Humulus Lupulus (hops) are the flowering cone of a perennial vining plant and a cousin of the cannabis variety (sorry no THC in this stuff) that typically thrives in climates similar to the ones that grapes do. Hop plants are dioecious, meaning the males and females flower on separate plants — and the female cones are used in the brewing process. Hops are the age old seasoning of the beer, the liquid gargoyles that ward off spoilage from wild bacteria and bringers of balance to sweet malts. They also lend a hand in head retention, help to clear beer (acting as a natural filter) and please the palate by imparting their unique characters and flavors. Basically, hops put the “bitter” in beer.
The following is a growing list of different hop varieties:
Ahtanum, Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Cluster, Crystal, Fuggle, Galena, Golding, Hallertau mf, Horizon, Liberty, Magnum, Mount Hood, Northern Brewer, Nugget, Perle, Saaz, Satus, Simcoe, Spalt Select, Sterling, Tettnang, Tomahawk, Ultra, US Fuggle, Vanguard, Warrior, and Willamette
The popularity of hops has been ever increasing. Many brewers have tried to pack more and more hops into their beers. The measurement of the bitterness from hops is measured in International Bittering Units (IBUs). Recently there has been a friendly competition between East Coast and West Coast brewers to see who has the “hoppiest” beers. These competitions have brought the brewing industry new innovations such as: “Sir Hops-a-lot”, a continuous dry hopper, “Pliny the Elder”, a strong IPA from Russian River Brewing, “Randle the Enamel Animal”, a wet hopping device that beer flows through when the beer is poured, “Imperial” or “Double” IPA, an extra strong and extra bitter version of the IPA style, and many more.
