For the Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops

This book expertly explains the nature of hops, their origins, and how brewers maximise their positive attributes throughout the brewing process. Stan Hieronymus starts with the basics of hop chemistry, then examines the important role farmers play and how brewers can best choose the hops they need. He provides fundamental information about and descriptions of over 100 hop varieties, along with 16 recipes from around the world, including from top U.S. craft brewers. Hieronymus explores hop quality and utilisation, with an entire chapter devoted to dry hopping. Throughout, Hieronymus research and accessible writing style educate the reader on the rich history of hops and their development into an essential ingredient in beer.

Stan Hieronymus is a lifelong journalist who has made beer his beat since 1993. Former editor at RealBeer.com and ProBrewer.com and former co-travel editor for All About Beer magazine, he remains an enthusiastic traveler, happily sharing what he learns along the way. He's authored four books for Brewers Publications – Brewing Local (2016), For the Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops (2012), Brewing with Wheat (2010) and Brew like a Monk (2005) – and contributed to many more. He's also written hundreds of articles for multiple publications and blogs at www.appellationbeer.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Introduction

Me to Mirror: So You Want to Write a Book About Hops?

About the Book

1. The Hop and Aroma

Hop Oils: Secrets Not Yet Revealed

Less Is More and Other Aroma Secrets

Hop Aroma Impact

The Language of Aroma and Flavor

Why You Smell Tomahto and I Smell

2. A Plant With a Past

‘We Like the Hop That Grows on This Side of the Road'

3. A Plant With a Future

4. Growing Hops

Location, Location, Location

Size Matters, But So Does Family

5. Harvesting Hops

Turning Acres of Hops Into Bales

Rubbing and Sniffing

A Brewer's Guide to Evaluating and Selecting Hops

6. The Hop Store

Pelletizing & Pellet Products

Hop Extracts

Advanced Hop Products

From Admiral to Zeus

7. Hops in the Brewhouse

Alpha Acids and Beta Acids

The Bitterness Drift

Understanding IBU and Calculating Utilization

Ready, Set, Start Adding Hops

Post-Boil Hopping

8. Dry Hopping

The Universal Questions

Form

Temperature

Quantity

Residence Time and Number of Additions

Fermenter Geometry

Yeast

Varieties

The Slurry Method

Hop Cannon

Torpedo

9. The Good, the Bad, and the Skunky

Hop Quality Group: A Learning Process

Pellets: Easier to Store but Just as Fragile

Polyphenols and Phenols

‘Skunky' by Any Other Name (‘Imported') Is Still a Fault

Some Like Their Hops Slightly Aged, Some Quite Old

Dry Hopping and Flavor Stability

10. What Works

About the Recipes

The Recipes

Old World's Mantra, Brasserie de la Senne

Indian Brown Ale, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

New Zealand Pale Ale, Epic Brewing and Good George Brewing

Union Jack IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing

Fuller's 1845, Fuller, Smith & Turner

Kissmeyer Stockholm Syndrom Imperial IPA, Kissmeyer Beer & Brewing

Red Ale, Marble Brewery

English Lager, Meantime Brewing

14° Tmavé Speciální Pivo, Pivovar Kout na Šumav˘e

Bavarian Helles, Private Landbrauerei Schönram

Mein Nelson Sauvin, G. Schneider & Sohn

Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing

Hopfen, Urban Chestnut Brewing

Kellerpils, Victory Brewing

Verboten, Weyerbacher Brewing

11. Epilogue

Bibliography

Index