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Brew News
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Written by Eric Greene
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Page 1 of 8  While we're on the subject of Hops, let's get up-close and personal with all the naughty parts of the hop plant (that's all brewers care about anyways). As mentioned in Part I, we are after the flowers of the female plant -- also known as cones. These cones contain all the essential oils and hard resins that give hops thier characteristic flavors, aromas, and (of course) Bitterness.
Here's a basic overview of the anatomy of a hop flower. The cone consists of a strig, or central stem (if you will) that runs down the center of the cone. From this strig emerge the bracts, or tough outer leaves/petals (which protect the tender inside bits from harm), as well as the bracteoles, which are smaller inner petals with lupulin glands huddled near the base. Lupulin glands are sticky, yellow globules that carry all of the hard resins (alpha and beta acids, which ultimately provide the bitterness) and soft resins (which provide volatile aromatic and flavorful compounds). Essentially, lupulin glands are the object of every brewer's desire.
Continuing on, we'll take a closer look at each of the parts and pieces of the cone, so we all have a better idea of what these things are all about.
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