The 2001 crop of hops is still being harvested, and it looks like a slightly below average yield. Fortunately, the United States is one of the world's principal hop sources, so beer drinkers have nothing to worry about.

        A lot of confusion exists among beer drinkers about this beautiful green perennial, so I'd like to clear up some of the mystery and recommend shining examples of how hops can be used most effectively.

        Hop plants are somewhat similar to grapevines, since they are climbers, usually reaching a height of more than 20 feet. Along with broad leaves, they produce an abundance of what look like small, green pine cones. If you peel back the surface of a cone, you see what looks like tiny yellow globs of wax.

        The yellow material contains both resins and oils, which give bitterness to beer, as well as much of its flavor and aroma. A major part of the brewer's art is the knowledge and skill needed to utilize hops to produce a particular beer style.
       

Balancing agent

        The first purpose of hops is to provide bitterness to balance the sweetness of the malt. To produce a bitter beer such as an American IPA, the brewer uses a large quantity of hops, preferably a type that contains a high percentage of bittering resins. For a milder, sweeter beer, a small amount of hops is used.

        The longer the hops are boiled, the more bitterness comes out. For most beers, the trick is to use just enough hops to produce a good balance of bitterness and sweetness.

        The second effect of hops is to provide flavor of their own. Again, the resins contribute greatly to this. The brewer tries to boil the selected hops just long enough to extract their flavor, but not so long that they contribute too much bitterness. Each of the hundreds of varieties of hops has a distinctive flavor.

        You might have noticed the characteristic “citrus” or “grapefruit” tang of the classic American hops like cascade, chinook or centennial. This is a standard in many American pale ales, especially in brewpubs. Liberty Ale, from Anchor Brewing Co. in San Francisco, is probably the purest expression of these hops.

        Similarly, most of the classic English ales use fuggles or goldings hops, and their flavors are also distinctive. The great German beers generally contain what are called “noble” hops, such as hallertauer or tettnanger.
       

Dry hopping

        The third, and most intriguing use of hops in beer is their contribution to aroma. This comes from the hop oils, rather than its resins. Since these oils are volatile, meaning they evaporate quickly, the brewer adds aroma hops only near the end of the boil.

        In some cases, as with Liberty Ale, the brewer actually soaks additional hops in the finished beer for a week or more before shipping it. This process is called “dry hopping,” and can add powerful aroma notes if done properly.

        This careful timing, adding bittering, flavoring and aroma hops at different times during the boiling of each batch of beer, is a large part of why craft breweries can't produce identical beers, even if they use the same recipe. Some beers use three or more different hops, depending on the bitterness, flavor and aroma the brewer wants to achieve.

        If you're one of the many who love a great hop experience in your beer, here are two to try.

        • Alpha King, from Three Floyds Brewing Co. in Indiana, is an American Pale Ale that is so over the top with hop flavor it has already attracted almost a cult following in the Midwest. Often available at Jungle Jim's Market in Fairfield and a few other local outlets.

        • Stone IPA is another new arrival, coming all the way from San Diego in 22-ounce bottles. An unusual beer, this deep golden brew is aggressively hopped, and definitely not for the timid. It offers all the malt you want in an IPA to back up those hops. Highly recommended.
       Contact Ed Westemeier by e-mail: hopfen@malz.com.

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