Hops
Flowers of Humulus lupulus used to bitter and preserve beer.
Hops are the cone-shaped flowers of the climbing perennial *Humulus lupulus*, which belongs to the Cannabaceae family. Brewers primarily use them to add bitterness, flavor, and stability to beer, bringing notes that can be floral, fruity, or citrusy. They also appear in other drinks and herbal remedies. The plant is dioecious, with separate male and female plants, and only the female flowers are grown commercially. It’s a vigorous climber, often trained up strings in fields known as hopfields, hop gardens (in southern England), or hop yards (in the West Country and the United States). Farmers worldwide cultivate many varieties, each suited to different beer styles.
The earliest recorded use of hops in beer dates to the 9th century, though Hildegard of Bingen, writing about 300 years later, is frequently cited as the first clear source. Before hops became common, brewers relied on gruit—a mix of bitter herbs and flowers like dandelion, burdock root, marigold, horehound (whose old German name, *Berghopfen*, means “mountain hops”), ground ivy, and heather. Early documents also mention a hop garden in the will of Pepin the Short, Charlemagne’s father. Hops help preserve beer by inhibiting unwanted microorganisms, and they balance malt sweetness with bitterness and varied aromas. It’s thought that traditional herb blends were abandoned once brewers noticed hopped beer spoiled less quickly.
**History** The first recorded hop cultivation occurred in 736 in Germany’s Hallertau region. In 768, Pepin the Short left hop gardens to the Cloister of Saint-Denis in his will. The first mention of hops in German brewing came in 1079. Not until the 13th century did hops begin to challenge gruit for flavoring. Nobles often taxed whichever ingredient was used, prompting brewers to switch to the untaxed option. Hopped beer arrived in Britain from Holland around 1400, but as late as 1519, hops were condemned as a “wicked and pernicious weed.” In early 16th-century Germany, using hops was both a religious and political choice: hops carried no tax to the Catholic Church, unlike gruit, so Protestants favored hopped beer. England imported hops from France, Holland, and Germany, paying import duty, until Dutch farmers introduced the crop to Kent in 1524. Many hop-industry terms come from Dutch. Hops later spread as far north as Aberdeen, near breweries for convenience. In 1557, Th
- field
- Brewing, herbal medicine
- known_for
- Primary bittering and flavouring agent in beer
- first_documented_cultivation
- 736, in the Hallertau region of present-day Germany
- first_documented_use_in_beer
- 9th century
- major_producers
- Germany and the United States
Lore & Background
The first documented hop cultivation was in 736 in the Hallertau region of present-day Germany. In 768, hop gardens were left to the Cloister of Saint-Denis in a will of Pepin the Short, father of Charlemagne. The first mention of hops being used in German brewing was in 1079. Not until the 13th century did hops begin threatening the use of gruit for flavouring. Gruit was used when the nobility levied taxes on hops; whichever was taxed made the brewer switch to the other. In Britain, hopped beer was first imported from Holland around 1400, yet hops were condemned as late as 1519 as a 'wicked and pernicious weed'. In Germany, using hops was also a religious and political choice in the early 16th century, as there was no tax on hops to be paid to the Catholic Church, unlike on gruit; Protestants preferred hopped beer for this reason.
Reader's Guide
Hops have been central to beer production for over a millennium, first documented in the 9th century. Their antibacterial properties, due to lupulin containing lupulone and humulone, suppress undesirable microorganisms while favoring brewer's yeast, which helped hopped beer become less prone to spoilage than traditional gruit. This led to the gradual abandonment of gruit, though the transition was influenced by taxation and religious politics. Hops are grown commercially in moist temperate climates, with Germany and the United States accounting for three-quarters of world production. The labour-intensive harvest historically involved large numbers of migrant workers, including whole families, and had a significant social impact, as described in works such as W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage and George Orwell's A Clergyman's Daughter. Today, hops remain essential to brewing, with many varieties grown for different beer styles, and their cultivation continues to be shaped by environmental and economic factors.
Did You Know?
- The first documented hop cultivation was in 736 in the Hallertau region of present-day Germany.
- Hops were condemned in England as late as 1519 as a 'wicked and pernicious weed'.
- Only female hop plants are used for commercial production because pollinated seeds are undesirable for brewing beer.
- The mechanical hops separator was patented by Emil Clemens Horst in 1909.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly are hops?
Hops are the cone-shaped flower structures of the perennial climbing vine Humulus lupulus, a member of the Cannabaceae family. They are harvested specifically from the female plants, since the species is dioecious and only the female blossoms serve a commercial purpose.
What role do hops play in brewing?
Hops are the primary agent brewers add to introduce bitterness, aromatic complexity, and preservative stability to beer. Depending on the variety, they can impart floral, fruity, or citrusy notes that define a beer's character.
Where and when was hop cultivation first documented?
The earliest recorded cultivation of hops dates to 736 CE in the Hallertau region of what is now Germany. Their documented use as a beer ingredient followed in the 9th century, establishing a brewing tradition that persists to this day.
How are hop plants grown in the field?
Because Humulus lupulus is a vigorous twining climber, farmers train the vines upward along strings stretched between poles in dedicated growing areas. These fields go by regional names—hopfields, hop gardens in southern England, and hop yards in the West Country and the United States.
Which countries are the leading hop producers today?
Germany and the United States account for the bulk of global hop production. Both nations maintain large-scale commercial hop yards that supply the brewing and herbal-medicine industries worldwide.
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