Simpson Kerry Tyack Cameron Williamson Stephen Beaumont's World of Beer Mac's hops to new heights with aromatic brew By Bruce Holloway Hops don't get a lot of publicity. While most folk could send you to sleep reciting their anorakish knowledge of grapes and wine, chances are they've drunk a thousand beers but wouldn't know a handful of hops from a bunch of brussels sprouts. Cones of the hop plant a member of the nettle family, and first cousin to cannabis are used in brewing like herbs are in cooking. Through the resins and oils contained in their flowers, hops provide the aromatic, bitter character of beer. This bitterness is used to balance the sweetness of the malt.
Hop developments are as rare as Australian test cricket losses.
Indeed, only 15 hop varieties have been developed over the last 40 years. So it's highly significant that a powerfully aromatic new hop, offering wine-like flavours, has been created and harvested in Nelson. The world's newest hop is the key ingredient behind the launch of AroMac, a new limited-release beer from McCashin's Brewery, available to the public from May 1. The hops, of medium bitterness, give AroMac a fragrant hint of passionfruit and earthy grassiness similar to the waft you get from a can of Australian fruit salad. For those more interested in drinking AroMac than using it as an air freshener or smelling salts, the news is also good.