motleybrew
Well-Known Member
Hello everyone, long time drinker, first time brewer here. 
As a beginning brewer, I've put quite a bit of time into learning the intricacies of beer. Admittedly, in my more youthful days, I was rather blind to the individual constituents of beer and their contributions to the final product. But now, I am slowly acquiring the senses to detect differences in flavor from malts or hops, aromatic contributions, yeast influences...many variables to consider.
One of the more popular ingredients, hops, has taken a limelight position. With the growing home brewing scene (Brewers Association Survey), the availability of a diverse selection of ingredients, especially hops, has risen. According to Huffington Post's coverage of the Great American Beerfest, the top two categories, summing to just under 10 percent of the total number of entrants, were IPA beers. Two of the top three beers in 2013, as rated at ratebeer.com, IPAs. Further evidence such as emerging publications like For the Love of Hops, and events like Hops Day all serve as a testament to the growing fame of hop strong beers. But why?
Hops are proving to be a boon to the craft brewing industry. Tim Lord, the managing director of Australia's major hops producer, the HPA, states that micro breweries are using as much as 10 times more hops into their beers compared to major commercial brands (ABC). He goes on to say that hops are becoming the "hero of the brew." With the burgeoning development of new and unique hop varieties, micro breweries are relying on these new hops as a marketing approach (ABC). So, perhaps there is an element of uniquity, propriety, rebelliousness. But, there is more to the hop attraction.
"Some men just aren't man enough to handle IPA's," states a fellow HBT member on the subject. Of course, this is likely in jest, but the underlying psychology of the statement conjures images of children slapping each others' hands to see who can withstand the greater amount of pain. Hops within the micro brew scene may just prove to be the new battleground for our inner macho to prove dominance over the others.
On the more scientific side of this subject, lies the aptly named 'lupulin threshold shift,' or the apparently insatiable appetite for more and more hops amongst the self-proclaimed 'hopheads' (Popular Science). Physical dependency is not a potential complication of hops; however, there are physical elements. Adaptation and habituation are the two main culprits to hop 'addiction' (Popular Science). The bittering agents in hops, analogous to capsaicin in hot foods, will dull the senses immediately, diminishing the ability to accurately detect future bittering encountered. More long term, habituation describes the fallout effect that the immediate dulling leaves on the tongue. For some time, bitterness detection is diminished, therefore leading the the seeking behaviour for an even more bittered beer. The psychological elements are present, but vague. Perhaps, the typically higher alcohol content of IPAs and similar styles play a part.
In the end, there doesn't seem to be a clear answer as to why there is such a welling popularity of IPAs. I was curious to see others' takes on this, and get a better sense of why hops are the rock star of beers, as it would seem.
As a beginning brewer, I've put quite a bit of time into learning the intricacies of beer. Admittedly, in my more youthful days, I was rather blind to the individual constituents of beer and their contributions to the final product. But now, I am slowly acquiring the senses to detect differences in flavor from malts or hops, aromatic contributions, yeast influences...many variables to consider.
One of the more popular ingredients, hops, has taken a limelight position. With the growing home brewing scene (Brewers Association Survey), the availability of a diverse selection of ingredients, especially hops, has risen. According to Huffington Post's coverage of the Great American Beerfest, the top two categories, summing to just under 10 percent of the total number of entrants, were IPA beers. Two of the top three beers in 2013, as rated at ratebeer.com, IPAs. Further evidence such as emerging publications like For the Love of Hops, and events like Hops Day all serve as a testament to the growing fame of hop strong beers. But why?
Hops are proving to be a boon to the craft brewing industry. Tim Lord, the managing director of Australia's major hops producer, the HPA, states that micro breweries are using as much as 10 times more hops into their beers compared to major commercial brands (ABC). He goes on to say that hops are becoming the "hero of the brew." With the burgeoning development of new and unique hop varieties, micro breweries are relying on these new hops as a marketing approach (ABC). So, perhaps there is an element of uniquity, propriety, rebelliousness. But, there is more to the hop attraction.
"Some men just aren't man enough to handle IPA's," states a fellow HBT member on the subject. Of course, this is likely in jest, but the underlying psychology of the statement conjures images of children slapping each others' hands to see who can withstand the greater amount of pain. Hops within the micro brew scene may just prove to be the new battleground for our inner macho to prove dominance over the others.
On the more scientific side of this subject, lies the aptly named 'lupulin threshold shift,' or the apparently insatiable appetite for more and more hops amongst the self-proclaimed 'hopheads' (Popular Science). Physical dependency is not a potential complication of hops; however, there are physical elements. Adaptation and habituation are the two main culprits to hop 'addiction' (Popular Science). The bittering agents in hops, analogous to capsaicin in hot foods, will dull the senses immediately, diminishing the ability to accurately detect future bittering encountered. More long term, habituation describes the fallout effect that the immediate dulling leaves on the tongue. For some time, bitterness detection is diminished, therefore leading the the seeking behaviour for an even more bittered beer. The psychological elements are present, but vague. Perhaps, the typically higher alcohol content of IPAs and similar styles play a part.
In the end, there doesn't seem to be a clear answer as to why there is such a welling popularity of IPAs. I was curious to see others' takes on this, and get a better sense of why hops are the rock star of beers, as it would seem.
