Memphis Made Brewing Co. will have a bunch of limited-run hoppy ales released throughout the day on Saturday April 13, plus much, much more on tap. As an added bonus … the soon-to-open craft brewery Memphis Filling Station will be adding their own hoppy beers to the offerings this year.
To understand more about hops, I asked Drew Barton – one of the co-owners of Memphis Made Brewing Co. – to give us the low down on this key ingredient in beer.
What are hops?
Hops are the flowers of the hop plant. Drew says they are used primarily as a bittering, flavoring, and stability agent in beer.
How are they used in the beer making process?
Brewers use hops in beer to varying degrees. In some styles, like IPA, hops take centerstage. In other styles, like stouts, hops add depth but are not the basis for the beer’s flavor.
There is more than one kind of hops – in fact there are dozens of varieties used across the world to brew beer.
Drew said that Memphis Made used 19 different varieties of hops just this year.
A handful of varieties they used were Citra, Galaxy, Vic Secret, Medusa, Cashmere, El Dorado, Idaho #7, and Lemondrop. What crazy fun names? Fitting for making beer, don’t you think?!
Drew explained that each variety of Hops has its own flavor. Some beers are a single variety and some are combinations.
Drew said that they are featuring too many beers to describe each one - so you'll have to come out on April 13th and find out all about hoppy beers.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Cheers!
HOPPED Beer Festival at Memphis Made Brewing Co.
When: noon - 10 p.m. April 13
Where: Memphis Made Brewing Co., 768 S. Cooper St.
Cost: Free
For more information: memphismadebrewing.com
