If malt is the substance, hops are the soul

The soul is where you get who you are from, right? Either way, here is a brief lesson on american hops.

Hops

Hops. BrewDog bloody loves hops. Bloody, bloody, bloody loves hops. If you haven’t noticed everything at BrewDog revolves around different hops, dry hops and IBU’s (International Bittering Units for those who don’t know). They push the limits of high IBU’s while maintaining balance and sure they (or we?) rock out the ABV like rock stars. But the key thing here is hops.

I’ve really learned so much about hops since I’ve been here. The hop store has more types of hops than I’d ever heard of before I headed up here and they all have a place in the product range. Here are a few I’ve become a big fan of.

The 3 C’s: Chinook, Centennial and Cascade. These are the big 3 American hops. High alpha acids for bittering and a just packed with aroma and flavour. You get some pungent bitterness (yes, you can smell it a bit) and a bit of citrus. You get some earthy notes and overall just lots of awesome as well as some resiny flavours as well. These hops are what give American made IPA’s their edge over UK and traditional IPA’s and give make Imperial IPA’s boss.

Amarillo: Another big American hop with similar notes to the last one. It is full of flavour and aroma and could probably smack the taste buds off an unsuspecting victim. These bad boys are lethal and with the 3 above have redefined what beer can, and should, be.

Simcoe: See above. It might be fifth on this list but not in my, or any IPA lovers, heart.

  

There are many other varieties of hops out there but none have showed me the ways of the force like these ones. I know exactly what I’ll be brewing with when I get back. With new knowledge, new weapons and a new appreciation for Americans (well, their hops) I’m ready to take IPA’s to the next level. I hope you guys are ready!!