Purposeful Hops
The very nature of hops has changed since the advent of our craft beer revolution. Now we have brewers using hops just for the fun of it! We have drinkers searching for hoppy beers just for effect! We have hop growers creating new hop types just because they can!
Hops actually do have a job, and they are added to beer for several good reasons. Basically, they act as protection against souring bacteria in the beer. That was their original purpose, a use that dates back to 736 CE (Common, or Christian, Era).
Today, the bitterness that hops impart to the beer is a refreshing element in the good taste of that beer. These are now called bittering hops, and they are added to the sweet beer wort after that liquor has been separated from the malt and grain mash, and as it is brought to a boil in the brewery’s giant brew kettle. Then, the boiling action activates the resins and incorporates them into the sweet wort by a process called isomerization. The beer wort is boiled with the hops, which also has the effect of concentrating the sugars and eliminating some proteins before they can damage the flavor of the finished beer. When the boiling action is completed (about 90 minutes), the brewer adds a limited amount of more flavorful aromatic hops, and these impart their special character to the process.
Ah, the Lupulin!
As beer drinkers consume their beverage, something other than drunkenness takes place. We relax, smile, giggle, and sometimes take to singing. This is what I call the lupulin effect of the beer.
Lupulin (2,5T lupinol) is the active ingredient in the hop resins.
There is a feeling of relaxed well-being; one feels like talking and exchanging views. The lupulin effect also seems to be educational. You can discourse on any subject and at great length. The lupulin effect seems to enhance the singing voice. No matter you don’t know the words—any words will do. “Through the lips and over the gums, lookout stomach, here it comes!”
The lupulin effect reduces one’s inhibitions. You immediately become erudite, intelligent, friendly, and in dire need of another pint.
Lupulin is increasingly addictive. No longer will one be satisfied with a beer like Coors or Miller, at a mere 15 bitterness. No, this will not do at all; one needs more lupulin to survive. Soon Heineken, Beck’s, and Bass are left far behind, as one wanders ever deeper into lupulin addiction. Nothing less than an IPA will suffice; even 100 IBUs may not satisfy.
Lupulin contributes to our good health by stimulating deep breathing and song, but best of all, it makes the drinker feel richly contented. It’s the lupulin in beer that makes you sleep well and wake up happy. It does this by reducing anxiety and nervous tension—acting as a mild depressant. The lupulin also puts a damper on aggressive tendencies, which, in some people, are released by the alcohol. There’s also an improvement in one’s sex life. Beer drinkers are better lovers. (Ask any beer drinker if you doubt that.)
We sniff—the hop bouquet is an overwhelming fait accompli—the lupulin grabs us by our olfactory nerves, and we are once again lost in the stunning grandeur of the moment. “In heaven there is no beer, so we must drink it here!”
Now is the time to drink. Drink! Drink! Drink!
