Category of Hops

Beer is officially made up of four ingredients: water, yeast, malt, and hops. Hops are the cone-shaped flowers of the female hop plant that preserve the beer, clear it, help retain its head, and, of course, give it its classic bitter taste. If you brew your own beer and want to be more involved in the process, growing your own hops is a great place to start. But how do you know which hop plant to grow? Read on to learn more about hop varieties and their uses.

Hop Plant Type

How many varieties of hops are there? This is a difficult question to answer because there are many. There are about 80 different hop plant types on the market today, but this number is not set in stone.

Beer brewing is a complex business, with new varieties constantly being nurtured and developed. Even 80 is a very high number if you want to choose a variety to grow. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to narrow down your options.

DEGONG beer brewing equipment

Hops can be divided into three main categories: bitterness, aroma and duality.

• Bitter hops tend to contain a lot of acid and impart this recognizable bitterness to the beer.

• Aromatic hops have lower acidity but more pronounced taste and aroma and are used to give beer a specific taste and smell. Most beer recipes call for both types of hops.

• Double hops tend to have medium to high acidity and a good smell and aroma that can be used for aroma and bitterness. If you just want to brew your beer with homegrown hops, one of these double-hop plant types is a good choice.

Best Types of Hop Plants

The best hop varieties with a dual effect of bitterness and aroma have a strong aroma and a moderate to high percentage of alpha acids (usually between 5% and 15%). If you want to be able to follow recipes when using hops, it's also a good idea to choose common hop plant types that are popular and well-documented in recipes.