STRATA HOPS

This week for Fresh Hop Friday we are featuring Strata hops.
While Strata isn't a BRAND new hop variety, it is a relatively new hop on the market that really took off within the last few years. Strata is the brain child of Indie Hops in Oregon.
What stands out most about Strata® is how intensely expressive and flexible it is—especially for modern, hop-forward beers.

Bold, layered aroma profile

Strata delivers a complex mix of flavors that brewers love: Dank cannabis / resin, strawberry, passion fruit, and citrus with a subtle tropical & pine backbone. It’s one of the few hops that can move seamlessly between fruit-forward and classic West Coast dankness

High-impact hop oil content

With typical levels around ~2.5–4.0 mL/100g, Strata is punchy even in small dry-hop additions and excellent for late boil, whirlpool, and dry hopping. This makes Strata efficient and expressive -- great for brewers trying to maximize aroma without massive hop bills.

Strata is so versatile!

It works as a single-hop or a blender. Strata holds up as a single-hop IPA addition (rare for modern hops), or it can enhance other hops like Mosaic, Citra, Simcoe, or Amarillo by adding depth and dankness

Speaking of dankness…

Strata has that signature “dank” without the harshness. Unlike some high-dank hops, Strata tends to deliver less onion/garlic harshness, cleaner resin character, and a more drinkable finish - even in heavily hopped beers. In short, Strata stands out because it combines modern fruit intensity with old-school dank resin, making it one of the most versatile and characterful hops available today.

THE NUMBERS

Strata has an exceptionally high total oil for a high-alpha hop. At 2.3 – 3.5 mL/100g, this is a top-tier oil content. Many hops with 12–15% alpha sit closer to 1.5 – 2.2. Hops with oils this high are often lower alpha aroma varieties. You’re getting true dual-purpose performance: Strong bittering potential AND huge late/whirlpool/dry-hop aroma. This combination is uncommon and highly valued in modern IPA hops.

Strata has very high myrcene, but it’s not one-dimensional. With myrcene between 52–65%, this puts it squarely in the modern juicy/dank category. Comparable to Citra, Mosaic, and some Galaxy lots, but the standout isn’t just high myrcene — it’s the balance… Alongside Strata’s high myrcene, it also has unusually high humulene. With humulene between 22–30%, this is the big differentiator. Most high-myrcene hops have much lower humulene (often 10–18%) resulting in purely fruity or sharp harsh flavors. Strata keeps the classic noble / resinous backbone with notes of pine, herbal and woody depth, and has better aroma stability post-fermentation. The result of this unusual myrcene-humulene content is fruit + dank + structure, not just fruit juice alone.

Strata also has low cohumulone for it’s alpha range, clocking in at around 20%. This is very low for a 12–15% AA hop, many hops in this alpha range sit at 28–35%. Strata’s lower cohumulone results in a smoother bitterness, less harshness, and allows earlier kettle use without ruining drinkability.

Another standout for Strata is its Caryophyllene level. At 5 – 12.5%, it’s higher than many hops single digit levels. This means Strata has spice, earth, and all kinds of depth, supporting the dank/resin perception. Strata is far from a thin tasting, or one-note hop, it’s super complex.

The virtually none existent farnesene (<1%) levels results in no noble-floral driven notes, leaning instead to the resinous, tropical, citrus, and dank side. This means Strata is better suited for IPAs than lagers or delicate styles.

STRATA IS A STANDOUT

Compared to most hops on the market, Stratat has a rare combination of high alpha acid + very high oil levels + high myrcene and high humulene + low cohumulone. This combination delivers, big modern aroma, complex hop depth, smooth bitterness, and excellent versatility across boil, whirlpool, and dry hop. Very few hops hit all of those simultaneously. Strata is also available in CGX (Cryogenic lupulin) format if you really want to turn it up to 11.