Some of you have been asking me: "What are these hops you keep talking about?" This shouldn't surprise me, as hop flavour is a rarity in common beers. A shame really, as hops can contribute a shed load of diverse flavours to a beer. But to state it simply: hops contribute the bitter and dry flavours in beer. Without hops we wouldn't have beer as we know it today.

The hop flower is actually a relative of marijuana and grows on vines. In New Zealand, hops are primarily grown just outside of Nelson in a town called Riwaka. It is currently hop harvesting season, where the hop vines are fed into massive machines designed to remove the valuable hop cones from the vine. They are then kilned to keep them fresh till they reach the brew kettle. Two breweries have taken advantage of the abundance of fresh hops and have each created a beer which both showcase the remarkable and intense flavours possible with the generous use of hops.

More info

http://brewersguild.org.nz/news/2010/hops