Hopulist Issue 1

ALPHA ACIDS
This is the part of
beer drinking that
makes us all feel like
scientists – knowing
your alpha acids and
their levels in hops
and the effect that has
on beer.
In Lehman’s terms
Alpha acids serve two
main purposes in beer.
First off, they help to
produce the bitter
taste – different hops
have different acid
levels, and the length
of the boil in brewing
can also affect this
bitterness.
Secondly, they act as
a kind of antiseptic.
Before the use of
hops in beer, the only
way to make it last
for a long time was
by upping the alcohol
content significantly.
Actually, we’re not
sure if this is a
benefit…
AMARILLO HOPS
The hops named after
the Spanish word for
yellow brings a unique
citrus flavour and
aroma to any beer it is
brewed with.
It is lightly acidic
with sweet, orangey
flavours and its
usual preferred use
is in American IPAs,
American ales and
wheat beers.
Hailing from the
north west of the
United States, this is
an idiosyncratic hops
that gives beers a lift
into a world of citrusy
splendour.
AMBER ALE
Remember when
the word amber
held the promise of
resurrecting badass
dinosaurs from
the dead to wreak
havoc on a remote
Costa Rican island?
In the beer world,
Amber is slightly less
scary, but no less
awesome. Amber
ales are brewed with
a large proportion
of amber malt or
sometimes crystal
malt to produce an
amber colour. Just like
dinosaurs, amber ales
come in a wide range
of shapes and sizes
with a hue that can
vary from from light
copper to light brown.
Great examples
include Maine Beer’s
Zoe, AleSmith’s Evil
Dead Red and Brew
Dog’s 5AM Saint.
Clever girl…