What is the difference between beer Aroma hop and Bitter hop?

In the brewing process of craft beer, hops must be used. Hops are divided into fragrant flowers and bitter flowers. Many people know what kind of hops should be put in when and how much, but they don't know why they should be put in this way, let alone the difference between fragrant flowers and bitter flowers.

Hops

Also known as hop flower, it belongs to the genus Humulus in the family Cannabis family of the order Urtica. It is a climbing herb with a continuous high yield of about 20 years. Dioecious, it is the female flowers that are used to brew craft beer.

• Aroma hop characteristics

(1) The α-acid content of aroma hops is not high, and the ratio of α-acid to β-resin is less than 1;

(2) The content of aroma hop oil is lower than that of bitter hops, which also shows that the aroma of hops is related to the composition of hop oil, and has nothing to do with the content;

(3) Aroma hops have poor disease resistance and low yield.

• Bitter hop characteristics

(1) Bitter hops have high α-acid content, and the ratio of α-acid to β-resin is >1;

(2) The hop oil content of bitter hops is higher than that of aroma hops, because the content of myrcene is high;

(3) Bitter hops have strong disease resistance and high yield.

Difference Between Aroma Hops and Bitter Hops Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

(1) Judging by the content ratio of α-acid and β-resin, α-acid/β-resin>1 is bitter hop; α-acid/β-resin<1 is aroma hop.

(2) The humulone content of aroma hops accounts for less than 25% of the α-acid content; bitter hops account for more than 30% of the α-acid content.

(3) The polyphenol content of hop flowers is higher than that of bitter flowers, but the α-acid content is lower than that of bitter flowers, so we can also use the ratio of polyphenols to α-acid to distinguish bitter flowers from fragrant flowers.

(4) The humulene epoxide in aroma hops is one of the main sources of aroma, and the humulene content of aroma hops is higher than that of bitter hops, so we can also distinguish aroma hops from bitter hops The distinction between types of hops.

The reason why hops are added to craft beer is to increase the aroma and bitterness of craft beer, and to improve the antiseptic ability of craft beer. To make the taste and aroma of craft beer more attractive, knowledge of hops is the key.