What Makes a Hop American and Where Are American Hops Headed?

The family tree for Citra is 7/8 European, but she is a poster child for “American hop.” Let’s talk about why, the qualities she shares with other cultivars that may enhance the aroma and flavor of your beer, and how plants that have been growing wild in North America for thousands of years may change hops going forward, family trees included.

Learning Objectives

• Gain an understanding of how wild European and wild American hops differ
• Understand why hop breeders make a distinction between two wild American botanical varieties, lupuloides and newmexicanus
• Look beyond the name of a hop to appreciate it’s brewing qualities
• Consider the impact climate change may have on hops

About the Speaker

Stan Hieronymus is a fan of Native Land IPA, a national collaboration beer that used a recipe created by Bow & Arrow Brewing in New Mexico. By acknowledging ancestral lands, participating breweries are also recognizing overlooked history. Stan is the 2015 recipient of the American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee Recognition Award and author of four Brewers Publications books, including Brewing Local: American-Grown Beer.