Hops are the dried flowers of a twining vine (Humulus lupulus) which is part of the hemp family. Hops are mainly used to add bitterness to beers, as well as flavor and aroma in many styles. There are dozens of varieties of hops with significant variation in flavor, aroma, and amount of alpha acids, which are what determine the strength of the bitterness which they impart.
Contents
Varieties by Country
Australia
Pride of Ringwood
Canada
Goldings, British Columbia
Czech Republic
Saaz
France
Strisslespalt
Germany
Brewer's Gold
Hallertauer Gold
Hallertauer Mittelfrüh
Hallertauer Tradition
Hersbrucker
Magnum
Northern Brewer
Perle
Spalt
Tettnanger
Tradition
New Zealand
Green Bullet
Hallertauer
Pacific Gem
Southern Cross
Sticklebract
Super Alpha
Poland
Lublin
Slovenia
Styrian Goldings
United States
Ahtanum
Amarillo
Aquila
Cascade
Centennial
Chinook
Cluster
Columbus (Tomahawk)
Comet
Crystal
Eroica
Fuggle
Galena
Glacier
Goldings
Hallertauer
Horizon
Liberty
Mt. Hood
Northern Brewer
Nugget
Olympic
Perle
Saaz
Santiam
Satus
Simcoe
Sterling
Summit
Sun
Tettnanger
Ultra
Vanguard
Warrior
Willamette
Yakima Cluster
Zeus
United Kingdom
Admiral
Bramling Cross
Brewer's Gold
Bullion
Challenger
Columbia
Goldings, East Kent
First Gold
Fuggle
Herald
Northdown
Phoenix
Pilgrim
Pioneer
Progress
Target
Whitbread Goldings Variety
Hop Cultivation
History of hops
Many breweries boast adherence to the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law) of 1516 which decrees that beer may only include water, malted barley, yeast and hops. "What are hops?" you might ask. Hop is a twining vine that grows rapidly in the summer months and enjoys direct sunlight. The young shoots are eaten as a vegetable and the leaves are blanched and used as a soup. But hops are cultivated mainly for the brewing industry. Hops contribute bitterness and aroma to beer, but they were not always part of the brewing process. From the earliest days of beer in 4th cent BC Mesopotamia to Medieval times, beer was seasoned with different additives. Wild rosemary, coriander, ginger, anise seed, juniper berries, even wood bark was added to flavor the beer. Hops were known to early civilizations - they grew wild among the willows in Roman times. The Romans noted it grew like a "wolf among sheep" and referred to it as Lupus salictarius, which means the "good wolf." From this colorful origin, hops took its botanical name of humulus lupulus. The Jews provide the first written account of the use of hops in beer during captivity in Babylon. They record a sicera ex lupulis confectuam (strong drink made from hops). They also believed this drink alleviated leprosy.
With the plethora of additives used to flavor beer, undoubtedly hops gained popularity for not only it's bittering ability but also its role as an antiseptic and preservative. Hops helped to clarify the wort, provided a good head and improved a beer's keeping power. Beer no longer required a high alcohol content to prevent spoilage - this meant the brewers needed less grain, which translated to higher profits.
The earliest references to hop cultivation are during the 8th and 9th century AD from the Hallertau district in Germany. Although it is not clear whether these hops were used in brewing, by the 14th century the Dutch had developed a taste for hopped German beer.
Medieval brewers were initially reluctant to use hops in beer, claiming it caused "melancholy and tormenting disease." Hops should be avoided during depression. Hop tea is a nerve tonic, a mild sedative and a muscle relaxant. The estrogen content increases lactation and is an anaphrodisiac for men. Exported by the Flemings, hopped beer found its way across the English Channel in the early 1400s. Although hops were brought to England by the Romans for use as a vegetable, the English brewers were appalled at its use in beer. It was many decades before the merits of hopped beer were accepted and hops incorporated into mainstream brewing practices in England.
Hops were brought with the early 17th century colonies to North America. American colonists brewed with imported hops, spruce bark and sassafrass root, until 1629 when the Massachusetts Bay Co. ordered hop seeds from England. The colonists employed hops in many ways. They extracted wax for use as a reddish-brown dye, used the fibers for textiles and ate the young shoots. By 1859 nearly 90 percent of the hops used in the United States were grown in New York. But as land began to fill with farmers and cities, hop farms were pushed West. California's Central Valley became a hop-growing region, and from there hop farms quickly spread North to Oregon and Washington where they are still commercially grown today.
In Continental Europe the wild male hop has been exterminated. The unpollinated female hop is higher in the alpha acids which give beer its bitter flavoring. The cone of the female hop is made of many overlapping petals. At the base of each petal is the seed where sticky yellow glands produce the resins and oils that provide aroma and bitterness. The petals also contain tannin which aids in clarifying the beer. Today one can find numerous strains of New World and Old World hops. The United States is second in hop production only to Germany! With a little practice you will begin to recognize the distinctive tastes of the different hop strains.
