{"id":1097,"date":"2017-02-17T13:19:58","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T21:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/?p=1097"},"modified":"2017-03-17T04:35:14","modified_gmt":"2017-03-17T11:35:14","slug":"hopping-into-your-own-craft-beer-the-chemistry-of-picking-good-hops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/hopping-into-your-own-craft-beer-the-chemistry-of-picking-good-hops\/","title":{"rendered":"Hopping into your own craft beer: the chemistry of picking good hops"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hopping into your own craft beer: the chemistry of picking good hops<\/b><\/p>\n

\"blogpost<\/b><\/p>\n

Barley and hops https:\/\/learn.kegerator.com\/evaluating-hops-smash-brewing\/<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fermented brews have been a part of human culture since before recorded history, but it wasn’t until the end of the dark ages in Germany that hops were added and true beer was brewed. Before that the ales brewed wouldn\u2019t last long before microbes spoiled them. but thanks to the naturally antimicrobial alpha-acid compounds of the wild European hops(Hyptis suaveolens<\/a>) beer could last for months(G. A. Pankey).<\/p>\n

Now, beers could be transported across the continent. Brewers exchanged and experimented with different flavors, aromas, and medicinal properties bestowed by the hop.<\/p>\n

All this attention has pressured selecting the best hops for brewing for so many generations that they\u2019ve effectively been domesticated into the modern species you are familiar with, Humulus lupulus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Humulus lupulus<\/a> is now farmed all over the world for its bitter A-acids, aromatic essential oils, and its medicinal and antimicrobial resins, all found in the lupulin glands of the hop\u2019s flower.<\/p>\n

\"fullhopsphoto\"\"halfhopsphoto\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(left)Hop flower https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Hopfendolde-mit-hopfengarten.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n

(right) Cross section of hop flower http:\/\/indiehops.com\/images\/hoptour10_266x.jpg<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Many have tried to determine a unit for \u201choppyness\u201d by investigating these glands through crushing<\/a>. this is a good first step in discovering some profiles of the hop, but there are many different a-acids responsible for different flavor profiles(Urban), and many different aromatic compounds in the essential oils that can produce different \u201cspice\u201d flavors in the final product than the fresh hop(Graham). Unfortunately, the volatile nature of these compounds causes some of these aromas to evaporate before they can be incorporated into the final product. some aromatic compounds begin to evaporate as soon as the hop is broken and can be gone in seconds(Kralj). This means the only way to determine a hop’s full profile without a lengthy brewing process is steeping a hop tea<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Humulone – the major alpha acid component of hop resins.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The best way to brew a beer that accentuates your hops is to experiment. The home brewers association\u2019s beginners guide<\/a> \u00a0gives step by step instructions for brewing small batches. This is the best test because there may be some clues you can get from fresh hops but \u00a0the only way to really know how your hops (or oil extracts) will perform under pressure is to put them to the test.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

-Ben Wolins<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kralj, D., Zupanec, J., Vasilj, D., Kralj, S. and P\u0161eni\u010dnik, J. (1991), VARIABILITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS OF HOPS, HUMULUS LUPULUS<\/i> L.. Journal of the Institute of Brewing, 97: 197\u2013206. doi:10.1002\/j.2050-0416.1991.tb01066.x<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Urban, J., Dahlberg, C. J., Carroll, B. J. and Kaminsky, W. (2013), Absolute Configuration of Beer\u2032s Bitter Compounds . Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 52: 1553\u20131555. doi:10.1002\/anie.201208450<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Graham T. Eyres ,\u2020<\/a> Philip J. Marriott ,*<\/a>\u2021<\/a> and Jean-Pierre Dufour \u2020<\/a><\/p>\n

Department of Food Science, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand, and Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science, Department of Applied Chemistry, RMIT University, G.P.O. Box 2476V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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  1. A. Pankey, L. D. Sabath; Clinical Relevance of Bacteriostatic versus Bactericidal Mechanisms of Action in the Treatment of Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections. Clin Infect Dis<\/i> 2004; 38 (6): 864-870. doi: 10.1086\/381972<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    “MoreBeer Brewing Techniques – The Essential Oil of Hops: Aroma and Flavor in Hops and Beer.” MoreBeer Brewing Techniques – The Essential Oil of Hops: Aroma and Flavor in Hops and Beer. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hopping into your own craft beer: the chemistry of picking good hops Barley and hops https:\/\/learn.kegerator.com\/evaluating-hops-smash-brewing\/   \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fermented brews have been a part of human culture since before recorded history, but it wasn’t until the end of the dark… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2913,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[17,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1097"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2913"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1097\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}