Comments on: In defense of hops: Part I http://appellationbeer.com/blog/in-defense-of-hops-part-i/ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:38:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Steve Beaumont http://appellationbeer.com/blog/in-defense-of-hops-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-5 Steve Beaumont Fri, 27 Jan 2006 17:54:51 +0000 http://appellationbeer.com/blog/?p=12#comment-5 Not surprisingly, Stan, I agree with Lew's position that neither of us was bashing hops, just hops obsession. Moreover, I agree with your positioning of American brewers (in general) as innovators, a subject on which I expounded last November in United's in-flight magazine, Hemispheres. (Sorry, I just checked and it's not online yet.) My issue is that balance in beer, as in most elements of food and drink, is vital to the creation of a great beverage. Just as a hot sauce that's all heat and no flavour is more a measure of testosterone than taste, so is a beer that's bitter as hell with no supporting malt character merely a test of lupulin tolerance. In the best of the double (and triple) IPAs, bitterness and strength is supported by malty complexity. That's what makes them so good. At their worst, they're just hop tonic. Cheers, S. Not surprisingly, Stan, I agree with Lew’s position that neither of us was bashing hops, just hops obsession. Moreover, I agree with your positioning of American brewers (in general) as innovators, a subject on which I expounded last November in United’s in-flight magazine, Hemispheres. (Sorry, I just checked and it’s not online yet.)

My issue is that balance in beer, as in most elements of food and drink, is vital to the creation of a great beverage. Just as a hot sauce that’s all heat and no flavour is more a measure of testosterone than taste, so is a beer that’s bitter as hell with no supporting malt character merely a test of lupulin tolerance. In the best of the double (and triple) IPAs, bitterness and strength is supported by malty complexity. That’s what makes them so good. At their worst, they’re just hop tonic.

Cheers,

S.

]]> By: Stan Hieronymus http://appellationbeer.com/blog/in-defense-of-hops-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Stan Hieronymus Wed, 18 Jan 2006 12:34:42 +0000 http://appellationbeer.com/blog/?p=12#comment-3 Lew, it would be probably be more fun to disagree with you, but - other than bringing up Rush Limbaugh (can we ban the name from this blog?) - your argument is perfectly reasonable, particularly since it starts and continues to the end (read Lew's whole article, folks) defending Bryan's beers. I'd say we both did some overstating to make our points. In my case I made up the idea you were "hops bashing" so I could defend permitting occasional excess in the quest of knowledge. You're arguing for grace, harmony, subtly and balance in beers. I don't want to be on the other side of the debate in that one. Perhaps us folks in the invsible (Mountain) time zone have moved on. We consider a hophead somebody who loves hops at all low alpha levels as well as high - and we're not shy about bad mouthing wacko out-of-balance beers. We wouldn't argue for a dunkel with more bitterness or hop aroma/flavor but that doesn't mean a hophead couldn't use recently acquired knowledge to make subtle and pleasant changes in character (just as a malthead would with grains). Lew, it would be probably be more fun to disagree with you, but – other than bringing up Rush Limbaugh (can we ban the name from this blog?) – your argument is perfectly reasonable, particularly since it starts and continues to the end (read Lew’s whole article, folks) defending Bryan’s beers.

I’d say we both did some overstating to make our points. In my case I made up the idea you were “hops bashing” so I could defend permitting occasional excess in the quest of knowledge.

You’re arguing for grace, harmony, subtly and balance in beers. I don’t want to be on the other side of the debate in that one.

Perhaps us folks in the invsible (Mountain) time zone have moved on. We consider a hophead somebody who loves hops at all low alpha levels as well as high – and we’re not shy about bad mouthing wacko out-of-balance beers.

We wouldn’t argue for a dunkel with more bitterness or hop aroma/flavor but that doesn’t mean a hophead couldn’t use recently acquired knowledge to make subtle and pleasant changes in character (just as a malthead would with grains).

]]> By: Lew Bryson http://appellationbeer.com/blog/in-defense-of-hops-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-2 Lew Bryson Mon, 16 Jan 2006 17:03:02 +0000 http://appellationbeer.com/blog/?p=12#comment-2 Stan, Stan, where did I say "less hops is better"? I don't believe I even said that fewer hoppy beers would be better. I realize you're exaggerating my stand on this issue in order to jump off on your own rant, but... Given how the geek community already stands on this, your plea for hops justice rings a bit like Rush Limbaugh pleading that conservatives don't control enough of talk radio. All I'm asking for is people to consider malt-balanced beers, to give them the credit I do believe they deserve, particularly when a brewer as innovative and talented as Bryan Pearson is working with those malty beers...and getting very little respect in the geek community for it. As you did say, I love hoppy, madly hoppy, and ridiculously hoppy beers. But I'm bored to absolute distraction by the amount of obsessive attention they get. Lew Bryson Stan, Stan, where did I say “less hops is better”? I don’t believe I even said that fewer hoppy beers would be better. I realize you’re exaggerating my stand on this issue in order to jump off on your own rant, but… Given how the geek community already stands on this, your plea for hops justice rings a bit like Rush Limbaugh pleading that conservatives don’t control enough of talk radio. All I’m asking for is people to consider malt-balanced beers, to give them the credit I do believe they deserve, particularly when a brewer as innovative and talented as Bryan Pearson is working with those malty beers…and getting very little respect in the geek community for it.

As you did say, I love hoppy, madly hoppy, and ridiculously hoppy beers. But I’m bored to absolute distraction by the amount of obsessive attention they get.

Lew Bryson

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