Hops: Not Just A Beer Ingredient Essay -- Botany

Hops: Not Just A Beer Ingredient The hop, Humulus lupulus, is a cultivated flowering plant, green in color that has many economically important roles. The hop belongs to the hemp family, Cannabinaceae. There are many features that are distinctive about this plant. A hops plant has yellow lupulin glands between the petals, which is used for preservative and flavoring characteristics in beer. The bitterness of the hop is used to balance the sweetness of the malt, and the essential oils add a flavor and aroma which cannot be achieved by using any other plant. The hop plant is a perennial spiraling vine, which will grow in almost any climate given enough water and sunlight. It can climb either string or poles and can reach height of 40 feet. The flowers are usually dried before use. Farmers have developed a systemic approach to the cultivation of hops. There are also a number of chemical compounds present in this plant that give rise to its economic value. (1) The hop plant has several structurally distinctive properties. The root is stout and perennial. The stem that arise from it every year is of a twining nature, reaching a great length, flexible and very tough, angular and prickly, with a tenacious fiber. This fiber has been explored in the manufacturing of a white, durable cloth. The cloth is not of wide use because the fibers are so difficult to separate. Normally, the stems require to be steeped in water a whole winter before they can be utilized. Paper has also been made from the stem of the vine. The leaves are heart-shaped and lobed, on stalks, which are oppositely placed on the stem. The leaves have three to seven lobes and are dark green in color with finely toothed edges. (5) The flowers of this plant arise fro... ...ea also features an abundant supply of water for irrigation, making it ideal for growing hops. Pacific Northwest hops and hop byproducts are now exported around the world. On an annual basis, 60% of all hop production from this region goes overseas. The rest remains in the US for domesticate consumption. (5) REFERENCES 1. Compton's Encyclopedia Online (www.gptonline.com/comptons). 2. Delyser, D., Kasper, W. Hopped beer: the case for cultivation. Economic Botany 48: 166-170. 1994. 3. First Herb Source (www.1stherbsource.com). 4. Haas, G., et al. Antimicrobial activity of hop resins. J. Food Prot. 57:59-61. 1994. 5. Hop Growers of America (www.usahops.org). 6. Neve, R., et al. Hops. Experimental Agriculture 28:123-124. 1992. 7. Stevens, J., et al. Chemistry and biology of hop flavonoids. J. Am. Soc. Brew. Chem. 104:75-82. 1998.