EN Official Journal of the European Union C 345/24

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2013/C 345/12

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

‘ELBE-SAALE HOPFEN’

EC No: DE-PGI-0005-01071-13.12.2012

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Elbe-Saale Hopfen’

2. Member State or Third Country

Germany

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.8. Other products covered by Annex I (spices, etc.)

3.2. Description of product to which the name in point 1 applies

Botanical features:

The hop (Humulus lupulus L.) belongs to the same family as hemp (Cannabaceae) and to the order Urticales (nettles). It is a perennial, dioecious plant, i.e. only male or female inflorescences grow on one plant. Only the female plants are relevant for the actual cultivation of hops, as only they can produce hop cones (strobili). Hop cones consist of a strig, bracteoles and bracts. Tiny yellow sacs can be found at the base of the bracteoles. These sacs are glands which contain hop powder (lupulin) which is vital for the brewing industry.

Products:

The protection under Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 being applied for in respect of the name of the hop plant from the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region applies only to dried female hop cones and the products obtained by processing them, i.e. type 90 and type 45 hop pellets and CO2 and ethanol hop extracts. The raw hops are processed further with a view to:

— reduced transport and storage costs,

— improved flowability (pellets) as compared to raw hops,

— the possibility of automatic dosing in brewhouses, and

— better use of bitter and aromatic substances during the brewing process.

Typical hop products would be type 90 hop pellets (90 kg of pellets produced from 100 kg of raw hops), lupulin-enriched type 45 hop pellets (45 kg of pellets produced from 100 kg of raw hops), and CO2 and ethanol hop extract. During the pellet-making process, the hop cones are ground and pressed through a die to form pellets. To make lupulin-enriched type 45 hop pellets, the raw hops are ground whilst deep-frozen. They are then passed through a sieve which removes part of the cone material. No substances are added to the hops during either process.

Hop extract is produced by using a solvent such as CO2 or ethanol to separate the content from the hop pellets produced beforehand or the raw hops. Hop extraction is a physical process. The solvent is used exclusively as a conveyance and is removed from the cycle at the end of the process. The resin extracts which result from both processes are very stable when stored.

Use:

Hop cones from the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region and the products obtained by processing them are almost entirely (99 %) used for brewing beer. The acids and essential oils found in hops cultivated in the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region have a major influence on the brewing value.

In the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region, which is currently the second largest in Germany, it is mainly the bitter varieties that are cultivated, for example:

— Hallertauer Magnum,

— Herkules,

— Hallertauer Taurus,

— Northern Brewer,

— Nugget,

— Hallertauer Merkur.

Furthermore, small amounts of aromatic varieties, such as the Perle and Hallertauer Tradition, are also grown in the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region.

General and quality characteristics:

The Working Group on Hop Analysis (Arbeitsgruppe Hopfenanalyse) produces annual reports on the average alpha-acid content of various freshly harvested varieties from different hop-growing regions. The bitter varieties cultivated have a high alpha-acid content. The average alpha-acid content of the most common variety, Hallertauer Magnum, was 13,25 % over 15 years (1997 to 2011). The Perle aromatic variety harvested in the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region had an average alpha-acid content over 10 years (2003-2012) of 7,35 %. These values were provided by collectors’ laboratories. The hop-growing regions cover a large area, which enables farmers to produce consistently high-quality hop batches.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

—

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The entire raw-hop production process, including the packaging and initial certification of harvested crops, takes place at the hop farms and therefore in the defined geographical area.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

—

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

—

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area in which Elbe-Saale hops may be exclusively cultivated is made up of the following municipalities and urban areas, or the places or districts listed in brackets which are part of those municipalities or urban areas:

in Saxony: the town of Mügeln, Ostrau, Großweitzschen, the town of Leisnig, Göda, Burkau, Panschwitz-Kuckau, the town of Elstra, the town of Weißenberg, the town of Löbau, Schönau-Berzdorf a.d. Eigen, the town of Bernstadt a.d. Eigen, the town of Grimma, Priestewitz, Klipphausen;

in Saxony-Anhalt: the town of Bernburg (Weddegast), the town of Köthen (Baasdorf), the town of Südliches Anhalt (Edderitz, Großbadegast/Klein Badegast, Prosigk, Maasdorf), Nemsdorf-Görendorf, Obhausen, the town of Querfurt, Salzatal (Beesenstedt), Elsteraue (Rehmsdorf and Spora, including the Sprossen and Oelsen districts), Gleina, the town of Zeitz, Kretzschau (Grana, Salsitz), Wetterzeube, Molauer Land (Casekirchen, Molau, Aue);

in Thuringia: Saaleplatte, Kutzleben, the town of Heringen-Helme, the town of Weißensee, the municipality of Gangloffsömmern, Frömmstedt, the town of Großenehrich, Rottleben, the town of Sondershausen, the town of Schkölen, Monstab.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

Hops in the Elbe-Saale cultivation region are grown almost exclusively in selected areas with deep, loose soil belonging to the richer soil classes with a soil value of 60 to 100, and which have produced good quality hops over a period of longer than 50 years.

The chernozem (or black earth) and loess (similar to chernozem) soils in this geographical area, the Magdeburger Börde, Querfurt Plate and Thuringian Basin, are particularly suitable for growing hops. Other good areas for growing hops include the deep, slightly degraded, light-coloured loess soils between Leipzig and Dresden, such as the Lommatzscher Pflege, and the alluvial soils in the wide river valleys.

The climate in the Elbe-Saale region, the most northerly hop-growing region in Germany, is mostly similar to other well-known cultivation regions. As this region is more northerly, hops take up to six days longer to ripen than in the more southerly hop-growing areas of Germany; this is also influenced by the lower average long-term ground temperatures during the growing season from March to August. Compared with other hop-growing areas, the long-term average for annual rainfall is lower (450 l/m2 to 650 l/m2). To ensure stable crop yields, 74 % of crop-growing areas (as of 2011) are currently drip irrigated, as required, to make up for the lower rainfall in the months of June, July and August.

Another factor which ensures reliable delivery of hops is the pre-stressed concrete trellis structures which are only to be found in the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region. These pre-stressed concrete trellis structures have a long life with low repair costs, great stability and a high storm-resistance.

As hops are a wind-sensitive crop, in addition to choosing an area which is shielded from the wind it is essential to make use of natural copses or protective copses grown historically, or where necessary, for single or double rows of fast-growing coppice to be planted.

The risk of large-scale harvest losses due to hail or storms is reduced by the relatively large distances between the individual hop farms. Another advantage for trade and a further prerequisite for reliable delivery from the hop-growing region is plant health, i.e. hops which are free from fungal diseases, such as wilt for which there is currently no chemical cure. The area covered by the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region, as the crow flies, is about 280 km from east to west and about 85 km from north to south. There are currently 29 hop farms in this area (as at 2010/11).

There has been a hop-growing tradition in the Elbe-Saale region for over a thousand years. The first documentary proof of hop growing in this geographical area dates back to the 11th century. There have been legal provisions for hop growing in this region since the 13th century. There is considerable evidence of a flourishing hop culture in the south part of eastern Germany and a tradition of hop trading, e.g. the hop market in Dresden. The first detailed and precise indications of hop growing in this geographical area date back to the beginning of the 18th century. Reference to the high quality of hops from this geographical area can be found dating back to as early as 1784. Hops from this geographical area became very well known and this hop-growing region developed a very good reputation. To maintain this reputation, a hop seal was introduced as early as the 16th century, similar to the seal used in the Spalt hop-growing region. Even today, the origin of hops from the traditional Elbe-Saale growing area is officially confirmed by a seal.

Evidence of this geographical area’s historical roots in hops can still be seen in many place names, in the hop storehouses and hop kilns which still stand and the fact that hop motifs are included in the coat of arms of many places. Although the hop-growing area (in what is now part of three federal states in Germany) covered more than 1 000 ha in the 19th century, this area had shrunk by the beginning of the 20th century and, in 1934, hops were only harvested in gardens in the Hildburghausen district for use by local brewers. From 1950, hops were planted again with the technical support of the neighbouring Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. From 1964, a great step forward was made by importing the Northern Brewer bitter hop variety from the United Kingdom (licensed in 1968). By 1985, more than 80 % of the hop-growing region at that time was dedicated to bitter hops — mainly the Northern Brewer variety and, from 1973, a small amount of the Bullion bitter variety. The Hallertauer Magnum bitter hop variety has been cultivated here since the early 1990s. Today, bitter hops, which have hitherto made up at least 87 % of the growing area and over 86 % of the crop yield, continue to make up a large share of the hops grown; a share not matched by any other hop-growing region in Germany.

The first time the Elbe-Saale region (with its centre in the former Saalkreis district) was mentioned for hops was in 1947 in the context of a talk at the Halle-Gröbers agricultural college. Until 1957, hops grown in this region were referred to as coming from ‘middle Germany’ and were exported as ‘Saale hops’; they were awarded the gold medal at the Leipzig fair for the first time in 1966. In 1971, the region became a member of the International Hop Growers’ Convention and was recognised as the ‘GDR hop-growing region’. Only since 1990 has the region been called ‘Elbe-Saale’.

The large area of the hop-growing region, which has remained largely unchanged over time, makes it possible to have lower turnaround times and improves the utilisation rate for machinery and equipment, so that the processing and maintenance of hops is more effective. The large area involved is crucial for the production of consistently high-quality hop batches.

The climatic conditions are very important for the production of lupulin. The Elbe-Saale hop has the distinction of being cultivated in the well-known Saale-Unstrut wine-growing region and its surroundings, and in the Elbe Valley. It was called the ‘vine of the north’ in the Middle Ages and it replaced the grape vines in many places as it did not require such warm temperatures.

5.2. Specificity of the product

Bitter hops are mainly used to regulate the level of bitterness in brewing as they have a higher alpha-acid content which improves their efficiency. The bulk of hops in the Elbe-Saale region are bitter hops. Hops grown in the region until 1990 were mainly used to cover local demand from breweries in the GDR. Since 1990, the bitter hops grown in the Elbe-Saale region have been used by the largest breweries throughout the world.

Although hops were grown in the GDR to principally cover local demand and were barely exported, the quality of the hops from this area clearly met international requirements as early as 1970.

The hops grown in the Elbe-Saale region found international acclaim in the first Scientific Commission Meeting in 1974 and the XXVIIIth Conference of the International Hop Growers’ Convention in 1980 in Dresden, the reason being that hop yields in large areas of up to 90 ha (1979: 35 zentners) could compare with that of the Federal Republic.

Hop farmers learned more about new hop-growing methods and technical developments in this field in the ‘central exchange of experience’ which began in 1960. This tradition was continued successfully with the ‘Elbe-Saale Hop Day’, which took place every year from 1996 and, since 2002, now takes place every two years. This day is intended to foster interest from local breweries in local hops, a raw material essential for their production. Since 2006, a ‘hop queen’ has regularly been chosen to represent Elbe-Saale hops at regional, national and international level.

The extensive local know-how in hop cultivation has been supported since early 1950 by a long tradition in hop research in Jena. In 2009, a ‘hop information house’ was opened in the municipality of Groß Santersleben which offers a wealth of information on the Elbe-Saale hop-growing region.

For many regional breweries, hops from the Elbe-Saale region are synonymous with top quality. In some breweries which also operate as inns, only raw hops and hop pellets from the Elbe-Saale region are used, for example at the Bayerischer Bahnhof in Leipzig. Furthermore, local breweries, e.g. Altenburger Brauerei GmbH, Brauerei Landsberg GmbH and Privatbrauerei Schwerter Meißen GmbH are now sourcing hop pellets produced from raw hops grown locally. Elbe-Saale hops are exported worldwide mainly by trading companies: about 40 % to breweries in EU Member States (including Germany) and more than half to non-EU countries. Internationally active breweries are able to guarantee high quality beer made from the large and homogeneous hop batches from Elbe-Saale, amongst others. For example, the Radeberger Gruppe KG brewery giant, which is the current market leader on the German beer market and which is present across nearly all of Germany, uses hop pellets and hop extracts from hops grown in the Elbe-Saale region.

Since 2004, the Elbe-Saale cultivation area has provided trading samples of its bitter hop varieties every year at the German hop exhibition for comparison with all other hop varieties produced in Germany. Hop farmers from the Elbe-Saale region came third in 2007 and 2008, second in 2004 and first in 2005 in a survey of the three best bitter hop varieties amongst farmers.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The climate described above, the special soil conditions, the location, the distance between farms and the specific farming methods used (type of trellis structure, wind protection, drip irrigation, etc.) together provide the best basis for hop growing, in particular for the bitter hop varieties. These are also the basis for guaranteeing stable yields and a consistently high alpha-acid content in hops from the Elbe-Saale region.

The large consistently high-quality batches from the Elbe-Saale region are prized by both regional breweries and the largest international breweries, for example in Latin America, Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The long tradition of hop growing in the Elbe-Saale region and its current position as the second largest hop-growing region in Germany have also contributed to its good reputation and world renown.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

Markenblatt Vol. 25 of 22 June 2012, Part 7a-aa, p. 10037

(http://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/35552)

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) See footnote 2.