Hop to it: what are hops and what do they do?
Hops are one of those key ingredients and often spoken about elements of the craft beer brewing process, but they’re also one of the least understood. You will see hops noted on cans and bottles and folks will refer to beers as “hoppy”, yet what hops actually do in the brewing process can be a bit of a mystery. The long and short of it is that hops play a role in smell, taste and drinking sensation of craft beer, and we love exploring the Art of Brewing here at St Ives Brewery, so playing with hops is certainly high on our agenda.
Hops are the flowers and cones from the hop plant, which contain natural oils and compounds that are released during brewing processes. They bring bitterness to the table, alongside shaping flavour and aroma of craft beers. A beer with our hops is going to be overly sweet and lack that joyous balance we know and love, as malted barley releases a lot of natural sugar during brewing. Hops play devils advocate to this sweetness, adding their bitterness and creating a cleaner and more refreshing finish to make beer infinitely more drinkable.
Whilst hops are used to create bitterness, this doesn't mean in a way that makes the flavour or drinking experience unpleasant. It's all about balance. In much the same way a squeeze of lemon can elevate a great plate of food, the hops hone and sharpen a beer. Each strain of hops will have its own characteristics, which help brewers to control and develop different flavours using a variety of hops at different stages of the brewing process.
Aside from bitterness, the hops used in a beer are the key determinants of the flavours and aromas that we associate with modern craft beer. Citrus, tropical fruit, stone fruit, pine, floral and herbal tones can all come from different types of hops. That beautiful craft beer character isn't added artificially, they occur naturally and are found within the hop oils. They can be bold or subtle, the choice rests with the brewer and the type of beer they are creating.
When, where and how hops are added to a brewing process is equally as important as which strain of hops is chosen. Add it early and they will contribute more heavily to bitterness but have less impact on aroma as the delicate oils are simply boiled off. Use a late hop addition to bring stronger flavours and add after the boil for a 'dry hop' to focus those hops on big aromas. Brewers will layer their approach, to create more complex and interesting beers.
There's another, less favour and smell-based advantage to hops too. They possess natural antibacterial properties, this helps to protect the beer from spoiling. Obviously, modern approaches to brewing mean that beer doesn't need to rely on hops for its own preservation, they still help to contribute to that shelf life.
It's easy to expect all beers to be boldly hoppy, but not all beers need to have this big impact. Other beers use hops in a gentler manner, helping to support other flavours from ingredients like malts, rather than dominating them. Beers like like lagers or more traditional style English brown ales have a far less bold character, so the hops behave a little more of a reserved role.
Next time you enjoy a beer, take a moment to smell it before you drink. That burst of citrus, pine, or fruit is often the hops revealing themselves first. They may work behind the scenes, but hops play a huge role in turning beer into something expressive, balanced, and memorable.
