# Hops and beer
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 10, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839 "2008-03-10T16:25:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/1 "2008-03-10T16:25:50Z")
How did hops become the standard flavouring for beer? Are there any common substitutes for hops?
What would beer taste like sans hops?
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/2 "2008-03-10T16:38:30Z")
Beer would be sweeter and generally less interesting in the absence of hops or any other substitute flavouring - they’re responsible for a lot of the aromatic and bitter components of the flavour.
I’ve made beer flavoured with Bog Myrtle (unpromising name - aka ‘sweet gale’) - it’s been widely used to flavour beer, and I believe it was the standard before hops gained popularity. The plant has a resinous, spicy aroma - not unlike rosemary, but the beer flavoured with them has a really fresh, almost floral quality.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/3 "2008-03-10T16:49:23Z")
IANABrewer, but aren’t wheat brews really light on the hops, or missing them altogether? Hefeweisen, lambic, etc. I’ve been told by beer connoisseurs that’s why I prefer them; I’m not a fan of the bitter notes in hops. (Guinness excepted, for some odd reason - a perfect temperature Guinness tastes almost as neutral as water to me, although too-cold Guinness does taste bitter.)
I also found this page on making [gruits](http://www.maltosefalcons.com/tech/styleseries/gruit.php): beer with other herbs, notably yarrow, wild rosemary and bog myrtle, instead of hops.
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### Author:  [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/4 "2008-03-10T16:53:56Z")
As I understand it, it goes back to the British colonial days. Beer did not survive shipping to India, and hops was added as a preservative.
I used to make HefeWeissen, and yes, it is light on the hops compared to many other styles. I’m not in to hoppy beers.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/5 "2008-03-10T16:58:06Z")
Hops in beer date well before British colonial days. Hell, Pliny the Elder mentioned them! German records have them being used in the 1000s. Hops serve primarily as a **preservative**. Non-hopped beers spoil quite quickly. There are a number of low-alpha hops that are very light on bitterness. These are the ones used in wheat beers and the like.
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### Author:  [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/6 "2008-03-10T17:01:05Z")
[QUOTE=silenus]
Hell, Pliny the Elder mentioned them!
[/QUOTE]
[I’ll say!](http://russianriverbrewing.com/web/brews/plinytheelder.htm)
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### Author:  [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/7 "2008-03-10T17:05:11Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray]
…
What would beer taste like sans hops?
[/QUOTE]
Malt liquor.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/8 "2008-03-10T17:57:23Z")
[QUOTE=yabob]
Malt liquor.
[/QUOTE]
Ah…no. Beer sans hops is very sweet. The hops are essential to balance the malt. Notice that beers that are very light on the hops are also very light on the barley malt.
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/9 "2008-03-10T19:11:57Z")
I attempted to make beer without hops one time. It was sour. I did not bottle it, so I don’t know how it would have worked out when it was done. I wonder what can be used as a preservative in place of hops. I would like to experiment.
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### Author:  [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/10 "2008-03-10T19:16:06Z")
Are hop-free beers required to have a warning on the label “ **Abandon hops all ye who drink of this** ”?
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/11 "2008-03-10T19:46:31Z")
[QUOTE=silenus]
Ah…no. Beer sans hops is very sweet. The hops are essential to balance the malt. Notice that beers that are very light on the hops are also very light on the barley malt.
[/QUOTE]
Is there any comparison one can make for a “very sweet” beer?
Just for clarification, I don’t drink alcohol, but I do occasionally like a Kaliber, Buckler, Clausthaler, or Haakebeck. I can see how one can grow to like the bitterness of beer, but I wonder if a hops-free beer might free one from having to learn to like the taste.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/12 "2008-03-10T19:50:14Z")
Highly hopped beers such as Russian Imperial Stout and India Pale Ale do date from British colonial times, as extra hops were used for better preservation during shipping. Besides hops, spices and herbs are used to cut the malt and preserve the beer, such as juniper, ginger, and gruits.
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### Author:  [@Shaddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shaddy)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/13 "2008-03-10T19:52:04Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray]
Is there any comparison one can make for a “very sweet” beer?
[/QUOTE]
Are you asking for an example of a very sweet beer? Anchor Old Foghorn is pretty sweet. Most American barley wines are hoppy enough to drown out the sweetness, but Old Foghorn is an exception.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/14 "2008-03-10T20:43:20Z")
Theakston’s **Old Peculier**
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/15 "2008-03-11T00:06:33Z")
Some brands of Mild are pretty sweet and don’t seem very hoppy at all - some of them are like drinking liquid toffee apples.
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### Author:  [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/16 "2008-03-11T00:30:54Z")
The story I heard was that in the early days of beer (the Egyptians et al), there was a variety of aromatic plants used as flavouring, of which hops was one. Hops just won out eventually because it was the tastiest.
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### Author:  [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/17 "2008-03-11T02:44:44Z")
I find Newcastle Brown comparatively sweet.
How hoppy is it?
S^G
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### Author:  [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/18 "2008-03-11T04:31:33Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray]
Is there any comparison one can make for a “very sweet” beer?
[/QUOTE]
[Milk stouts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout#Milk_stout) tend to be very sweet, since the yeasts can’t ferment the lactose. The one I drink most often, [Left Hand Milk Stout](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/418/3434), reminds me of sweetened coffee in terms of sweet/bitter balance. It’s nice, but not exactly my style (see below.)
> [@](#):
>
> There are a number of low-alpha hops that are very light on bitterness. These are the ones used in wheat beers and the like.
I had to look up what you meant by [“low-alpha”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_acid)… Now I understand how one of my [favourite beers](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26/39) got its name.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2008, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/19 "2008-03-11T04:45:48Z")
[QUOTE=Satellite^Guy]
I find Newcastle Brown comparatively sweet.
How hoppy is it?
S^G
[/QUOTE]
Newcastle is lightly hopped. IIRC, my homebrew recipe calls for about an ounce or less (per 5 gal) of a mild variety, whereas most are 3-4 ounces, and hoppy beers like IPA or RIS might have more, or higher Alpha Acids or IBUs. IBUs (International Bittering Units) is derived from the amount of alpha acid and cook time- the resins in hops can be delicate, and some are only cooked for a few minutes, or not at all in a dry-hopped style.
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### Author:  [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2008, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hops-and-beer/440839/20 "2008-03-11T09:56:02Z")
This is a timely OP, given that there is currently a worldwide hop shortage, which may temporarily lead to smaller brewers increasing the price of their heavily-hopped beers, and possibly increasing the quantity of their lightly-hopped styles.
[Here](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16245024) is a brief overview from NPR, with some more details [here](http://beervana.blogspot.com/2007/10/this-hop-shortage-thing-may-be-serious.html). In short, the major hop producers in the Czech Republic and Germany have experienced poor yields recently. The global acreage of cultivated hops has decreased over the last decade or so (due to a an earlier glut and hence low prices), and – to add insult to injury – a [2006 warehouse fire in Yakima WA](http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2006/10/beer_disaster_in_yakima_washington_/) sent about 4% of the US stockpile up in flames. It will take at least a year or two for supplies of the more popular hop varieties to recover.
The US macrobreweries aren’t hit hard because (a) they don’t use many hops per unit volume and (b) they have long-term contracts with the hop suppliers, with prices locked in. US microbreweries depend much more on highly-hopped beer styles, and buy more on the spot market, so their hop costs per unit volume of fished beer can be several times what they have been paying in previous years. In addition, the weak US dollar has also increase the price of European hops in the US, and made it more favorable for US growers to sell to European brewers to fill the shortage. These increased costs will be passed on to the US customer, sooner or later.
[The homebrewer is at the bottom of the hop supply chain. For example, here in the SF Bay Area I can’t currently get hold of _Cascade_ or _Northern Brewer_ hops without paying outrageous prices. My local homebrew store has been limiting hop purchases to 1lb per homebrewer per month to discourage hoarding. Admittedly, that’s enough to brew 16-20 gallons of a reasonably-hopped beer, so is not a limiting factor for me personally!]
This may be an ideal opportunity for smaller breweries to experiment with lightly-hopped beer styles, less-popular hop varieties, or other herbs as mentioned upthread.
[ETA:\* There’s also a barley shortage, partly due to reduced acreage as more corn is grown to make ethanol. This will also have an effect on beer prices, but probably not as marked as that due to the hop shortage.\*]