Hops

By Steve Hobman

As a youth I misspent one long hot and hazy sixties summer on a farm in Kent, picking and processing Humulus lupulus - the humble hop. A labour of love you might surmise, for someone destined to become rather fond of this rather inglorious looking plant. Well, not quite. It was blinkin' hard work. And with only Courage Bitter for a northern lad's delight in the evening, it was a pretty gruelling spell in my ale education.

But this little sojourn in the Garden of England did open my senses just a little as to just what a crucial role these curious little green flowers play in bringing us the rich diversity of beer bitterness, flavours and luscious aromas we all enjoy - albeit sometimes subconsciously.

Next time you buy a pint try putting a little in a small glass, twirl it around, sniff like a poncy wine taster, take it a little in the month and let it linger then roll it to the back of the throat -goooorgeous - but whatever you do, do not spit; nasty habit that and anyway the hop bitterness is tasted at the back of the throat. When you've done all that, just sup the stuff.

Brewing is the major commercial use for the hop flower, which contains resins with two main acids - alpha acids for bitterness and beta acids for flavour and aroma. Bittering hops are used early in the brewing process while aroma hops are added later. Alpha acids are rich in preservatives and help the yeast in its fermentation process (see yeast). This is why bittering hops were used liberally for the IPA (India Pale Ale) that had to survive the long sea journey to the colonies during the 19th century.

Tricky patch

The medicinal properties of hops were established many centuries ago, but they went through a bit a tricky patch in the middle ages. Condemned as 'wicked and pernicious', they were seen as a foreign threat to English ale, which then often used such delights as bog myrtle, St John's wort and coriander as ingredients.

The arrival of immigrant labour in Kent led to the hop's increasing popularity but in the early 1500s this in turn brought a ban on the use of hops in beer. Fortunately for us, Edward VI repealed that particular bit of nonsense.

However, it still wasn't all plain sailing. Heavy tax duty was imposed on the hop for many years. But by the time of the industrial revolution its merit as a preservative led to acceptance, so several varieties were developed. In 1875 Richard Fuggle came up with his eponymous variety that has proved to be the mainstay for many quality ales that we enjoy today. The hop still evolves today with many new varieties being introduced in the US in recent years.

Consequently the hop range is enormous. Although many British beers have traditionally relied upon the likes of Fuggles, today enterprising micro brewers use hops from the US, Eastern Europe and Germany for your pint. Below are a few of the core UK varieties that you find mentioned in these beer pages.

• Admiral: gives high bitterness levels and hoppy character.
• Bramling Cross: spicy and blackcurrant flavours and good bitterness.
• Challenger: gives full-bodied roundness with crispness and fruit.
• First Gold: well balanced bitterness with fruity, slightly spicy and orange/citrus notes.
• Fuggles: delicate, minty, grassy with a slightly floral aroma.
• Golding: aroma variety, soft and earthy.
• Northdown: dual purpose with Challenger type aroma but richer flavour.
• Progress: slightly sweeter alternative to Fuggle with softer bitterness.
• WGV (Whitbread Golding Variety): similar to Golding but more robust with higher alpha.

As we come across them, we will add other varieties to this list. In the meantime why not see what you can spot? Maybe let us know if you come across something special.

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