Hops: the beautiful, cone-shaped plant that adds so much flavor and aroma to a craft beer.

A couple of weeks ago I discussed the importance of barley, and the role it plays in creating delicious beer. This week, I’m hoppin' on to hops, an ingredient that, while used in less quantity, is just as important as barley when it comes to brewing.

Hops really shine through in IPAs, double IPAs and pale ales. Whether hoppy beers are your go-to, or you air on the side of more balanced brews, we can all better understand beer with a better understanding of hops.

While hops aren’t normally grown in the warmer climate of California, you may or may not have had the chance to see these beautiful plants. Part of the nettle family, and closely related to marijuana, this climbing vine has been cultivated for thousands of years. However, hops weren’t a regular addition to beer until about one thousand years ago.

Today, hops are grown all over the world, including in the United States. According to Randy Mosher, a highly regarded craft beer writer, there are over one hundred different varieties of hops, only a third of which are available to American brewers. Because hops are most successful when grown between 35 degree and 55 degree latitudes on both sides of the equator, they can potentially be successfully grown in almost any U.S. state.

However, Washington has become the biggest producer of hops in the country, followed by Oregon and Idaho.

Brewers use the hop cones in brewing to add both bitterness and aroma. Inside the hop cone is a small stem that holds the leaves together. Covering the stem is lupulin, which contains bitter resins and aromatic oils.

The brewing world measures bitterness in terms of the alpha acids present in different hop varieties. Aromatic oils in hops have many variations — grassy, spicy, minty, resiny, floral, citrus and so on. Brewers choose what hops to use in a certain beer based on the level of bitterness and aroma they want to achieve.

When brewing, the crushed malt is mixed with hot water, allowing the enzymes in the malt to convert starches in the barley into sugars. This sweet liquid, called “wort,” is then drained off and added to the brew kettle.

Once in the kettle, the wort is brought to a rolling boil. At this point, it’s time for the first addition of hops, from which the wort will extract bitterness.

The longer the boil, the more bitter a beer will be. However, as with anything in life, you can overdo this — two hours is generally the maximum amount of time you want to boil hops.

During this stage, the aromatic oils from hops are boiled away. As a result, brewers usually add more hops toward the end of the boil to add aroma, a very important aspect to consider in regards to the beer's overall taste.

Sometimes brewers add a hop addition after the boil has ended, often times using a “hop-back” device. The device is loaded with hops and then the hot wort is run through it.

Another popular trend is to “dry hop” the beer, when hops are added after fermentation. This results in a very fresh, pleasing aroma.

Using hops in beer should be about balance; however, balance is very subjective. Some people can handle huge, bitter, hop-loaded beers, while others feel that even a red ale is too bitter to handle.

Whether you’re a hop-head or a more balanced hop lover, today’s American craft beer scene offers the right style for everyone. So, go pour yourself a tasty craft beer to kick off your weekend, and this time, maybe stop and smell the hops. Cheers!