Hops are used in beer brewing for a variety of reasons. Hops are dried flowers that flavor beer and are also utilized for their ability to act as a preservative. Prior to hops, brewers used a variety of flowers and herbs, but once it was discovered that beer made with hops were less prone to spoiling, the herbs and flowers were abandoned in favor of hops.
In addition to the preservative nature of hops, hops are used in beer brewing because they add bitterness, flavor and aroma. The bitterness of hops helps balance the sweetness of the malt. As is the case with grapes, where hops are grown affects the characteristics of the hops. How much of each quality hops contribute to the beer depends on how long the hop is in the boil, as well as which variety of hops is used.
Hops are classified as either bittering hops or aroma hops. The contributing ingredients in hops are the oils and resins. The oils are what contribute aroma and flavor, and the resins contribute bitterness. The resins contain alpha and or beta acids, which impart the bitterness. The oils boil off faster, the resins take longer. The more time the hops spend in the brewing kettle, the more bitterness they will contribute. But, they will give less aroma and flavor.
In general terms, bittering hops will need to be boiled for at least 15 minutes, and usually longer--up to an hour and even longer than that. On the other hand, flavoring hops are boiled for no more than 15 minutes, and aromatic hops for no more than 5 minutes. You can also opt to add aromatic hops after the boil in the fermenter, a common practice that is known as "dry hopping".
The amount of bitterness within a hop is measured in IBUs (International Bitterness Units) which basically measures the amount of alpha acid in a hop variety. The preservative quality in hops also affected the development of certain beer styles. For instance, India Pale Ale as well as many other styles of beer that was intended for export had higher hop bitterness to help preserve the beer during transport. These beer styles often had higher alcohol levels to balance the beers flavor.
For the longest time hops have been produced in Europe. However, today hops are grown worldwide. The variety of hops are named for the specific city or region in which they were first grown. Some well known varieties include Hallertau from Germany, Williamette Valley and Yakima Valley form Washington State and Oregon, and Kent and Worcestershire from England. Germany still has more hop growing area than any other country.
Four varieties of hops are classified as The Noble Hops: Hallertau, Tettnanger, Spalt and Saaz. These varieties contain a large amount of hop oil, and very little alpha or beta acids. This means that they are aromatic hops that impart little bitterness. These hops provide the characterisitic aroma and flavor of classic European lager beer styles that include Pilsener, Dunkel, and Oktoberfest.
Hops for home brewing come in a variety of different styles. You can buy them in 3 different kinds of forms. First, there are whole, dried hops, which is the preferred type for dry hopping. Second, there are hops pellets, which are compressed into pellet shape. These have a better shelf life and also absorb less wort than whole hops. Finally, there are hop plugs, which are also compressed hops into standard sizes and weights.
Hops are native to most parts of the world and are easy to grow. Many home brewers decide to grow their own hops for their beer brewing. It is important to remember that hops are perishable, so any extra hops you do not use immediately for beer brewing should be refrigerated.
In addition to the preservative nature of hops, hops are used in beer brewing because they add bitterness, flavor and aroma. The bitterness of hops helps balance the sweetness of the malt. As is the case with grapes, where hops are grown affects the characteristics of the hops. How much of each quality hops contribute to the beer depends on how long the hop is in the boil, as well as which variety of hops is used.
Hops are classified as either bittering hops or aroma hops. The contributing ingredients in hops are the oils and resins. The oils are what contribute aroma and flavor, and the resins contribute bitterness. The resins contain alpha and or beta acids, which impart the bitterness. The oils boil off faster, the resins take longer. The more time the hops spend in the brewing kettle, the more bitterness they will contribute. But, they will give less aroma and flavor.
In general terms, bittering hops will need to be boiled for at least 15 minutes, and usually longer--up to an hour and even longer than that. On the other hand, flavoring hops are boiled for no more than 15 minutes, and aromatic hops for no more than 5 minutes. You can also opt to add aromatic hops after the boil in the fermenter, a common practice that is known as "dry hopping".
The amount of bitterness within a hop is measured in IBUs (International Bitterness Units) which basically measures the amount of alpha acid in a hop variety. The preservative quality in hops also affected the development of certain beer styles. For instance, India Pale Ale as well as many other styles of beer that was intended for export had higher hop bitterness to help preserve the beer during transport. These beer styles often had higher alcohol levels to balance the beers flavor.
For the longest time hops have been produced in Europe. However, today hops are grown worldwide. The variety of hops are named for the specific city or region in which they were first grown. Some well known varieties include Hallertau from Germany, Williamette Valley and Yakima Valley form Washington State and Oregon, and Kent and Worcestershire from England. Germany still has more hop growing area than any other country.
Four varieties of hops are classified as The Noble Hops: Hallertau, Tettnanger, Spalt and Saaz. These varieties contain a large amount of hop oil, and very little alpha or beta acids. This means that they are aromatic hops that impart little bitterness. These hops provide the characterisitic aroma and flavor of classic European lager beer styles that include Pilsener, Dunkel, and Oktoberfest.
Hops for home brewing come in a variety of different styles. You can buy them in 3 different kinds of forms. First, there are whole, dried hops, which is the preferred type for dry hopping. Second, there are hops pellets, which are compressed into pellet shape. These have a better shelf life and also absorb less wort than whole hops. Finally, there are hop plugs, which are also compressed hops into standard sizes and weights.
Hops are native to most parts of the world and are easy to grow. Many home brewers decide to grow their own hops for their beer brewing. It is important to remember that hops are perishable, so any extra hops you do not use immediately for beer brewing should be refrigerated.