Hopulist issue 5

IS FOR,
WELL, LOTS
OF THINGS.
THAT’S WHY
WE HAVE
DEVISED OUR
OWN BEER
GLOSSARY
FOR YOU TO
DRINK IN.
IMPROVE
YOUR
KNOWLEDGE
OF WHAT
MAKES BEER
SO GREAT
AND IMPRESS
YOUR
FRIENDS IN
THE BAR.
WHAT HAVE
YOU GOT TO
LOSE?
ESSENTIAL
HOP OILS
You know when you
pull a beer toward
your face and you’re
greeted with aromas
that tantalise you and
as you sip that first
sip the flavours rush
to match that aroma?
Most of that is down
to essential hop oils,
which are the oils
released from the
hop plant during the
brewing process that
make a beer taste
how it tastes. Some
of those oils include
myrcene, humulene,
caryophyllene and
farnesene – but to you
and me, just know that
these essential oils are
exactly that, essential.
A
EAST KENT
GOLDINGS HOP
The aromas and
flavours of East
Kent are perfectly
embodied in the
hop named after
and grown in the
area – they include
floral, slightly spice,
honey and earthy. This
relatively mild hop
in terms on intensity,
and as you would
expect is used mostly
in British beers of
traditional style. The
hop originally came
from Canterbury and
is in fact the same as
Canterbury Golding
– the two names are
often interchanged.
While perhaps
not a hop that is
quintessential with
modern craft beer
styles, this hop has its
place in beer history
and offers subtle levels
of moderate flavour.
ENGLISH IPA
As with most of life’s
great inventions,
necessity dictated
the creation of the
English IPA. Back in
the late 1700s, the
beer was brewed
for British troops
heading to India and
were essential pale
ales that had been
tweaked to be much
more malty and with
a higher alcohol
content to withstand
the journey. Over
time, it is believed that
these beers were then
watered down, which
is why modern English
IPAs are lower in
ABV. Typical examples
you can try include
Goose IPA by Goose
Island, Toasted Oak
IPA by Innis & Gunn
and Hitachina Nest
Japanese Classic Ale.
EISBOCK
Eis, eis baby… If your
German isn’t too
hot, you should now
know that eis means
ice – and it should
therefore not surprise
you that Eisbock is a
style of beer created
by freezing a Bock
or Doppelbock and
then removing the icy
water to concentrate
the alcohol and
flavour. This beer is a
heavy affair, in terms
of flavour and ABV
so probably not for
the faint-hearted –
however if you do
want to take it on,
you’ll be rewarded
with a rich beer full of
character. Examples
include Hermannator
Ice Bock by Vancouver
Island Brewing, Tank
Bender by Founders
and Kuhnhenn
Raspberry Eisbock by
Kuhnhenn Brewing Co.