Hello, and Welcome to Great Lakes Hops blogspot!

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  Hello, and welcome to Great Lakes Hops Blogspot! Here I will attempt to post subjects related to the growing, production, selection of brewers hops. I will try to discuss what hops are, their origins and history, varieties and selecting, growing tips, cultural practices, and whatever else I come across that seems helpful to others who are trying to grow hops.

  So, without delay; how about a wee bit on what hops are (and are not).

1. Hops are Humulus lupulus and are in the cannabis family, which also includes a close relative - marijuana.  Both have that infamous lobed leaf.  ( However, you cannot get high smoking hop leaves and you cannot cross breed them with pot, either.) Hop plants produce a single annual crop of papery cones that are harvested for bittering and flavoring beer. The cones can be used fresh and green, dried , whole or pelletized.  Whole cones are also referred to as leaf hops.
2. Hops are a long lived perennial, similar to trees with lifespans of over 100 years. Some female plants have been cloned since the days of King Arthur and the Round Table. Hops grow well in climates with a season of cold that induces dormancy. They are very cold hardy and some varieties grow well as far north as Manitoba, Canada.
3. Hops are dioecious; they have separate male and female plants. Only the female plants are cultivated for brewing beer. Male plants do not produce the desired cones and  only create seeds in female borne cones, which is undesirable in most brewing. Hop bines will die back to the ground during the cold season and resprout every year from an underground crown of buds.
4. Hops have their own "hop speak".  Hop vines (which can grow over 20 feet in a single season) are called "bines".  Hop flowers are called "burrs".  Mature plants have a circular ring of underground buds which resemble a "crown"- from which they resprout each growing season. Hop plants spread underground to form new plants by producing underground woody runners called "rhizomes". (These are what you typically see being sold in 6" pieces on the Internet.)
5. All named hop varieties such as "Fuggle" or "Willamette" are specific female plants that are repeatedly cloned by taking cuttings of stems or rhizomes.(Male plants are issued numbers only, to prevent confusion.)  Each female hop plant variety has a specific set of unique brewing characteristics used to make different beer styles. There are well over two hundred female hop varieties that are maintained world wide. Hops grown from seed are usually considered worthless because their brewing profiles are unknown. You simply would have no idea of what the alpha acid level could be and that is important in determining what kind of beer recipe to use it in.
6. Hop varieties are ranked by two main factors - bitterness and aroma.  Bitterness is measured in terms of alpha and beta acids; the higher the acids the more bitter the brew.  Aromas profiles are based on the aromatic oils; some oils impart a citrus smell or flavor, others may impart a piney or floral profile, and some actually smell like dirt.
7. A third component that is somewhat important is the cohumulone level. Low levels make for a smooth beer, while high levels cause a harsh after taste.

  Hope this post adds to your understanding of what Hops are!