera Katherine Charles, one of several female mycologists employed by the USDA in the early decades of the twentieth century, as a tribute to the significant contributions these women made to the long-term sustainability of the hop industry.

What Else Is Cool About Vera?

Vera is a diploid, female hop which resulted from a bi-parental cross made in 2011 between Brewers Gold, a wild Manitoba hop, and a powdery mildew resistant male hop of Wild American descent.

The variety initially gained interest due to its aroma profile. Vera consistently ranked highly among other experimental public hops in annual data gathering. This inspired the establishment of two small on-farm commercial trials in Washington and Idaho. The aromas—tropical, stone-fruit, and citrus—are consistent between the dry rub and final beer.

Brew with Vera: Vera is available for purchase from the Hop Research Council through the Lupulin Exchange.

Compete with Vera: The 2025 Great American Beer Festival competition will include a special one-time category featuring Vera. Brewers can enter any beer style in the category provided the hop aroma and flavor from the Vera hop variety play a leading role. Registration closes June 27.