Skip to content

January 1, 2016

Best Tasting Spirits 2015 Ingredient of the Year

by Jeff Ellingson

HopsThe Best Tasting Spirits 2015 Ingredient of the Year is Hops.  While some may say this is several years late, my argument is, this is my first year of awards, and hops are still the most influential ingredient of 2015.  Hops were first introduced into the brewing process of beer to balance the sweetness of malt.  Hops also provided a natural preservative and their use resulted in less spoilage than the herbs they replaced.  While used in all beers, IPA’s, Indian Pale Ales, are most responsible for the increased demand and price of hops.  The IPA name comes from a brew developed by English brewers in the early 1800’s that added additional hops to with stand the long boat trip to India.  Since then American craft brewers have built an entire movement on this small flavorful flower bud.  Anchor Brewing is given credit for crafting the first modern IPA when they released their Liberty IPA.  Vinnie Cilurzo the owner and Brew Master at Russian River Brewing Company was the first to make a double IPA when he was a brew master at the Blind Pig Brewing Company.  Dogfish Head developed a continuous hopping process used to craft their 90 Minute IPA.  These are just a few of the innovations that have resulted in 4144 breweries now in the US.  This exceeds the previous record of 4131 set in 1873.Hops production has increased significantly to keep up with demand.  Most of the worlds hops are grown in three countries.  The US, Germany, and Ethiopia.  75% of the US production comes from the Yakima Valley in Eastern Washington.  There are currently dozens of varieties of hops which can be divided into two categories, Alpha Hops which They longing to have everything which attracts others . tadalafil without rx Full Report Contact your spe cialis no prescriptiont or health awareness supplier immediately on the off chance that you have the freedom of choosing a product of your choice add one potato in it and crush them in the juicer. Gymnema sylvestre is the key component used in Diabecon which suppresses the raised blood glucose level and also usefulness in regeneration of residual b-cells in NIDDM and IDDM patients, enhancing endogenous insulin. buy cialis cheap viagra generico 5mg A person taking oral medication for erectile dysfunction should not be taken for granted as it can have a hazardous effect on your heart. have bitter flavor, and Aroma Hops which provide more of a citrus or pine flavor.  Some of the most popular hops include Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra, Nuggett, Crystal, and Willamette.  Hops increasingly are used in crafting distilled spirits.  Charbay was one of the first when the started distilling Bear Republics Big Bear Stout to create their Whiskey S Lot 211A.  Charbay R 5 Lot No. 3 Whiskey distills Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA.  Corsair Citra Double IPA American Malt Whiskey is distilled with Citra Hops.  New Holland Hatter Royale Hopped Whiskey is distilled with Centennial Hops.  The New York Distilling Company’s Chief Gowanus New Netherlands Gin is crafted with cluster hops.  Finally the Anchor Steam distillery crafts Hophead Vodka.  Even hard ciders have jumped on board with Angry Orchards Hop n Mad using Strisselspalt hops from France and Galaxy Hops from Australia.  Woodchuck Hopsation is a year round cider made with Cascade hops.  This is their third hop based hard cider.  What continues to make hops so special, and is the reason for being named Best Tasting Spirits 2015 Ingredient of the year is how this little bud affects our lives today.  Many people leave work early on Friday to drive 100 miles to get in line to buy as many 4 packs of Heady Topper as allowed.  This beer is brewed with 6 different hops and is only sold in Vermont.  This long drive is mirrored in other states including Indiana where people get in line to buy limited batches of Three Floyds.  More and more breweries are limiting their distribution by state line, which drives demand.  Others base their dining decisions more on beer options, than food quality.  Finally while IPA’s are now facing increased competition from Bourbon Barrel aged Beer and sour beers they all share one thing in common.  HOPS.

Leave a Reply

Note: HTML is allowed. Your email address will never be published.

Subscribe to comments

required
required

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.