Why did we choose hops?

We talked a few months back about HOPS, and how they affect the bitterness level in your beer. (If you missed that one, you can find it, and our other beer articles, on our website here.) But there are more reasons to use hops than just bitterness. After all, plenty of other things are bitter.

Why did we choose hops?

It didn't start with hops. Hundreds of years ago, homebrewers used a collection of herbs they called "gruit" to give their beer a depth of flavor. What was in gruit varied from region to region and family to family, but it was often a collection of herbs and spices. Things like rosemary and juniper were common, but so were some we wouldn't be as familiar with, like bogwort and yarrow.

At this time, brewing was done at home. Water wasn't always safe, so brewing beer for the whole family to drink was a household chore, like doing laundry or taking out the trash. (It was also typically the work of the wife or mother, so ladies: be proud of your long & glorious tradition in brewing!) There wasn't a local brewery or bar to visit: you drank homebrew.

Over many years, someone got the bright idea that all this beer should be taxed. Taxing the grain would affect bread and other food, and yeast's role hadn't been discovered yet (you'd have to wait for Pasteur in 1856...but we'll go over that in another Beer 101), so taxing the collection of herbs used in beer, the gruit, only made sense. But anywhere there's money involved, there's someone trying to save a buck. Brewers tried a number of different alternatives to the typical gruit herbs, until someone finally stumbled upon a hairy bine with cone-shaped flowers: the hop.

Of course, there's plenty of taxes now (just ask our bookkeeper!), but there's also plenty of reasons to keep using hops. In addition to the endless varieties and flavors, did you know the hop is also antimicrobial? That's right, having hops in your beer makes it last longer! Not enough to prevent spoiling on its own, but it definitely plays a part. I'm sure you've heard the tale of IPAs being so heavily hopped so that they could make the journey on boat from England to India... But did you know it's likely false? For the real story, you'll have to join us next month...