Master Beer Brewing with This Essential Guide to Hops | From Zero to Brewmaster

Introduction to hops-a beginner’s guide to brewing beer Hops are the green, cone-shaped flowers of the female hop plant, also known by its scientific name Humulus lupulus. Hops play a vital role in the beer brewing process and also affect the flavor of the finished beer. Hops are rich in alpha acids, which are the main bittering agents used by brewers to balance the sweetness imparted by the grains in beer during the brewing process. Hops bring an iconic, intoxicating flavor and aroma to many beers. Before modern cold storage technology, hops were an important beer preservative.

How many kinds of hops are there?

How many varieties of hops are there now? This is a difficult question to answer because there are so many kinds of hops. There are currently about 80 different kinds of hops on the market, they come from all over the world. Beer brewing is a complex business, and new varieties are constantly being cultivated and developed.

But, hops can be divided into the following three categories:

Bitterness: Bitter hops often contain a lot of acids and can impart bitterness to beer;
Aroma: Aroma hops have lower acidity, but the taste and aroma are more obvious, which can help beer to get a specific taste and smell;
Double: Double hops tend to have medium-to-high acidity and good odor, which can impart aroma and bitterness to beer.

What is the role of hops?

Hops are known as the “soul of beer” and are one of the indispensable raw materials for beer brewing. Adding hops in the brewing process has three main functions:

Increase the bitterness to balance the sweetness of the grains;
Increase the taste and aroma of beer;
Increase the shelf life and stability of beer;

Introduction of 17 common hops

Cascade hops

Cascade was developed and planted by Oregon under the breeding program of the United States Department of Agriculture in 1972. He has a mid-to-high intensity floral fragrance and a unique smell. So, it has become the most popular fragrant flower variety in the United States.

Country of Origin: United States
Alpha acid content: 4.5-7.0%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Features: Very pronounced grapefruit citrus aroma and taste.
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to boil in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: American light color ale, amber ale, IPA

Magnum hops

Magnum is a very good hop. It was cultivated in Huell, Germany in 1980. It has a very clean bitter taste and excellent storage. It is generally believed that this hop was rediscovered and widely planted by Americans in recent years. At present, some opinions believe that the hop originated from Garena hops, and this hop is very suitable for use as bitter flowers in IPA.

Origin: Germany
Alpha acid content: 12-14%
Type: bitter flower

Centennial hops

Centennial is a fragrant flower that was put on the market in 1990. It is considered a very balanced hop and is often referred to as the “Super Cascade”. He is very suitable for brewing ales beer, and whether it is barley or wheat beer, it can blend with it.

Country of Origin: United States
Alpha acid content: 12-14%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma

Fuggle hops

In the late eighteenth century, Fuggle hops were once known as “the cornerstone of British beer brewing.” Richard Fuggle of Kent cultivated the hop in the area in 1861 and officially named the hop Fuggle when it went on the market in 1875. At present, the hop has been widely planted in Europe and the United States. Although Fuggle hops are both bitter and fragrant varieties, they have a higher cost when used as bitter flowers due to their lower alpha acid. Fuggle has a high content of caryophyllene and farnesene, which gives him the aroma of herbs and woody plants. Because Fuggle is the UK’s lowest-produced hop variety and has good storage properties, it is very popular in the UK market.

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Alpha acid content: 3.5-5.5%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma

Chinook hops

Chinook is a hop with excellent bitterness and aroma. It is often used to brew APA and IPA. It is also suitable for brewing some dark beer.

Country of Origin: United States
Alpha acid content: 12-14%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Features: Very significant aroma and a little spicy smell.
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to be boiled in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: American light color ale, amber ale, IPA

Columbus hops

Columbus, Cascade, and Centennial are also called 3C hops. This hop is also called CTZ together with Tomahawk and Zeus. It can be seen from the naming that Columbus is a very important and representative hop. There are still some controversies about the naming and copyright of this hop. Columbus is a great hop, it has a fantastic aroma, and the alpha acid content is as high as 14-16%. The oil content of Columbus hops is moderate, and the various ingredients are relatively balanced.

Country of Origin: United States
Alpha acid content: 14-18%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Features: earthy fragrance, citrus aroma, and taste.
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to be boiled in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: pale ale, amber ale, IPA, imperial stout

Czech Saaz hops

Saaz hop is a great hop, he changed the history of beer brewing. It helped us define European beer and Bohemian style beer (eg pilsener). This hop is also grown in large quantities in the United States and Belgium. Variants of this hop, B Saaz and D Saaz, have also been cultivated in New Zealand. Saaz hops have a long-lasting fragrance, slightly herbal scent, balanced oils, and rich in polyphenols. So, it has a good antioxidant effect on beer and prolongs the shelf life of beer taste.

Country of Origin: Czech Republic
Alpha acid content: 2-6%
Type: Fragrant Flower
Features: Elegant, pleasant fragrance.
Use: It can be used as a fragrant flower to be boiled in a pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: European style ale, lager, pilsener

Crystal US imported hops

Crystal hops were cultivated in Oregon in 1983. The alpha acid of the hops is generally 3.5-6%, and the myrcene content is relatively high, which brings a mixed woody, floral and fruity aroma to this hop.

Country of Origin: United States
Alpha acid content: 3.5-6%
Type: Fragrant Flower
Features: woody, floral and fruity aroma, and taste.
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to be boiled in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: pale ale, golden ale, IPA, also suitable for an imperial stout and lager beer

Nugget US imported hops

Nugget was put on the market in 1982. It was a cross between Brewer Gold and a high alpha male flower. This hop contains less lupulin, myrcene content is slightly higher, and has a better woody aroma. Nugget is a relatively storage-resistant hop and has excellent bitterness and aroma, so it is very popular in commercial brewing.

Country of Origin: United States
Alpha acid content: 9.5-14%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Features: Very significant woody plant aroma and a little peach scent.
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to be boiled in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: ale, imperial stout, barley wine

Golding hops

Golding hops are very famous traditional British hops, which are now widely planted in other European countries and the United States.

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Alpha acid content: 4-6%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Suitable for brewing: The flower has an elegant and long-lasting aroma, which is very suitable for brewing American and English ale-style beer.

Tettnanger hops

Tettnanger is named after the German Tettnanger hop-producing area. It is a very noble variety. This hop has a high-quality aroma and low humulone content. The characteristics of Tettnanger hops are like those of Czech Saaz hops. The content of various olefins is within a moderate range, and farnesene is as high as 34%. Since Tettnanger hops are not produced globally, they have always been a scarce variety. Especially Tettnanger in the German production area, the output is even scarce.

Origin: Germany
Alpha acid content: 3-6%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Suitable for brewing: Tettnanger hops are suitable for brewing various styles of German, English lager, and ales beer.

DANA hops

DANA is a hop with a bitter taste and excellent aroma. It was bred through a cross between a Magnum from Germany and a hop from Slovenia.

Origin: Slovenia
Alpha acid content: 11-16%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Features: aroma and taste of lemon and pineapple.
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to be boiled in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: pale ale, amber ale, IPA, Bock, imperial stout

Mt hood hops

Mt Hood is a descendant of a branch of the Hallertau hop family. It is a crossbreed of colchicine containing Hallertau hops tetraploid and USDA 19058M. This hop is named after Mount Hood, which is located on the East River in Portland, by the United States Department of Agriculture. Mt Hood hops were put on the market in 1989. Like Hesbruck, Germany, they have a lower alpha value and are mainly used as fragrant flowers.

Country of Origin: United States
Alpha acid content: 4-8%
Type: Fragrant Flower
Features: mild and pleasant smell.
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to be boiled in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: suitable for a wide range, suitable for brewing all kinds of ale, yeast wheat beer, Bock, imperial stout, IPA, etc.

Challenger hops

Challenger is a popular hop in the UK. It was bred by WYE University using Northern Brewer hops and a German hop cultivated in 1961. This is a hop with a bitter taste and good aroma, and the alpha acid content is generally 6.6-8.5%. This hop was released in 1968 and has a good aroma and disease resistance. This hop has a wide range of applications, with excellent bitterness and aroma, and at the same time, it can be used for dry casting. It has a smooth and soft flavor, mixed with cypress, green tea, citrus, and spices. So, many different styles of beer can be brewed.

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Alpha acid content: 6.5-8.5%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Features: the scent of cypress, green tea, citrus, spices.
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to be boiled in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: British ale, Porter, imperial stout, British Bitter, Brown Ale, Barley Wine

Warrior hops

Warrior is a high alpha variety cultivated in Yakima’s chief ranch in recent years. Due to its low humulone content, it has a mild fragrance and excellent bitterness quality.

Country of Origin: United States
Alpha acid content: 14-16.5%
Type: bitter flower
Suitable for brewing: This hop provides a stable, clean bitter taste, which is very suitable for brewing IPA.

Citral hops

Citral is a bitter, scented hop launched in 2007, cultivated by the American Hop Breeding Company. It is a crossbreeding of Mittelfruh, Tettnanger, East Kent Golding, Brewers Gold, and many other known fragrant flowers. It has a strong citrus aroma and tropical fruit aroma (such as mango, guava, etc.). The alpha acid content is higher than that of ordinary fragrant flowers. Citral is a rookie of fragrance flowers after the traditional four noble fragrance flowers. Citral is the most popular high-end and high-quality fragrant flower among brewers in the American beer house beer burg.

Country of Origin: United States
Alpha acid content: 11-13%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to be boiled in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: American light color ale, IPA.

Marynka polish hops

Marynka is one of the few Polish hops. Marynka hops are a variety of hops with a bitter taste and excellent aroma. But, we often use it as a bitter flower. The hop has a certain soil and plant aroma, which is suitable for brewing lager and pilsener beer.

Origin: Poland
Alpha acid content: 9-12%
Type: bitter taste and good aroma
Use: It can be used as a bitter flower and fragrant flower to be boiled in the pot, and it is also suitable for dry throwing.
Suitable for brewing: pale ale, lager, pilsener.

These are just a few hop varieties that can be used to brew beer. Not only that, the brewer will mix different hops and try when to add them to the brewed beer. Each step is critical and should be carefully planned to make the final craft beer. But hops have so many different tastes, aromas, and bitterness characteristics, the choices are endless!

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Introduction to hops-a beginner’s guide to brewing beer