Yankee Brew News Archive

Book Review: Using Hops: The Complete Guide to Hops for the Craft Brewer

Originally Published: 07/95

By: Don Gosselin

Using Hops

The Complete Guide to Hops for the Craft Brewer

By Mark Garetz

1995, HopTech Publications

222 pages, with illustrations

As more and more people experience craft brewing, the demand increases for accurate and up-to-date information on the brewing arts. The past three or four years have shifted the focus from basic brewing books to specialized style, yeast and recipe texts. Most of these texts have devoted one or two chapters at best, to the brewer's art of using hops. Up until recently, no detailed text on this subject was available.

Mark Garetz, brewing arts editor for Celebrator Beer News and owner of HopTech of Danville, California has filled this void perfectly with his new book, Using Hops. Garetz begins with an overview of the purpose of hops in beer and the special qualities they impart. From there, the reader is led on a journey that begins in the great hopyards of the world, from Yakima to Hersbrucker, with stops in the Czech Republic, Poland and Australia. The journey continues with instructions for craft brewers on examining, evaluating, purchasing and storing hops.

Garetz doesn't stop there. He goes on to describe, with great particularity, what properties distinguish one great aroma hop from another. One might think that Hallertauer is Hallertauer, Saaz is Saaz and Goldings is Goldings, no matter where they were harvested from. Not so, says Garetz, who uses objective measures of different hop oils to demonstrate the differences between hop strains grown in different countries. As a self-admitted hop head, I was convinced. In fact, I found that Garetz cleared up a lot of fallacies and myths along the way. For instance; Styrian Goldings is neither Styrian nor Goldings. According to the author, this hop is actually Fuggles grown in Slovenia. Why the peculiar name? Something tells me that brewers might not spend big bucks on a hop called Slovenian Fuggles. Another example involves Chinook, a hop either brewers love, or love to hate. I had always been told that Chinook was a high powered Cascade cousin when it is actually related to English Goldings. Which American hop variety is closest in character to the prized Hallertauer Mittlefreu? Youll have to check out Using Hops. I won't spoil the surprise.

Once the hop myths are cleared up, Garetz gives us specific, yet easy to digest instructions and techniques to achieve that perfect level of bitterness, aroma and hop character. For the money, it's a great edition to the intermediate and advanced brewer's library. This book is so informative, I recommend it to professional brewers as well.