Lesson 7 - Hop Products SAQ

**Hop products are extensively used for bittering beer, but what other benefits do hop products provide to beer and the brewing process?

Response:

Hops provide a number of benefits that include: aroma; anti-bacterial activity; anti-foaming (process); foam enhancement; protein-polyphenol coagulation (trub); filter in a hop back; improved ‘lightstruck’ protection; improved flavour stability and improved mouthfeel.

With regards to hop products, the key points to mention include:

• Hop oils – provide hop aroma that can be standardised in both intensity and consistency.
• Polyphenol extract – enhances flavour stability, improves colloidal stability, and enhances mouthfeel.
• β-Acid extract – enhances microbial stability.
• Wax extract – provides anti-foaming potential in the brewing process, prevents fobbing in fermentation and wort boiling, thus all improving hop utilisation and foam potential.
• Whole hops – provide filter media for hop back.
• Reduced iso-extract – provides improved ‘lightstruck’ protection as well as improving foam potential
• Pellets – provide aroma (kettle and late kettle hop and dry hopping), polyphenol material for trub, colloidal stability, flavour stability, and are a precursor to iso-α-acids which improve foam stability.
• Extracts – provide aroma (kettle and late kettle hop)
• Isomerised products – provide iso-α-acids which improves foam stability.