Page 16 - Thirst Magazine Issue 2 June 2017

THE HISTORY OF HOPS

Hops have been around through history.
They have been used in the brewing process
for beer for more than 1,000 years. The first
known cultivation of hops for the purpose of
brewing occurred in Central Asia.
Until the end of the 15th century, Britain’s
nationally recognized drink was ale (the “un-
hopped” brew.) As the practice of cultivating
hops began to make its way to the Maidstone-
area of Kent, England, the British began using
hops to preserve beer for shipment on via long
ocean voyages.
By 1655, ale began to fall out of favor with the high demand for fresh beer, to help
British citizens, and hops began to be used on counteract the heat incurred as a result the
purpose to enhance or modify the depth of local climate. British brew masters began the
character and flavor profile of beer. practice of adding a lot of hops to the beer to
At the beginning of the century, there help preserve its freshness, drinkability, and
were only about 12 known varieties of hops quality for the months-long voyage by sea.
available to brewers. Today, the number of Once the shipment reached its final
available hops varieties has grown by leaps destination and was opened, it was discovered
and bounds. There are more than 100 varieties that the addition of hops not only kept the
of hops being produced today. The number of beer fresh, it also gave the beer a wonderfully
varieties continues to grow every year, thanks deep flavor profile and pleasant aroma.
to the extensive efforts of dedicated breeders,
the plant’s resistance to disease and overall HOW HOPS ARE USE IN THE
crop yields have vastly improved. BREWING PROCESS
WHAT ARE HOPS USED FOR? Hops is a bit of an unusual beer-brewing

Initially, hops were used as a natural ingredient, in that it possesses a unique ability
preservative to keep beer fresh as it was to add both desired levels of bitterness and
transported to far-flung destinations. India balance to the beer. This is due, in part, to
Pale Ale (IPA) was inadvertently created as the bittering agent contained in the alpha
a result adding lots of hops to help preserve acid resin of the cones of the hops plant. This
shipments of beer to India in the 18th century. agent is activated during the boiling stage of
British citizens living in India accounted brewing beer. Greater amounts of the bittering

THE MAIN CATEGORIES OF BEER-BREWING HOPS
By adding different kinds of hops, at varying stages of the boiling process, brew masters can
experiment to achieve different and complex hops flavor and aroma profiles for their beer.

BITTERING HOPS AROMA HOPS FIRST WORT HOPS FLAVORING HOPS DRY HOPS
Contains an Contains an The hops are steeped Added halfway through Added to the
average of 10% average of 5% in hot wort (much like the boiling process fermenter late in
of alpha acids of alpha acids steeping tea in hot to protect against the the fermentation
by weight. by weight. water) to release the over-evaporation of stage (after it stops
alpha acid resins and aromatics, while at the bubbling), instead
Known as Known as essential oils. same time achieving of during the boiling
“Kettle Hops.” “Finishing Hops.” the desired flavor process. This gives
This process allows
Added to the boil Added at the end of the oils and resins profile. the finished beer a
at the beginning the boiling process more time to oxidize Small amounts of more pronounced
of the process and and boiled for and become more different hops can be aroma, without
boiled for roughly roughly 15 minutes water soluble, added 30 minutes incurring aroma
one hour. loss due to the
resulting in the release before the end of carbon dioxide
of greater amounts of the boiling process bubbles.
the oils and acids in to build depth of the
the beer. beer’s character.

HOP OIL — Concentrated oil extracted and distilled from hops that adds flavour and aroma to the beer during dry-hopping or conditioning.

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