Hops and Appearance of Beer

So I was doing a little reading reading tonight, and I came across a beer brewing document that says something to the effect of "Hops contribute to the appearance of a beer."

The source is here: (Click on the pdf about hops and hops-products at the top)

The institute of Brewing & Distilling Reading Lists


Webster online says:

Appearance:
1
a : external show : semblance <although hostile, he preserved an appearance of neutrality> b : outward aspect : look <had a fierce appearance> c plural : outward indication <trying to keep up appearances>
2
a : a sense impression or aspect of a thing <the blue of distant hills is only an appearance> b : the world of sensible phenomena
3
a : the act, action, or process of appearing b : the presentation of oneself in court as a party to an action often through the representation of an attorney

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Obviously definition (3) is out. I'm assuming they mean definition (2) instead of (1). But it got me thinking...

Can different types/amounts/times of hops actually change the appearance of beer? The only thing I can think of is extra dry hopping will release lots of hop 'oils', maybe detracting from the head? Just a musing.

Does anyone know anything about this? or had experience?

If you boil some hops in just water for an hour it will turn the water red. So, maybe it contributes slightly to the color of the beer?

MajorTom said:

If you boil some hops in just water for an hour it will turn the water red. So, maybe it contributes slightly to the color of the beer?

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I did not know that. Turns out if you google image search "Hop Tea", some dark yellow liquids show up, among other wierd things.

If only I had more time to do some research with some beer styles.... one day maybe.

they aid in head retention which is part of appearance

What Art said.

They can make the beer hazy as well.