The International Herb Association has selected hops (Humulus lupulus) as the 2018 Herb of the Year.
Hops is a vine that traditionally preserves and flavors beer, but is an attractive ornamental plant that is easy to grow.
Hops has been cultivated for centuries for brewing beer and for medicinal use.
Hops is native to Northern Europe, and is a hardy perennial in zones 5-10. Hops grows from a stout branched root; and climbs vigorously, reaching 20 feet in a growing season. Hops prefers full to partial sun.
Hops are dioecious (male and female); so a grower needs both for fertilization.
Hops are harvested at the end of summer. They do lose their potency after a few months storage.
Historic Uses
Hops has been cultivated for centuries, first documented in 736. English and Dutch farmers brought hops to America in the late 1600s.
Medicinal draughts brewed with hops were used for liver and stomach ailments, and for skin infections and headaches.
Hops was combined with bread to make a poultice for sores and ulcers. It was inhaled for sore throats.
Pillows filled with hops and other sedative herbs helped promote peaceful sleep.
Culinary Uses for Hops
Young shoots of hops are edible and are cooked like asparagus.
Hops is a flavoring and stabilizing agent in beer. It has been bred to produce varieties that are high in aroma and low in bitterness.
Only female plants are grown for the brewing industry and are propagated vegetatively. The female produces catkins that have peppery overlapping scales. The interior of the flower has the yellow lupulin that produces the bitter flavor.
Hops are used to make a soft drink in Sweden and Latin America.
Hops Recipes
Hoppy Lemon Honey Simple Syrup