The use of hops

The special taste of hops

The original use of hops was to preserve beer, where alpha acids have a bacteriostatic effect, not killing bacteria and other microorganisms, but prevent them from multiplying, which is good for long-term preservation of beer. A acid has a strong bitter taste and can stimulate the taste buds. When a person’s taste buds meet bitterness for the first time, they will instinctively produce disgust. This is a normal reaction and part of human evolution. Many poisonous plants in nature have bitter taste. Our old renters learned to avoid them. Develop a taste to avoid poisoning, and this reaction will remain in our body. But don’t worry, hops are not poisonous. Some people can’t accept bitterness for a lifetime, but most people can slowly improve the tolerance of bitterness through slow training, and finally enjoy the bitter taste.

In addition, the rich essential oils produced by hops are reminiscent of the aroma and taste of fruits or herbs (depending on the variety of hops). Let the beer taste more abundant. International Bitternes Uni (abbreviated as IBU) measures the acid content of hops and beer to define the bitterness of the beer.

New challenges in the beer industry

In the past three decades, the beer industry has been in a turbulent situation, and small and beautiful craft breweries have been established. They will add a lot of hops to the beer, much more than the traditional Lager beer. They also prefer a new variety of hops developed by the research center with a more detailed and unique aroma.

For example, the cascade hops, which have been popular since the 1970s, are known for their rich aromas of grapefruit; the Sierra Nevada brewery in California used this hop to produce the first American Indian pastel ale. (IPA). Such market demand has prompted planters to actively cultivate new varieties of hops with higher profitability. The world’s major research centers are also gearing up to develop new varieties with strong aromas. The inevitable result of this passion. It is necessary to grow hops without breaking the land to meet the needs of the growing beer industry.