Beer Hop Varieties for Homebrewing – Know your Hops
Beer hop varieties for homebrewing. Are you familiar with the common hops used for beer brewing?
Homebrewing is getting more and more popular. While its history goes way back to ancient times and it went through various prohibitions, people are finally really catching up now. With the advent of new technologies, homebrewing is made much more possible.
Lately, brewers have taken to growing their own hops, too. It makes sense. It gives them more control over the quality and taste of their brews. Growing hops at home is a great idea that is worth much consideration. What one only needs is a supplier of his/her preferred hops, a spacious land to plant the rhizomes in, the right amount of know-how, patience, and a lot of diligence.
The quality of the hops affects the quality of the brew. That is why it is important that if a brewer is going to cultivate hop plants in his/her own backyard, he/she needs to be more knowledgeable about them. That should help the grower decide which varieties to get. After all, raising these plants will actually take many months. It would be a waste if, at the end of it all, the brew turns out bad.
Some Things to Think About
Before making the commitment to growing hops for brewing, it’s important to consider a few things.
First, since the weather is a factor in growing hops, find out the speed at which plants grow in a certain location. If the area allows a shorter growing period, then it would be better to get a variety that develops fast. That could very well be to the owner’s advantage since the quicker they develop, the longer to enjoy the plants.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture can help identify hardy plants through its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM). It is…
“…the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones.” (USDA PHZM)
“The zones are based on the average annual lowest winter temperature in a location, and each numeric zone spans 10 degrees (F) and is further divided into 5-degree ‘a’ and ‘b’ sections.” (The Seattle Times)
Based on the map, zones 3 to 8 can handle the hardy hops. If a brewer in Washington State, Oregon or Idaho is interested in growing hops, he/she must first check out the state’s local restrictions. It pays to be well-informed.
To help craft brewers who are hops growers or aspiring growers decide, these are the varieties of hops that they may consider. There are actually more. But first, learn the Three Hops Categories:
Aroma hops – lower alpha acid percentage, associated with good aroma, finishing or conditioning hop
Bitter hops – higher alpha acid percentage, used in the boiling process to extract bitterness
Dual-purpose hops – have qualities of both aroma hops and bitter hops
Now, below are just some of the many Varieties of Hops:
Cascade
most beer hop variety — very successful and well-established
character: herbal, wood and peppery, useful for bittering purposes in combination with other hops, suitable for brewing, a cross between Northern Brewer and a Native American variety
aroma: includes evergreen, woody, mint, earthy, fruity
often referred to as part of “CTZ” (similar high alpha bittering varieties: Columbus, Tomahawk®, Zeus)
character: sweet citrus, herbal, spicy
aroma: includes pungent hoppy, black pepper, licorice, curry, herbal, sweet citrus
substitute: Columbus
Those, as mentioned, are just a few of the hops varieties that a homebrewer could consider should he/she decides to continue growing hops. Hopefully, these will help in the decision-making.
Meanwhile, any brewer should seriously consider how to properly store the brew once it is done. The best way is to find a place or something that should keep it fresh, chilled and long-lasting. Luckily, it won’t be hard to find. Kegerators are the perfect answer to this.
Keg Fridge knows a lot about quality kegerators. In fact, they can provide brewers with the right kegerators they need. They are also knowledgeable about homebrewing so any questions one might have, the people at Keg Fridge would most probably be able to answer.
