What Are Hops?

If you've ever visited a brewery or read a craft beer label, you may have seen the word hops. Beer experts might describe a brew as being hoppy, but what does that really mean? Even if you love beer, you may not be entirely sure what hops actually are. How do hops fit into the beer-making process, and how do they affect the taste of beer? Here’s everything you need to know about hops.

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What Are Hops?
Types Of Hops
How To Use Hops
What Do Hops Taste Like?
Where To Buy Hops
Storing Hops

Hops are the flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant. These green, cone-shaped buds are part of the Cannabinaceae family, which also includes the cannabis plant. But instead of being used like cannabis, hops are one of the essential ingredients in all types of beer. Each flower is filled with small yellow pods called lupulin that add bitterness, aroma, and extra flavor to your favorite beers.

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There are several types of hops. Some have been used since the 8th century, and others are much newer. While all hops add a bitter taste to beer, each variety has different properties, aromas, and flavors.

Often used in German beers, Hallertauer Mittelfrüh has a mild and floral flavor.

Tettnanger is a Noble Hop that has a grassy, vegetal flavor with hints of citrus.

Saaz is a traditional type of hop used in the Czech Republic. It has a bold, spicy flavor.

Fuggle hops hail from England and taste like cedar, mint, and flowers.

Challenger is a commonly used hop that tastes like tea and lemon.

English brewers use Golding hops for their citrus and pepper notes.

Cascade hops are used in American craft beer and taste a lot like grapefruit.

Centennial is a more floral version of Cascade that still brings plenty of bright citrus flavor.

Columbus hops are extremely potent and smell very similar to marijuana.

Chinook hops have a strong pine flavor with a little citrus.

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The lupulin found in hops does not dissolve well in water. So brewers are making beer, they add hops to the kettle while boiling the wort (a.k.a. unfermented beer) to release the bitter flavor. Adding the hops in the beginning of the process reduces the vegetal notes. If you add the hops near the end of the boiling process, the flavor will be milder but more refined.

You can also add hops after the first round of fermentation. Dry hopping is the process of infusing fermented beer with hops for three to five days. This process adds a very strong hoppy aroma to your finished beer and is commonly used when making IPAs.

The primary flavor found in all hops is bitterness. It's used to balance sweet or acidic flavors and give beer its classic heady taste. Depending on what variety you use, hops can give the beer a punch of pepper, pine, citrus, or tropical fruit flavor. Brewers typically combine multiple types of hops to create unique blends.

Because hops are used for making beer, they are considered a specialty ingredient. Other than brick-and-mortar brewers' shops, there are plenty of websites that sell different types of hops. Stores like Hops Direct and Yakima Valley Hops offer hops from farmers all over the world. You can buy hops as whole flowers or in pellet form.

To preserve as much of their acid as you can, you should keep them away from heat, light, and oxygen. Ideally, you should store your hops in a vacuum-sealed bag in the freezer. Unopened packages will last up to five years when stored in the proper conditions. Once you open them, however, make sure to use them up within six months.