| Put the blunt down, just for a second
don’t get me wrong it’s not a new method.
– Cypress Hill, "Hits From the Bong"
Maybe you didn’t know this, but Sister Mary Jane has a funkier, skunkier soul sister known as hops. Just check out their family name, Cannabinaceae. Hops and pot have similar sedative qualities, but with hops you don’t have to risk lung cancer, or risk losing your… your… your… your… oh, forget it.
Instead of pot’s active sedative, THC, the hops plant buds have alpha acidity, and the street lingo among beer hopheads is IBUs (short for International Bittering Units). The mecca for hoppy beers, just like the grunge music scene, is the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and I have been to mecca a number of times. They are IBU crazy down there. The biggest, baddest IBU beer monsters are India Pale Ales (IPAs) and they are almost nirvana.
It’s hard to believe that less than a day’s drive from here is a beer culture that’s so vastly different from ours. In a small gas station in Bellingham, Washington, they had little placards explaining all the technical aspects of each beer (even for Coor’s Light) – and this was in a gas station, not even a beer specialty shop. In the Pacific Northwest, they take their beer seriously!
Big Time Brewery and Pub in Seattle’s University District has as many as seven different IPAs of their own on tap simultaneously. When I asked the bartender about this, he said they tried to make beers that are more delicate, but they didn’t sell and they ended up dumping old beer and losing money. All the university students want the IBUs, and if you’re ever in Seattle, a visit to Big Time is necessary – they make outstanding beer.
The problem I have with most of the IPAs of the Pacific Northwest is that their makers fried and burnt out their IBU taste buds years ago, so that the monsters they are brewing now are overdosed with high alpha acidic hops at the beginning of the beer’s boil for maximum bitterness, then a ton of hops is thrown in at the end. The result is a beer that is unbalanced throughout the palate.
On my last trip down there, at every brew pub I visited I would say, "Give me your best IPA." Most of the time, my reaction was slight disappointment and surprise, and I found myself longing for a Tree’s Hophead from Kelowna instead.
Tree’s Hophead has an amazing, big floral aroma which makes it hard to resist the urge to sit and smell this beer all day long. I have heard some drinkers compare the Hophead’s smell to an open bag of pot. I don’t agree. The description on the Hophead’s box is accurate: "A celebration of northwest hops and British specialty malts." Hophead has a nose of large, earthy citrus tones ending with a hint of fresh-baked cookies.
In the mouth, Hophead assertively massages the taste buds and gives this bad girl a beautiful start. A big middle, and layer upon layer of complex, mouth-drying bitterness end with just a hint of toasty, round malt sweetness. This beer is hard to put down once you’ve got it in your hand.
On a health note, big IBU beers break down heart plaque and help to fight heart disease. Moderation is the key. I have also heard that hops in its natural form has been used to cure insomnia, and some people will put a small amount in their pillows for a better night’s rest.
I would be cautious and do some research before attempting this, however. Hops contain alpha acid and can cause a nasty rash if your skin is exposed to them for long periods. If used correctly, however, you are supposed to have the most vivid, realistic and relaxing dreams ever. |
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