For the Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops by Stan Hieronymus

For the Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops Reviews

• 
  Ramon van Dam

  Very insightful, informative and a big recommendation to all brewers. Stan Hieronymus has found a nice balance between telling some of the history of hop, the science behind this amazing plant, a good summary of a big selection of varieties and some promising recipes.
• 
  Geoff Young

  Differs from other books in this series, leaning more toward narrative than cold, hard facts. While some will be disappointed by the relative paucity of immediately usable information, others will find the tale charming and fascinating. I fall mostly into the latter camp.
• 
  Christopher Murtagh

  This is the third of the brewing elements series that I have read and it is both the most well written and the least useful. Chapters start often in the fashion of newspaper supplement articles with a vignette of say a man in a field rubbing hops between his fingers, or a young woman in a german hop growing town being crowned the hop queen. There's a sheen and a readability not present in the other books of the series that takes it into the territory of say a pop non fiction book, perhaps to appeal to the casual ipa drinker, who knows his simcoe from his citra.
  
  It explains a lot of the farming side and the process of crossing and developing new strains of hops, tells you how to grow hops. It lists about a hundred hops and their typical alpha content and flavours, and gives a few recipes, but this kind of thing can be found abundantly elsewhere.
  
  As a brewer I found little new or that could be effectively applied to my brewing, unlike the book on yeast, and water which were essential, brimming with advice that seemed well tested by experienced brewers. Partially this could be because when it comes to hopping beers, all the brewers seem to have developed different unique styles of doing it, and none seem to have much of an advantage over each other, pretty much everything works.
  
  So I was a little let down, expecting it to give me some new insights, and useful advice to try on my beers, that was lacking, but it was well written, quite interesting, it travels the globe, qoutes Proust even at one point. If I was looking at in the same way as I'd look at say David Eagleman's books on neuroscience, i.e. I'm quite interested in it but I don't know much about it and don't intend to go looking at any brains myself, then I would see it as a great success.
• 
  Valeska

  I learned so much from this book. I appreciated hops as they bring balance to beer, but I am not a hophead and usually shy away from beers above 30 IBU.
  
  In the first chapters, the author talks about how different taste receptors respond to hops differently. It made me feel better about not loving IPAs.
  
  Still, learning about the process of growing and choosing hops gave me a better understanding and appreciation of them. I especially liked the stories of developing different processes of adding hops to beer. Though the picture of the hop cannon did not live up to what I imagined, I still would like to tour a brewery that uses one. If I find myself in California, I may need to stop at Russian River Brewing.
  
  After this read, I may try to expand my palate to 40 IBUs. We will see how that goes.
• 
  Stuart

  [NB: I know Mr. Hieronymous in a personal and professional capacity]
  
  If you've ever talked to Mr. Hieronymous, or attended one of his presentations, you understand his discursive, occasionally disorganized style derives equally from his sheer enthusiasm for his topic (the science of beer, specifically hops) and his incredible depth of knowledge.
  
  This book represents years of travel and research, and the techniques and perspectives within are of use to beer drinkers, home brewers, professional brewers, anybody involved in the marketing and sales of beer, food critics, chefs, biochemists, gardeners, farmers and agricultural economists.
  
  The only flaw in the book is a certain "jumbled togetherness"--paragraphs don't always flow steadily from one to another and occasionally you have to backtrack to make sure you understand the point still being made. However, this is a minor flaw and the book is absolutely worth acquiring if you like beer, make beer (as a hobby or professionally) or work in the beer industry.
• 
  Uroš

  In comparison to malt and water books from this series, this one is a bit useless, it mostly only covers the history and a few people that were influential in brewing and hop utilization research. Water book being more useful for day to day professional or just homebrewer, this one is a bit outdated. For example, Slovenia institute for hop research and brewing from Žalec and any of its contributions in research are not even mentioned, the author apparently thinks that only US, UK, DE and CZ are hop producers. I expected more from this book.
• 
  Martin Dolezal

  Pro domácí pivovarnictví veskrze neužitečné. Pro milovníky chmele hodně podrobností z historie, současnosti i plány do budoucna, šlechtění, příhody, je toho dost. Ale těšil jsem se na více praktických informací, které se ale omezují v podstatě jenom na jednu kapitolu a i ta vyznívá jako "někdo chmelí do sladu, někdo klasicky při chmelovaru, někdo do whirlpoolu, někdo chmelí zastudena, každý chmel je jiný, chce to zkoušet..."
• 
  Abhinav

  The only book I read so far which talks about hops in depth. It's definitely not a book for beginners but rather enthusiasts. The author discuss the history of hops with fine details like no other. There's an entire chapter which talks about 'dry hopping' and it really helps home brewers and brewers understand different techniques in craft breweries.
• 
  John Thomason

  A good book on the history, and agricultural aspects of Hops. It didn't have as much how to use in a brew information as I would have liked, but then, we are still learning a lot about Hops, and how to use them in brewing beer. Well written, with sources cited, for those wishing to learn more.
• 
  Norman S

  This is a deep dive into the world of hops. It's a reference book for a brewery or a hobbyist, but if you're curious about the details of how this lovely little plant creates so many delicious beers then you'll enjoy it.
• 
  Taraya

  Having stood in a few hop fields, wandered through some processing and kilning factories, seen a pelletizer, and then sipped the final product fresh from the experimental lab - this book was helpful along the way as an introduction to hops and their ever flavourful use in beer.
• 
  Povilas Balzaravičius

  This book does not contain a lot of direct information (or tips) which would bring your home brewing to the next level. The book is more a pleasant read about hops. It covers the history of hops and varieties, cultivation and different ways how hops are used at present days in beer brewing.
• 
  John Hubbard

  The least important of the series. I didn't get much from this. Hieronymus is much better elsewhere.
• 
  Colin

  A very complex subject communicated clearly.
• 
  Mario Rivas

  Good book with some hard facts and uses of the hops into the beer nevertheless is a book more about the history of hops.
• 
  Russell Yarnell

  This was my third book of the 4 book series and it has been a great learning experience.
• 
  Darren Carthy

  I enjoy Stan's writing style and he managed to turn what might have been quite a cumbersome reference text into a compelling compendium of hop history, cultivation and analysis.
• 
  Flávio Sousa

  For what it’s worth, this book is in all likelihood the best book on the highly revered and romanticized plant known colloquially as Hops. It covers – extensively, I might add – the impact of hops in both beer and brewing through the lenses of history, society and science.
  
  Having read many brewing books, I found Stan's approach to the cultural impact of hops - through testimonies of brewers, researchers and hop growers - refreshing. It was particularly delightful for me to read on how revered hops are to the ones most directly affected by it’s success in the brewing industry; How pledges are made with particular hop strains and how – often serendipitously - Hop ‘trends’ are created or demolished.
  
  Now, while the book achieves it's goal satisfactory it's not without flaws:
  
  1) For one, the book shifts too abruptly between highly superficial / introductory topics to ultra complex scientific explanations. This makes the read feel laconic and erratic.
  
  2) The lack of content on history. It would be nice to have more information on how hops shaped society and brewing throughout the ages. Even if just a general outline of the topic.
  
  3) The lack of information on the agronomics of hops: There are some pages dedicated to rhizomes, diseases and training systems but the information seems disjointed and lacking. (why so little informations on planting and maintenance? )
  
  4) The ubiquitous "filler" chapters. Was is really necessary to put in a recipe chapter? Seems unwarranted and just feels tedious. At least have the recipes sprinkled across the book appropriately contextualized and tied to the topic at hand.
  
  Now having said all that, this is still the book to get when it comes to hops - for the moment being at least - and despite it’s shortcomings it was a pleasant – at times warming – read. Just be sure to get Hop Growers, if you want the full picture on hops.
• 
  Ryan

  Essential to a better understanding of the historical, scientific, and contemporary practical use of hops in commercial and home brewing.
  
  Considering how much contradictory information is floating around on forums, I was hoping to find definitive answers and guidance regarding hop flavor, aroma, and perception of bitterness...instead the book gave me a sense of just how far we are from any "definitive" answers on most of these topics.
  
  While the book collects a number of surprising research outcomes (aroma terpenoids can undergo biotransformation by yeast; using fewer hops can increase their organoleptic properties; some people are hypersensitive to certain aromatic compounds, while other people cannot detect the same compounds in any concentration; etc.), the key point is that due to the immense complexity of hops, a deep understanding of them remains elusive. Scientists are still far from coming to grips with the contributions and interactions of the 200+ oils in hops that contribute to flavor or aroma.
  
  Meanwhile, breeders and brewers struggle to exert control and achieve consistency of product character and quality despite this ignorance. The anecdotes, quotes, and recipes from so many dedicated and obsessive brewers adds another layer of interest to these pages. Despite an abundance of technical information, there is a lot of well written/organized personal/biographical detail throughout.
  
  We may never fully master this ingredient - but approached holistically, with disciplined and bold experimentation guided by our senses - it will continue to reward us with surprising nuance or intensity.
• 
  Rob

  Packed with more information about hops than… well, than Stone Ruination is packed with hops. So much in here about hops -- about how they're bred, grown, harvested, processed, handled, selected, and (ultimately) how brewers (pro and home alike) brew with them. And/but/so as a home brewer, this is almost… too advanced? While I wanted to know as much I about hops as I could, much of what's in here seems… not so much irrelevant as out of reach. It's fascinating to learn how the brewers at New Belgium and Dogfish Head and Russian River and Sierra Nevada get all those delicious essential oils into their packaged product but… building a
  "torpedo" is a bit out of my league. THAT BEING SAID: there is plenty of great discussion in here about how to choose hop varieties and how to work with them. (The hop "catalog" is also nicely marked with gray page edges so you can flip immediately to it.)
  
  Not for the novice home brewer; but if you're feeling up for it (and/or are VERY SERIOUS about your hops) then this is the source you're looking for.
• 
  Dan

  It's not often I mark a BA book as a 5 star read, but Stan Hieronymus did a phenomenal job on this book. The opening chapters on hop history and agriculture are as entertaining as any popular non-fiction on the market and I'd recommend to just about anyone, regardless of their level of interest in drinking and making beer. By the mid-way point you're pretty much in geek-out zone- you probably aren't interested in the content here unless you are deeply invested in the beer making process. That said, I do more than a fair amount of reading about drinking and making beer and this is the first book I've read in a long time that has seriously made me question how I handle my recipes and process and inspired me to try some new methods. If you're home brewing and feel comfortable with your basic method, this is a great book to expand your thinking on how you use hops.
• 
  Clay

  Stan Hieronymus does a good job and tackling an enormous topic -- hops. I gained a decent amount from reading this book, but I felt like it is a book that professional brewers (brewing on large systems) would enjoy more. For example, there are large portions of the book devoted to the cross-breeding hops, building a relationship with your hop grower, many many ways to dry-hop, along with other topics that to me as a home-brewer are fairly irrelevant.
  
  
  I look forward to both the Malts and Water books that are slated to come out in this series. I am disheartened, a tad, that the main punchline of this book is that we still know so little about this curious and splendid flower.
• 
  Alex Turner

  This book gave a great background on the history of hops and what it takes to get them into my hands. Some great insights from some well know brewers and breweries on how they use hops on a macro level.
  
  I did come away a little disappointed that I don't really feel it helped increase my understanding of how to use hops better myself. But maybe that wasn't a fair expectation.
  
  Worth the read and at the very least has inspired me to do some experiments to start getting a better feel for the flavours and aromas of the different (so many!) hops.
• 
  Christoph Weber

  You want to brew beer? Then read this book! Everything you ever needed to know plus a little more. The stories told be farmers and brewers are short and fun and the facts are endless and really help you to understand hops.
  
  It starts with the science, then goes from history to the present and the future, and it lists a few representative recipes for you to brew and find out for yourself what the guys are talking about.
  
  Get ready to be scratched by the hop!
• 
  Ronald Smith

  A very detailed book on the history, science, and commercial viability of hops. It points out how economically / culturally important hops are to several regions across the globe and how to this day we still have much to learn about this important plant. The hop variety section in the book will be a good reference. Kudos to the author for getting so much detail into a small space. However, the book is not an easy read.