Hoppy, Hoppy, Joy, Joy
Okay, maybe that title is a bit corny, but for those of us that love hops, there is nothing more joyful than a hoppy, hoppy brew. German beer purity law lists four official ingredients for brewing beer, water, malt, hops, and yeast. From a logistics standpoint you could brew beer without the hops, but why on earth would you want to? While malt supplies sugar to the yeast, which in turn eats the sugar and produces alcohol, it is the flavor of hops that makes the brew for many of us.
It was with the creation of India Pale Ale that brewers figured out the antiseptic attributes of hops. The more hops added to the wort (the boiled malt, water, and hop concoction that will have yeast added to it) the less susceptible the beer will be to bacteria. Hops is added different times of the brewing process.
When you boil hops in the wort you lose much of the perfume, floral flavors, but the bitterness and antiseptic qualities remain. Hops that are added at the end of the boiling process retain some of the floral qualities, while adding some bitterness and protection from spoilage. The third way hops can be utilized is a method called 'dry hopping.' Hops are added to a cheese cloth or special fabric bag and then dropped into the fermenting beer. Dry hopped beers offer the most fresh hop flavor and retain a substantial amount of potent essential oils.
Hops are conical flowers that grow on vines. Hops are grown just about anywhere beer is brewed, but some of the more desirable hops come from Oregon, Washington, Germany, Czechoslovakia and the UK. When you run you hands over hop flowers you'll find them sticky and aromatic. Hops are used in a dried form either as whole or in compressed pellets. Their bitterness is measured in alpha acid units. Brewers calculate the resulting bitterness by considering the alpha acid unit, the amount of hops being added, the different types of hops added, when each dose of hops is added, and the water to malt ratio. Higher alpha acid hops create more bitterness in beer.
Some hop-heads can recite their favorite varieties like a pledge to a secret society that supports cheese hats and pretzel necklaces. Still others, like me, know we like certain hoppy styles without the intensive study of the humulus lupulus flower. Those who still squirm at the thought of drinking a bitter beer, remember, hops offers a yin and yang, their bitter qualities can be a bit puckering, but their exotic zest can bring elation.
