Typicality of hop varieties

【The typicality of hops】

The typicality of hop varieties can be divided into aroma type and bitter type. In the past, the quality of hops was judged by sensory identification. Most of the well-known varieties selected were scented hops, which were famous for their unique delicate and refreshing hop aroma, such as Sass in Czech, Spelt in Germany and Gore in England. Dingdu belongs to this category. In recent years, due to the development of science and technology and analytical methods, the composition and function of hops have become more clear, and the international trend is to measure the value of hops with α-acid content, which represents the bitterness of hops. Pay attention to bitter hops with high α-acid, and cultivate many new varieties of such hops, such as Northern Brewer, Wye Target, Galena, Magnum.

【Characteristics and usage of aroma hops and bitter hops】

1.Features

The α-acid content of traditional aroma hops is generally not high, and the ratio of α-acid and β-resin is generally less than 1; It is related, not related to its content; the disease resistance of aroma hops is generally poor, and the unit yield is also relatively low. Bitter hops have high α-acid content, and the ratio of α-acid to β-resin is generally >1; the hop oil content of bitter hops is generally higher than that of fragrant hops, mainly due to the high content of geranene; Strong disease resistance and high yield. It is very beneficial to improve the quality of beer and improve the utilization rate of hops if we can cultivate varieties with both sweetness and bitterness. This work has already been carried out abroad. The United States, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom are leading and have cultivated many excellent varieties with ultra-high alpha-acid content and certain aroma

2.Instructions

Various countries use hops, generally both bitter and aromatic. When the wort is boiled, first add bitter hops to make full use of its α-acid, and then add aroma hops to maintain the fragrance.

At present, due to the rich variety of hops and the availability of various hop products, the choice of using hops is more extensive, and the method of adding hops is also more flexible. In a word, the principle is to maximize the utilization rate of α-acid and fully maintain the aroma type of hops.

3.Identification and evaluation of aroma hops and bitter hops

The difference of hop varieties lies in the form of growth, the vitality of growth, the morning and evening of maturity, the level of yield per unit, the content of α-acid, the composition of hop oil, the ability to resist various diseases and insect pests, etc. As for the identification of fragrant flowers and bitter flowers, remove the In addition to the determination of α-acid, identification and classification can still be carried out according to the content of some components.

The difference between traditional bitter and fragrant hops is obvious, and the newly cultivated varieties are mostly high α-acid content varieties or varieties between bitter and fragrant hops, but the following methods can still be used for identification and classification:

(1) Judging by the content ratio of α-acid and β-resin, those with α-acid/β-resin>1 are generally bitter hops, and those with α-acid/β-resin <1 are generally aromatic hops.

(2) The synhumulone content of aroma hops generally accounts for less than 25% of the α-acid content, or even lower. Bitter hops generally account for more than 30% of the α-acid content, or even higher. Isomers, bitter and rough, brewers prefer to use hop varieties with low cohumulone content. The ratio of humulones to cohumulones can also be used to identify varieties, and the higher ratio is better.

(3) The content of polyphenols and sesquiterpene oxides in fragrant flower is higher than that of bitter flower, while the content of α-acid is lower than that of bitter flower. -The level of acid ratio can also identify bitter flowers and fragrant flowers.

(4) The epoxide of humulene is one of the main sources of aroma of hops, and the content of humulene in aroma-type flowers is generally higher than that in bitter-type flowers. Hop quality can also be evaluated from the content ratio of humulene and caryophyllene in sesquiterpenes, and the one with higher ratio is better.

(5) Different hop varieties have different chromatographic peak shapes of hop oil. The peak shape of hop oil of the same variety is basically similar regardless of its origin and climatic conditions, which can be used to identify varieties.