Good Things I Have Eaten Entry #3: American Hops

On the first week of class after summer break, we did two days of beer class. With lectures in the mornings and tastings in the afternoons, we summed up a whole world of beer in twelve hours of class.

I learned a lot about the brewing process and the different styles and traditions of beer making.

I had always thought that I love all beer rather equally, but actually, I learned that I don't love beer itself, I love the hops in beer. Monks in the middle ages discovered that hops (bitter, green, cone-shaped flowers) help preserve beer and provide a pleasant bitterness and balance to the final product.

English and American styles of beer tend to go heavy on the hops, but not all hops are created equal. Different varieties of hops have decidedly different aromas and lend very different flavors to the beers. English hops tend to be spicy and reminiscent of Indian food, and English Ales, although interesting, in general don't taste that good (especially when served warm and flat, pumped by hand from a cask).

I can proudly say that American Hops are the best. Cascade is the hardest working American hop, and it gives the distinctive, crisp, citrus aroma to great American Pale Ales like Sierra Nevada. In two days of beer tasting, Sierra Nevada tasted the best. Full flavored, refreshingly bitter, satisfying but not cloying like the syrupy, bready Belgian beers, S.N. completely stole the show, all thanks to the mighty American Hops that go into it.

Some get turned off by the robust, piny bitterness of American Pale Ale, but these are not only my favorite beers, but my favorite beverages in the world. I like them more than any wine, cocktail, soda, coffee, or tea that I drink. I am truly a converted hop head.

An American Hop Head.