What Are Hops?

Approved by:
Paige Master, Gainesville Weddings in Gainesville Florida

Hops are the female flower clusters of a hop species and are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they communicate a sour tangy flavor. Hops are also employed for numerous purposes in other drinks and natural medication. Hops began to be cultivated on a continuing basis round the 8th or 9th century AD in Bohemian gardens in the Hallertau district of Bavaria and other parts of Europe. However , the first documented use of hops in beer as a bittering agent is from the eleventh century.

There are a large amount of ‘hop-heads ‘ out there and I am definitely one of them. I'm really not quite sure what it is that makes hops so appealing. But there’s little doubt that hops captivate many beer consumers. Maybe it is the strength of the flavour, or perhaps it is the intricacy of flavours offered by hops that is so pleasurable. Either way, the aroma is agreeable and often like other stuff we enjoy such as pine and citrusy fruits. Hops and hoppy beers are simply a great thing.

I do not want to get too far ahead of myself here and begin sending the impression that hop driven ales are the apex of the beer world. Indeed so many great ales and ale styles exist that one would be pressed to choose the very best. I am, however, a fan of hop driven ales and find my palate ever delighted by the selection of hoppy flavours being produced in America and elsewhere.

Hops are one of one or two ingredients in ale that make a contribution to the amount of complexity that easily rivals the intricacies found in wine. Wine, being made of grapes and yeast, is an amazing libation. Wine offers shocking differences of depth and complexity, and intense permutations in flavours all from grapes. Beer has hops, malts, and many other ingredients that brewers try experimenting with to exponentially increase the potential for complexity.

Hops are my current focus though and to get a sense of what they can offer to a beer, pay close attention to the aromas and flavors that change so considerably between your favorite IPAs. Mikkeller, a labeler/recipe producer, has a line of beers that is particularly interesting and quite exciting… the single hop beers. Each beer is created with only water, malts, a single hop variety, and yeast, to show off what each hop variety brings to the kettle. I have thoroughly enjoyed sampling these ales and pitting hop varietal against hop varietal. I may even have to start mixing a number of them together!

There are many hundreds of IPAs to enjoy, most of which show the brewer’s preferred fusion of hops. Try the single hop brews for some field research on which hops hit your palate just right. Soon you'll be able to tell who’s brewing with what and why you like their stuff so much!

Tim Bush found his way to Colonial Spirits, a Concord liquor store, in 2002. It was ale that brought Tim to Colonial Spirits and ale that let him make a meaningful contribution to the store. At this point ale is only a little part of what Tim does, however he enjoys ale now more than ever. Tim’s Beer Blog is where Tim shares his many thoughts on the topic of ale.

Beer Alcohol, ale, Beer, beer blog, beer online, beer store, concord liquor store, hops, india pale ale, ipa, liquor store, pale ale, single hop beer, wine