Hops - what do they do to my beer?
As we know, there are four main ingredients in beer: water, hops, malt and yeast.
Today I'm going to introduce you to hops! Those little green nuggets that can make your beer bitter, fruity, spicy, woody or herbal. It all depends on where they come from and how they are added to the beer.
There are 4 main growing regions of hops in the world and the hops have general characteristics from these regions. Styles of beer have been influenced by where they are brewed and the hop choices made in the beers are no exception.
The main hop regions are the UK, America, Germany & the Czech Republic and more recently the New World (Australia and New Zealand).
Hops from the UK share the characteristics of being herbal, earthy, woody and giving a green tea like flavour and aroma. East Kent Goldings (from where I live!) and Fuggles are classic examples.
Hops from Germany and the Czech Republic are known as noble hops and showcase the characteristics of being floral, spicy, peppery, perfumy and sometimes minty. Classic examples include Saaz, Hallertau and Tettnang.
American hops are citrusy and showcase pine, resin and tropical fruits. Some people also get onion or garlic aromas. Examples include the C hops - Citra, Cascade, Chinook and Centennial.
Newer hop varietals are being developed in Australia and New Zealand as the New World hops. They showcase tropical, exotic fruit aromas and flavours and some savoury notes. Famous examples include Nelson Sauvin, Montueka and Waimea varieties.
The intensity of the hop bitterness and aroma depends on when the hop is added to the brew. Add them at the beginning of the boil and you will get the bitterness from them, add them later in the boil, towards the end, or even after fermentation has finished as a dry hop edition and you extract more aroma.
Knowing what hops are in the beer you are tasting can help you hone those 'what to taste for' skills. I'm going to be doing a series of posts about different varieties, so keep an eye out for these for more specifics about each hop!
If you want to hone your tasting skills to recognise hop flavours in your beers - I’ve got a course for that! Build Your Beer Vocabulary looks not only at the words you need to describe hoppy beers, we also do sensory exercises, tasting foods that will remind you of the hop characteristics and build your understanding and confidence in beer tasting. The next session begins on 4th March and you can sign up here now!
