Ningxia Hops

Ningxia Hops

　　Hops are perennial herbaceous plants. The vines can grow over 6 meters long, densely covered in fine hairs and equipped with backward-facing prickles. The leaves are opposite, papery, and shaped either ovate or palmately, with 3 to 5 lobes and coarse serrated edges. The flowers are solitary, with male and female flowers on separate plants. Male flowers are arranged in conical inflorescences, while female flowers form spikes. The flowering period is from July to August, and the fruiting period is from September to October.

　　　Known as "蛇麻花" (humulus flower) in "Compendium of Materia Medica," it is a perennial herbaceous climbing plant that was historically used for medicinal purposes. In 1079, Germans were the first to add hops to beer brewing, giving the beverage its characteristic refreshing bitterness and aromatic fragrance. Since then, hops have been hailed as the "soul of beer" and have become one of the indispensable ingredients in brewing. They impart a unique bitterness and aroma to beer, along with preservative qualities and the ability to clarify the wort. Hops were first used in Germany and scientifically named *Humulus lupulus*. They belong to the hemp family (Cannabaceae), genus *Humulus*, and are perennial climbing herbaceous plants that are dioecious, with only the female flowers used in brewing.

　　 　　China has a history of half a century in the artificial cultivation of hops, which began in the Northeast. Currently, large-scale hop production bases have been established in regions such as Xinjiang, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning. Mature fresh hops are dried and pressed, then used whole or ground and compressed into pellets before being sealed in packaging. They can also be processed into hop extracts and stored in low-temperature warehouses. The active components are hop resins and hop oils. The typical usage of hops is about 1.4 to 2.4 kilograms per kiloliter of beer.