Module four starts off, just like the others, with an introduction video. The intro video is by Stijn and is only 1:31. The second page is a 4 minute video introducing hops. As most know, hops are used to bitter, add flavor, and to help stabilize beers. It was also quickly realized in the 11th century that hops also help add to the shelf-life of beer. So between this and the taxation of gruit in Germany, there was a lot more reason and emphasis for brewers to go from using gruit to using hops in brewing. In 1516 the purity laws in Germany reduced the usage of herbs and spices even more.

Hops scientific name is humulus lupulis. (The lupulis or lupulin is the power inside the hop cones.) Hops are primarily cultivated for brewing and beer production (but can also be used for tea, sleep aides, and soap). 75% of hop production and growth takes place in Germany and the United States (primarily in the Yakima Valley).

Only the female plants are used for beer brewing, as they grow the flowers and the cones. Its these cones that have the lupulin (resin) that contains the molecules of interest for brewing. For this reason male hop plants are not grown with the female to prevent pollination. (To learn more about hop growing, I will be posting an article shortly about my own hop growing from my own growing hops this spring. At my house I have Cascade, Centennial, Nugget, and Saaz, and looking at possibly getting more.)

After clicking NEXT, we come to a text page about the role of hops and hop compounds. Characteristics of beer that are altered by hops include: beer bitterness, beer flavor, mouthfeel, foam stability and lacing, improved shelf life, antibacterial properties of the hops, protein precipitation during wort clarification, and phenolic antioxidants.

There are four major hop molecule classes:
* alpha acids – hop bitter acids
* beta acids – not as important due to most being lost during the brewing process
* essential oils – important contributors to the beer’s flavor, bitterness, and aroma
* polyphenols – important for the beer stabilization (haze, foam, lacing)

The page continues with a large chart of the various compounds and their weight (when the hops are still wet). This is followed by a second chart showing what hop compounds are retained in beer (after the brewing process). There is an important note to remember; that beers with dry-hopping (particularly IPAs) the aroma is going to be higher and greater due to the dry-hopping.

Our next page is another text page – hop types and varieties. “The Latin name of the hop plant is Humulus lupus L., belonging to the plant family Cannabaceae (this plant family, for example, also contains the Cannabis plant species!). There are many different hop varieties and around 100 of these are commercially cultivated. New varieties are constantly being bred in order to obtain better growing and resistant plants and hop cones with superior qualities.” (EdX – The Science of Beer Brewing.) Hops are somewhat similar to most seed plants as far as naming, with the heirloom, for example, older hop varieties have a double naming pattern. The first name refers to the origin of the variety and the second name refers to the actual (modern / current) variety. So – example – Hallertau Magnum would be: Hallertau as the geographic origin, and the Magnum refers to the variety of the hop. Some heirloom fruit and vegetable seeds do this as well, or do something similar but naming its pedigree rather than geographic origin. Some more modern and newer hops, have just one name, like Cascade hops, which name comes from the Cascade mountains of Oregon.

The three different classes for hops are: bittering hops, aroma hops (including noble hops), and dual-purpose hops (which; just as the name implies – they contribute to both bittering and aroma). About 60% of hop production is aroma hops, primarily for IPAs and due to IPAs growth in the craft beer sphere.

Before moving on, at the bottom of this page is pull-down tabs for each of the classes, with information and some examples of hops of each type. The next page is a discussion page talking about home brewing and what hops you have used, I posted the following:

I grow my own hops, and love using the types I grow – Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, Nugget, and Saaz. I like making a wet-cone and dry hop IPA at harvest time using the Cascade and Centennial, as well as Chinook. I’ve also done a clone of Troegs’ Nugget Nectar as well.

I have pictures of my hops on my blog and the blog’s Facebook page.
https://thebeerthrillers.home.blog/

The following page is a three-question (true or false) quiz.

Moving on, we come to the alpha acids. And we’re starting to get into some ‘real science’ here. This page has the molecule diagrams, and discusses what acids and molecules are in the alpha acids and in the hops.

The five alpha acid molecules found in hop resin are cohumulone, humulone, adhumulone, prehumulone and posthumulone. These molecules differ only slightly from each other in their molecular structures depending on the side chain at the C2 position (see table). The most important alpha acids are cohumulone and humulone. Their content can be up to 50% of the total alpha acid fraction. Adhumulone is the third most important alpha acid representing around 10-15% of alpha acids across different varieties. Each of these molecules results in a different type or quality of bitterness. Cohumulone is for example believed to contribute to a rough and harsh bitterness. Therefore, the cohumulone content of bitter hops can be high, while a high fraction is not desired for aroma hops.

Alpha acids are commonly present in the range of 2 up to 20% (w/w) of the hop cone content. Importantly, these alpha acids themselves are not causing bitterness, they are the precursors. Only during boiling, the alpha acids are converted into iso-alpha acids (isomers of the respective alpha acids) via a thermal isomerization reaction (acyloin-type ring contraction). These iso-alpha acids are the principal source of bitterness in beer. In addition, iso-alpha acids are more soluble in water compared to the alpha acid precursors.

EdX: The Science of Beer Brewing – Alpa Acids

As you might have guessed, the next page is about the beta acids, and is similar, showing the chemical chains and discussing their molecular makeups. Both of these pages are fascinating with their diagrams of the chemical structures and the nuance knowledge it provides about these alpha and beta acids in hops.

The next page is ‘intermezzo on determining beer bitterness’ and is a text page. This page discusses determining beer bitterness and figuring out a beer’s IBU. An important note at the end of the page: “Importantly, IBU values do not necessarily match the bitterness as it is actually perceived when drinking the beer. Perceived bitterness can be influenced by for example, alcohol level, residual sugars and the use of roasted malts. ” (EDX – Science of Beer Brewing.)

Our next page is about essential oils – and no, its not that crap your wife’s friend Karen keeps trying to sell her; this is about hops essential oils. This is a very long page, with a large chart, followed by pull tabs of lots of information. This is followed up by a page on polyphenols. After this is a tough quiz, so you better have studied.

We next have an expert clip from Professor Thomas Shellhammer about dry hopping. After his informative 8 minute video is a 3 minute video by Stijn about hopping techniques. There is then a few pull tabs of information, and another video by Stijn – summary.

The next page is all about hop products. It discusses hop pellets, hop extracts, pre-isomerised hop products, reduced pre-isomerised hop products, and hop aroma products. The next page is another quiz.

The following page is a verified track learner page about ‘favorite hops’ and ‘popular hops’. After that is a discussion page on spices before we get into the spices segment of this module.

Spices have been used since beer was first brewed, but really used in medieval times. They were used for preserving the beer a bit longer, aroma, flavor, and to mask off-flavors. Some popular spices were: juniper, anise seeds, caraway and coriander seeds. Gruit was especially popular during this time (pre-hops). Some spices that would have been a part of gruit was: yarrow root, juniper berries, ginger, sage and rosemary. We still commonly use spices in Belgian beers, particularly witbiers, these spices are: coriander seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange peel. Regional and seasonal beers will often use seasonal spices and flavors (like yam / pumpkin beers and winter warmers).

There is a lengthy chart at the bottom of this page, detailing what spices can be used (or at least what are commonly used), how they are used, what part is used, the flavor they impart, beer examples, and some bonus comments.

Clicking NEXT we come to a page with the aroma compounds of spices. This page lists their chemical structures, aroma compounds, and where these compounds are found. After this, we have a 3 minute expert clip from Dr. Gert De Rouck about spices. This is followed by a 4 minute video for the ‘Do It Yourself’ experiment for this module.

Following the video is a discussion about the experiment; I wrote:

I took a pretty non-descript pale ale brewed by a friend homebrewer that didn’t have much more than just a “Mr Beer” flavor kit to it, so it was relatively bland (but fine and acceptable beer). I experimented using coca nibs and vanilla to try and give it a bit of a cookies and cream flavor to it (or at least a punch in that direction).

I was amazed at how it did certainly pick up those flavors. Though I don’t think taste-wise it turned out necessarily the best, but it did definitely pick up the flavors of the nibs and vanilla.

After this is a verified track learner page (spiced beers). Followed by a “quick knowledge check”. After the quiz is a page about what materials to collect for Module Five. Following this is the typical ‘overview and check’ page at the end of each module. Then there is an assessment page for verified track learners. After that is the feedback and questions page that ends each module. Once you click NEXT you will be brought to the “congratulations you finished Module Four”. Clicking NEXT again will bring you to the intro page for Module Five.

So follow with me next time when we move onto the next important ingredient in brewing: YEAST.

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

The Beer Education Series:
** EdX: The Science of Beer Brewing
* Beer Education: Series
* Beer Education: Syllabus
* Beer Education: Introduction
* Beer Education: Module One: The History of Beer Brewing
* Beer Education: Module Two: Barley and Malting
* Beer Education: Module Three: Water
* Beer Education: Module Four: Hops and Spices
* Beer Education: Module Five: Yeast
* Beer Education: Module Six: The Steps of the Brewing Process
* Beer Education: Module Seven: Fermentation and Maturation
* Beer Education: Module Eight: Filtration and Packaging
* Beer Education: Module Nine: Beer Quality and Stability
* Beer Education: Module Ten: Beer Assessment and Tasting
* Beer Education: Series Overview

Dr. Alison Feeney has recently published and released a book, called For the Love of Beer: Pennsylvania’s Breweries (clicking the link will take you directly to the book page on Amazon where you can purchase the book). In celebration of this and to kick off the Harrisburg Book Week and Festival she spoke (alongside Hannah Ison of ZeroDay Brewing Company and Jeff Mussleman of The Millworks) at the Mid-Town Scholar. The speakers talked from 7PM to 8PM with a beer tasting before hand from 6:30-7PM and afterwards from 8-8:30PM (times being rough estimates). Dr. Alison Feeney also signed copies of her book purchased at the Mid-Town Scholar. The Facebook event listing can be found here: For the Love of Beer – Speakers Conference and Symposium.

Dr. Alison Feeney is the professor of geography and earth science at Shippensburg University. A press release from the university about her book can be found here: Dr. Alison Feeney Releases a New Book. Shippensburg University has started up several courses and classes based on brewing, home brewing, the science behind brewing and making beer, as well as many adult classes (enrichment and for the work force and industry) based around beer and brewing. They were given a $70K grant to “boost beer brewers” and provide the education to make this possible. This grant was given by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). To learn more about their brew science you can click here for the inquiry form to receive information. They are serving both the industry with these classes as well as home brewers looking to better their own craft for their own enjoyment. Shippensburg University cultivates future brewers : Home Brew Course Success. A listing of their courses, online information, and Shippensburg created articles about their brewing programs and classes can be found here: Shippensburg University Brewing Education.

So there is a lot to be excited for with the brewing future thanks to Shippensburg University and with Pennsylvania being such an integral part to the craft beer and brewing industry as a whole there is much to be excited for with the future of the hundreds of breweries in Pennsylvania. If you’ve been to just a few breweries in Pennsylvania, it might feel like you’ve been to a lot, but I guarantee you haven’t even scratched the surface. Pennsylvania is currently home to 300+ breweries and it is constantly a number in flux with openings, closings, and expansions. Thankfully there are far more openings than closings, but sadly there is some closings. Some websites and groups like Breweries in PA keep an updated list and map of all of the breweries in Pennsylvania operating.

The back of the book, as well as the Amazon description for Dr. Alison Feeney’s book is:

“Pennsylvanians have enjoyed a long, rich love affair with beer. The state not only ranks first in the nation for the number of barrels produced but the breweries, beer, and their craftsmen all have interesting stories to tell. This book examines Pennsylvania s brewing history, geography, and cultural richness while highlighting over 100 of the states thriving craft breweries. It explains some of the enjoyable stories and local legends behind the naming of beers, while detailing the unique buildings and architectural treasures that contribute to the renovation of urban areas and revival of small communities. Short descriptions of each brewery provide the reader with an understanding of which brewers use local hops, fruits, and grains in their recipes and how proceeds support local rail trails, waterways, animals shelters, and community events. From long-lasting breweries that survived Prohibition to the most recent openings with upscale food and cutting edge technology, this book describes how craft breweries in Pennsylvania have something to offer everyone. Set out on the road and record your visit to each brewery and enjoy first-hand facts about local breweries with someone who lives, works, and studies this fascinating and dynamic industry. “

Dr. Alison Feeney’s biography on Amazon reads:

“Alison Feeney is a Professor in the Geography and Earth Science Department at Shippensburg University. She earned B. A. degrees in both history and geography from the University of Connecticut, a M.S from Portland State University, and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. She truly loves to blend work with pleasure as she travels around Pennsylvania to research breweries.

When she is not working she enjoys time with her friends and family riding bikes, playing tennis, snowboarding, kayaking, and learning to sail. Her passion for coral reefs leads her on several trips to the Caribbean each year to scuba dive and kill invasive lionfish. “

Just like most people, I love hearing people in an industry speak and talk about their industry. Shows like Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” and things like that are fascinating to me. To hear those who create discuss their creations, and those who do discussing their …. doings. So getting to hear Dr. Alison Feeney, Hannah Ison, and Jeff Musselman discuss their works and creations and their businesses (writing, brewing, owning a brewery), was a definite must for me.

I dropped my youngest off at her cheerleading practice at 5:45 in Hummelstown (don’t worry, her grandparents were picking her up, she wasn’t going to get left there), and I then went downtown. Arrived and parked by Mid-Town at about 6:15 (slow and go on I-83 due to the rain). Checked out the Mid-Town Scholar’s Tent Book Sale (which is going on today; Friday – as well as Saturday and Sunday). After finding a few books (I could literally buy thousands if I really had the energy to, but decided on just a few) I purchased them and then took them back to the car before heading over to the Mid-Town Scholar itself. Got inside around 6:30 and went up to the sample table immediately. Grabbed the Oktoberfest by The Millworks to begin my browsing of the store (my first time ever being inside it). Independent bookstores are such a low-level thrill (ok…. big high level thrill, but it just doesn’t sound as cool to say) for me. Browsing through endless aisles and tables at places like this, like The York Emporium, or at independent bookstores at beaches, is just love. Independent bookstores are losing more and more to the tide of places like Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc. in a similar way to how craft breweries have to constantly fight against InBev and Miller Coors; small independent bookstores have to fight against these giants. Sadly, where craft beer is doing pretty well (as a whole) against their large titan competitors, independent bookstores aren’t. So we all need to shop local, shop independent, shop individual, shop craft, over macro, over major, over non-caring owners, over-CEOs raking in $8Billion a year for themselves while paying employees 8.50$ an hour with minimal benefits.

(Ok, small rant over. Stepping down from my soap box.)

Grabbed another sample, this time “When Did We Get a Dog?” by ZeroDay. I had the watermelon version of this recently (at the RenFaire Brewfest). I then made my purchases (picked up Dr. Alison Feeney’s book, as well as The Rebel by Albert Camus, since I read it back in high school, loaned it out to a friend, who promptly lost it, and I’ve been meaning to give his canon and collection a re-read, so might as well start with lost Camus). I then grabbed a third sample – Single Hop Series #11 – Citra Hops – by The Millworks, and took my seat, third row to the right.

A worker for Mid-Town Scholar introduced the panel (sitting from left to right – Sara Bozich, Dr. Alison Feeney, Hannah Ison, and Jeffrey Musselman), and introduced the Harrisburg Book Week Festival, and discussed the slew of speakers they were having over the next several days, and mentioned the book sale tent outside, among other things.

Sara Bozich then took over as moderator and ran the panel (I guess panel is better term for it, than conference, or symposium, or motley crew, or whatever terminology one might use). She began introducing the members on the stage and discussed Dr. Alison Feeney’s work at Shippensburg and a barebones description of the book.

Sara Bozich asked several questions of the panel that related to central themes to breweries and those in the book; like community, revitalization, diversity, the beer itself, and breweries in general.

Hannah and Jeff then talked about some future projects for their breweries and themselves (Hannah soon welcoming a child into the world, December due date; Jeff with The Millworks opening a second location in Camp Hill, hopefully spring 2020).

After about forty minutes or so of the panel they opened it up to an audience Q&A to close out the last twenty minutes. There was a wide range of questions during the Q&A. Topics ranging from women in the work force, diversity, things to know about as a brewer (like any head brewer will tell you, the job is mostly sanitation, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning), the new Pennsylvania brewery tax, Untappd, favorite beers/breweries/styles, and the last question went out to a woman who talked about community displacement. Like breweries coming in and displacing the current population. This possibly provided the most interesting question of the night. Dr. Alison Feeney discussed how Yards opening their giant new production and tap facility in Philadelphia, where once was a very urbanized and African-American central area, now has very few African-Americans, and that the lines into the brewery are predominantly white people (typically white males). Jeff discussed how despite what they are doing, craft beer is essentially a completely luxury, even moreso than macro beer. That beer in general is a luxury item, craft beer especially so. Where a pint might run 6-8 or even 10 dollars, compared to Bud Light or Miller Lite or Coors Lite always being 2-4$. And unfortunately there is no easy answer to this. Its a fine line to create a new thriving business where something didn’t exist before, and as much as a place (be it a brewery or any new business) wants to identify and become one with the community, there is going to be a change with that new business going in, and that business will already have its own clientele established before opening its doors, and that might not align with the local community one hundred percent.

After the Q&A the Mid-Town employee went over the panel one last time, and talked about the weekend’s events again, as well as brought up the beer tasting and book signing to follow.

During this part of the tasting I had the Watermelon When Did We Get a Dog?, the Mango Habenero staple from ZeroDay, and one last Oktoberfest while standing around chatting with Dr. Alison, Hannah, and Jeff.

Saying goodbye to the panelists (and their respective special persons) I dropped my books bag off at the car and walked a block and a half over to The Millworks brewery and enjoyed myself a flight of some of their recent beers, including two ‘PA Preferred’ beers, just discussed during the panel.

This was a wonderful two hour (ish) event with dedicated individuals who wanted to talk about their works, be it the author – Dr. Alison Feeney – or the brewers – Jeff Musselman and Hannah Ison or Sara Bozich who has helped collaborate and set up the Harrisburg Beer Week as well as many other events and activities in the Harrisburg area. The dedication, interest, and love for their work and the works of others, and for community, and for what craft beer and brewing can stand for was evident from all, and it showed in their talks.

I highly recommend picking up For the Love of Beer by Dr. Alison Feeney, I’ve begun reading it (started there at the bar at The Millworks) and I’m currently about thirty pages in (don’t worry, there will be a book review on here when completed), and I am enjoying it, and it is very informative.

Please keep checking out the blog, make sure you like, subscribe, follow, comment, etc, we have a lot of exciting things coming out in the upcoming days, some even sponsored by breweries and lots of fun events. So make sure you keep up to date and check in on us daily, as we are looking to be posting daily!

Until next time, keep the brain sharp with books, and the liver busy with beer!

-B. Kline