Page 28 - The Valley Table - Summer 2021

Hops were originally added to the brewing process as an antibacterial preservative. In the 15th century, English brewers loaded their beers with hops so they could survive the long ocean voyage to India (hence the term IPA, or India Pale Ale). Today these Cannabaceae flowers serve two main purposes in beer: bittering and aroma.
Emily Watson, who, with her husband, Evan, owns Plan Bee Farm Brewery in Poughkeepsie, explains that bittering hops have greater impact on the flavor of beer. “The earlier you add hops to the boil, the more your beer will contain those bitter notes...[Bittering hops] have a high level of alpha acids, creating that flavor profile.”
Aroma hops, by contrast, have a lower concentration of alpha acids and impact the scent of a beer. Their use often coincides with fresher, brighter brews and tropical citrus notes. Adding aroma hops toward the end of the boiling process affects the nose more than the taste. Some brewers add them directly to the fermenter, leaving them out of the boil entirely, in a process known as dry-hopping. Dual- purpose hops can be used in either way.
As a licensed New York State farm brewery, Plan Bee uses only New York-grown hops. Farm Beer, Plan Bee’s 100% local ingredient batch, utilizes fresh, aroma-variety Cascade
26 the valley table june – aug 2021 photos: by b. docktor photography (top); courtesy of orange county hops (bottom)