Editing Hops (section)

==Brewing==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}
[[File:The Employment of Women in Britain, 1914-1918 Q28334.jpg|thumb|English brewers dry-hopping casks of beer (1918)]]
[[File:Hops are used for beer brewing.JPG|thumb|right|Hops sample at the Moscow Brewing Company]]

Hops are usually dried in an oast house before they are used in the brewing process.<ref>{{Cite book |last=James S. Hough |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQuwGXt2NYAC&pg=PA78 |title=The Biotechnology of Malting and Brewing |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-521-39553-3}}</ref> Undried or "wet" hops are sometimes (since c. 1990) used.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Elizabeth Aguilera |date=10 September 2008 |title=Hop harvest yields hip beer for brewer |work=Denver Post |url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_10422358}}</ref><ref>Kristin Underwood [http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/its-harvest-time-at-the-sierra-nevada-brewery.php "It's Harvest Time at the Sierra Nevada Brewery"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110913060917/http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/its-harvest-time-at-the-sierra-nevada-brewery.php |date=13 September 2011 }}. Treehugger. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2011.</ref>

The [[wort]] (sugar-rich liquid produced from [[malt]]) is boiled with hops before it is cooled down and [[yeast]] is added, to start [[fermentation]].

The effect of hops on the finished beer varies by type and use, though there are two main hop types: bittering and aroma.<ref name=schon/>

'''Bittering hops''' have higher concentrations of alpha acids, and are responsible for the large majority of the bitter flavour of a beer. European (so-called "noble") hops typically average 5–9% alpha acids by weight (AABW), and the newer American [[cultivar]]s typically range from 8–19% AABW.

'''Aroma hops''' usually have a lower concentration of alpha acids (~5%) and are the primary contributors of hop aroma and (nonbitter) flavour.

Bittering hops are boiled for a longer period of time, typically 60–90 minutes, and often have inferior aromatic properties, as the aromatic compounds evaporate during the boil. The degree of bitterness imparted by hops depends on the degree to which [[alpha acid]]s are [[isomer]]ized during the boil, and the impact of a given amount of hops is specified in [[International Bitterness Units scale|International Bitterness Units]]. On the other hand, unboiled hops are only mildly [[bitter (taste)|bitter]].

Aroma hops are typically added to the wort later to prevent the evaporation of the essential oils, to impart "hop taste" (if during the final 30 minutes of boil) or "hop aroma" (if during the final 10 minutes, or less, of boil). {{anchor|DryHopping}}Aroma hops are often added after the wort has cooled and while the beer ferments, a technique known as "dry hopping", which contributes to the hop aroma. [[Farnesene]] is a major component in some hops.<ref name=schon/> The composition of hop essential oils can differ between varieties and between years in the same variety, having a significant influence on flavour and aroma.<ref name=schon/>

Today, a substantial amount of "dual-use" hops are used, as well. These have high concentrations of alpha acids and good aromatic properties. These can be added to the boil at any time, depending on the desired effect.<ref>{{Cite book |last=John Palmer |url=http://www.howtobrew.com/ |title=How to Brew |publisher=Brewers Publications |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-937381-88-5 |location=Boulder, CO |pages=41–44}}</ref> Hop acids also contribute to and stabilize the foam qualities of beer.<ref name=schon/>

Flavours and aromas are described appreciatively using terms which include "grassy", "floral", "citrus", "spicy", "piney", "lemony", "grapefruit", and "earthy".<ref name=schon/><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZPTBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA867 |title=Malting and Brewing Science: Volume II Hopped Wort and Beer |vauthors=Hough JS, Briggs DE, Stevens R, Young TW |date=6 December 2012 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4615-1799-3 |page=867}}</ref>
Many [[pale lager]]s have fairly low hop influence, while lagers marketed as [[Pilsener]] or brewed in the Czech Republic may have noticeable noble hop aroma. Certain [[ale]]s (particularly the highly hopped style known as [[India Pale Ale]], or IPA) can have high levels of hop bitterness.

Brewers may use software tools to control the bittering levels in the boil and adjust recipes to account for a change in the hop bill or seasonal variations in the crop that may lead to the need to compensate for a difference in alpha acid contribution. Data may be shared with other brewers via [[BeerXML]] allowing the reproduction of a recipe allowing for differences in hop availability.

Lately the dried pucks, extracts and pellets replace whole hops in brewing processes because of efficiency and cost.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jan |date=2022-12-23 |title=Hops |url=https://beerwiki.org/hops/ |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=Beerwiki |language=en-US |archive-date=29 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229212152/https://beerwiki.org/hops/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>