Beer buffs will often describe the flavor of a particular beer by saying things like "It's hoppy," or "Not a lot of hops." Ever wonder what the heck these guys are talking about? Read on...
Hops are one of the basic ingredients in beer brewing - the others being grain, yeast, and water. The hops we use in brewing is actually the flower of the hop plant, which is a member of the hemp family. The hops in the picture above are compressed pellets of hops flowers used specifically for beer brewing.
Hops contain an essential oil with a very bitter flavor. This bitterness counters the sweetness from the malt to create a more balanced beer, and it also acts as a preservative. Beer makers can play with the ratio of sweet maltiness to bitterness in the final beer by adjusting the type of hops used in the brewing, when they're added to the wort, and how long they're boiled.
So when those beer buffs talk about hoppiness in beer, they're trying to identify the bitter flavors of that particular ingredient and how they work with the other flavors in the beer. To get a sense for hops flavor, try beers that are described as having a lot of hops or being high in hops. Work your way down to those lower in hops and see if you can pick out the flavor!
Which hoppy beers would you recommend trying?
Related: Beer Guide: What is Lambic Beer?
(Image: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)
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A hop is something in between a skip and a jump but not as far a leap.
A common beer that is typically very hoppy is an IPA, or India Pale Ale. Most of these are _too_ hoppy for my taste, though some are quite good and the hops are well balanced with other flavors. My favorite is from Oakshire brewing in Eugene, OR. http://oakbrew.com
do we see a beer month in the making?
I'm a fan of hoppy beers. Here are some recent favorites:
- Shmaltz Steel Hop Amber (Swordswallower)
- Boulder Beer's Hazed and Infused
- Squatter's IPA
These three are pretty different from each other. There's a great diversity of hoppy beers.
I didn't appreciate hoppy beers much until I began home brewing. Now I'm a hop fanatic. I'm constantly looking for hoppy beers now so I can pick out the various nuances in the hops.
One of the hoppiest, greenest beers I've found is the Victory Prima Pils. They actually sell it at Trader Joe's. I wrote a little St. Patty's Day post about it, describing it as my kind of "Green Beer."
http://thepleasanthouse.com/2009/03/17/keeping-it-green-on-st-patricks-day-hopping-it-up/
If you really want to get an idea of how green and astringent hops are put one of those hop pellets on your tongue--WOW!
I'm a huge fan of Stone's Arrogant Bastard, and also the Double Bastard, which are both crazy hoppy. Another I've been loving lately is Sierra Nevada's seasonal brew: the Harvest Wet Hop Ale. It is incredibly complex and flavorful!
Hopheads unite!
Stone IPA, Stone Ruination IPA, Anderson Valley IPA, Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA, Harpoon IPA, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Dogfish Head 60 or 90 minute IPA and pretty much any Brooklyn Brewery beer are all fantastic examples of hoppy awesomeness.
beer month, please!!!
while I like hops in my beer, I do not like them as a plant. I had a brief encounter and ended up with large marks that looked like curling iron burns that lasted for a month! I guess I'm bitter... (heh, heh... :P)
Try this recipe for Stone Ruination IPA. I use this as the base recipe for my IPA (reduce the amount of sugar by 1 lb, change the types/amount of hops used, increase the grain amount)
http://hydrobrew.com/Stone%20Ruination%20Clone.htm
That picture of hops reminds me of rabbit food.
odd that you didn't use a picture of actual hops though.
Hops actually contribute two different sets of compounds to beer, which have distinct effects on the beer:
Alpha-acids, which contribute bitterness. These are not oils, and add bitterness to the flavor profile.
Essential oils, which mostly contribute aroma. They don't contribute any bitterness.
Through hop selection and the way you use them, it's possible to emphasize either of the two contributions. Boiling hops for a long time drives off the essential oils, leaving only the bitter alpha acids. Adding hops during at the end of the boil or during fermentation contributes mostly aroma, since the alpha-acids need some boiling to isomerize and extract into the wort.
Complex flavored beers may add different hops at several different times in the brewing process to build a multi-layered flavor and aroma profile.