Hoppy Beer, Part II: An official treatise on Humulus lupulus

Delirium Tremens: Hop Beers, Part I: A tale of three IPAs

I remember my first IPA vividly. It was Celebration Ale, a seasonal brew crafted by Sierra Nevada. It poured a rich copper hue, with a creamy off-white head. The aroma was full of fresh hops—big, fruity and citrusy. It tasted, well, hoppy, and the bitterness and big piney flavors were overwhelming. This IPA made me pucker as my taste buds tried to comprehend what was going on. It was not until a few days later, after my second or third bottle, that I got over the bitterness and appreciated the symphony of flavors. Now I don't know what I'd do without the American IPA.

Delirium Tremens: Hoppy Beer, Part III: That explosion in your mouth was a hop bomb

Though I enjoy the smell of napalm in the morning, I do prefer waking up to the aroma of a fresh hop bomb. What's a hop bomb? Imagine a conventionally hopped beer, say an average India Pale Ale (IPA), taken to a whole new level of flavor, bitterness and potency, and you'd have the Double IPA, the beer world's equivalent of an air-to-ground missile. But this time, the target is your taste buds.

Delirium Tremens

Hoppy Beer, Part II: An official treatise on Humulus lupulus

October 30, 2009

Eileen Palmer

**FISH FOOD:** A six-pack of Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale swims in a sea of Swedish Fish. Nebel recommends this type of hoppy beer for its notes of coffee, brown sugar and chocolate.

By now you have hopefully had your first IPA (India Pale Ale) and know what hoppiness is all about. Citrusy, piney, herbal and spicy are some words commonly used to describe the flavors that hops contribute to beer. But what exactly are hops? Now that you know what they taste like after Part 1, here's an exposition on Humulus lupulus.

Humulus lupulus, the hop plant, is a vine-like plant whose name means "the wolf of soil." The hop plant grows in tall bines, which serve as the climbing limbs of this opportunistic species. The word hops actually refers to the female flower clusters of the plant. Fresh hop flowers resemble small, green pinecones. These flowers contain a witches' brew of botanical compounds, resins and essential oils.

Brewers have harnessed the power of hop resins and oils since the 11th century. Hops are commonly thought of as the bittering and flavoring agent of beer, but early on they were most likely used as a natural preservative or a way to mask the flavor of bad beer. Hop resins are broken down into two groups of acids: alpha and beta. Brewers take advantage of high-alpha hops to make beer bitter, whereas high-beta hops are more suitable aroma enhancers.

Though native to Europe and Asia, Humulus lupulus maintains a stronghold in the Pacific Northwest, where some of the boldest American hops—such as Cascade, Simcoe and Warrior varieties—are grown. However, Germany is king when it comes to hop production. Annually, Germany harvests 10,000 more tons of hops than the U.S. North of Munich lies the Hallertau Valley, the single largest hop-growing area in the world.

Not unlike grapes, hops are equally fussy about their growing environments and, to a certain extent, exhibit terroir, a term usually reserved for wine snobs. Terroir refers to the impact a geographic region has on crops such as grapes, coffee beans, tea leaves and, of course, hops. German Hallertau hops have lower alpha acid levels and are more aromatic, a trait best demonstrated in German Pilsners. English hops such as Kent Goldings are distinctively earthy, mellow and equally aromatic. American hops are largely bold, high-alpha varieties, showcased in citrusy and spicy American IPAs.

IPA, however, is not the only beer style that can be hoppy. To varying degrees, hops are present in nearly every beer style. Brewers utilize different techniques to impart hop flavor and aroma to a variety of styles. Dry-hopping, for instance, is a technique involving the addition of whole hops to the fermenter for the sole purpose of producing aroma in the finished product. Here are three excellent brews that prove hop flavor and aroma isn't reserved for IPAs.

Victory Prima Pils

Pils is an abbreviation for Pilsner, but this Pennsylvania-crafted lager exhibits no shortcomings in terms of flavor. Victory Brewing Company produces excellent beers mostly in the German tradition, with Prima Pils as its flagship offering. This Pilsner has a pungent aroma of European hops and a refreshingly bitter flavor: I wouldn't be surprised if Prima Pils is in the neighborhood of 45 IBU (International Bitterness Unit). One of the best American craft-brewed Pilsners out there.

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

Leave it to Dogfish Head to brew a beer with a style completely of its own. This brown ale is dark and malty, but its hoppy character—to the tune of 50 IBU—balances the malt out, achieving an intriguing hybrid style of brown ale, Scottish ale and IPA. The Indian Brown Ale is a hefty brew at 7.2 percent ABV, but it is also exceptionally smooth. Notes of medium-roast coffee, brown sugar sweetness and bittersweet chocolate.

La Chouffe Houblon Chouffe

Houblon Chouffe is a non-traditional Belgian ale brewed by Brasserie d'Achouffe. Though some would classify this beer as a Belgian IPA, I think of it more as an unconventionally hopped Tripel, a Belgian style that is normally sweeter in character. The Houblon Chouffe pours a hazy gold with an incredibly rocky and clumpy head. The flavor is fruity and hoppy, but the Tripel flavor profile of yeast, alcoholic heat and residual sweetness remains intact. Definitely a sipper at nine percent ABV. Houblon Chouffe is an outstanding and intriguing Belgian ale.

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