Reason to be a Hop Head

Hop head (häp′hed′)
-noun
1. A person who is obsessed with the aroma, flavor, bitterness, or medicinal properties of hops.
2. An individual who is often found burying his or her nose into a hop bag or tulip glass containing an IPA.
3. A person who watches old Keystone Light "bitter beer face" commercials and says, "Damn. Where can I get some of what that guys drinking?"


Many people associate hops with the bitterness that lingers on the back of the tongue after drinking high IBU (international bitterness units) beers. While heavily hopped beers do tend to be more bitter than other beers, this stereotype does not always hold. Hops are more versatile than many people realize and depending on how long they are boiled, they lend different characteristics to the brew. More bitterness is extracted with longer boils; however if hops are only boiled for a few minutes, other flavors and aromas will be infused into the beer (ie. piney, citrus, fruity, grassy, spicy, flowery, etc.). Dry-hopping--adding hops to the fermenter without boiling them--will provide fresh aromas with minimal flavor additions. A good example of a commercial beer with amazing hop aroma and flavor is Russian River's Pliny the Elder.

Dry-hopped IPA in the secondary fermenter

My last Pliny until I get back to CO, sigh...

Hops are utilized in almost every style of beer--gruts being a rare example of an unhopped style. The antimicrobial properties of hops make them an attractive ingredient even when their flavor and aroma is not desired in the finished product. In fact, hops have many properties that contribute to their wide usage outside of the world of brewing. Lupulin--a yellow granular resin produced by the strobiles of hops--has been used therapeutically to treat a variety of conditions including insomnia, nervous tension, appetite loss, digestive problems, anxiety, tension headaches, ulcers, and intestinal cramps. Lupulin contains chemical substances that provide a mild sedative effect which is often compared to that of THC--the psychoactive substance produced by cannabis. It may be noteworthy that hops belong to the Cannabaceae family, which may aid in the explanation of why hops and cannabis affect our bodies in similar ways.

A close up of lupulin Photo by: Luke Madden

In the name of science and in order to verify the effects of lupulin on the body, Matt McElwee volunteered himself as a test subject.

After eating less than half an ounce of perle hops, Matt was overwhelmed by the sensation to sleep. And thus our initial hypothesis was verified--lupulin is indeed a potent substance. No wonder hop heads tend to be such chilled out people.

Matt catching some z's after munching on some hops.