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Hops for Brewing Beer

Hops are a flower which was introduced to brewing about 1000 years ago but have only been in common use for 200 years. The fact that hops are flowers tells us everything we need to know about handling them. Hops are delicate and impart the necessary bitterness required to balance the sweetness of the malt. They provide the spice flavor in beer and the aroma which prepares the taste buds via the nose. While color is the most obvious beer style characteristic; bitterness, flavor and aroma, provide the primary distinction between beer styles. There is a large selection of hop varieties to choose from. Most are available in whole, pellet and leaf forms. Pellets are preferred by most brewers because they are most predictable.