Other Hop Varieties
Beer makers have been utilising hops (Humulus lupulus L.) to flavour their brew since the eleventh century. There is evidence that the mighty hop was introduced to the United States from England New York New York and Wisconsin Downey
Today, about 75% of all domestically grown hops start life in the Yakima Valley, Washington. Those, together with the hops grown in the other two hop producing states, Idaho and Oregon amount to over twenty-two thousand tonnes each year.
Production of beer accounts for the use of around 98% of all hops grown throughout the world, with the remaining 2% being used for herbal relaxation aids, as a component in some deodorants and boiled and eaten as a vegetable.
Lupulin, which contains the essential oils that give the hop its aroma and beer its flavour, is produced from resin glands in the female cone of the plants. The bittering component of Lupulin is an Alpha Acid and is generally measured in percentage terms, with a higher Alpha Acid producing a more intense bitter flavour.
There are essentially three types of hop are grown in the United States : the Old World varieties; the American varieties; and the new High Alpha varieties.
The Old World varieties include the traditional and popular strains of Europe and hybrids which originated from them. Examples include Fuggle, Cascade, Willamette, Columbia
American varieties include Early and Late Cluster and the less popular, Talisman. The Cluster cultivar lends itself particularly well to mechanical harvesting and has a high yield which goes some way towards explaining why it is the most widely grown hop variety in the United States
High-Alpha varieties include Brewer's Gold, Bullion, Nugget, Chinook, Galena United States
