The fruits of hops are primarily used for brewing beer. They contain a powder that gives the beer its bitter taste and makes it durable. Only the fruit of a female hop plant can be used for beer production.
What is the hop fruit used for?
The hop fruit is the cone-shaped umbel of a female hop plant that contains green, dry sepals and a yellow powder called lupulin. Hop fruits, which ripen in late August to September, are mainly used for beer production and as a natural medicine.
Only female hop plants bear fruit
Hops are dioecious, which means there are male and female plants. No fruits develop on the male plants.
In commercial cultivation, therefore, only female hop plants are grown. Male plants even need to be removed in some areas as they can spoil the fruit of the female hop plant.
This is how the hop fruit is structured
- Umbel fruit
- cone shape
- overlapping sepals
- when the fruit is ripe, yellow powder under the sepals
Hop fruits are yellow-green and look like small cones. They are called umbels. The fruit's sepals overlap. On the underside there are small balls that contain the most valuable ingredient in hops, lupulin.
If the fruit is overripe, the sepals turn brown.
When is the fruit ripe?
Ripe fruits are green and dry. Inside they contain a yellow powder called lupulin.
The only way to know with certainty whether a fruit is actually ripe is to harvest an umbel and cut it open. An aromatic scent then emanates from it.
The harvest season begins at the end of August and extends into September.
Store hops properly until they are used
So that the ingredients are preserved, a hop fruit must be dried as soon as possible after harvesting. Only dried fruits can be stored for several months.
In commercial cultivation, the hop fruits are processed into pellets because they can be stored in bags to save space.
For home use, you can also freeze hop fruits and preserve them for a longer period of time. If you want to make a calming tea from this, take as many fruits as you need and brew them with hot water.
Tip
Hop fruits must be harvested on time. Once the fruits are overripe, they cannot be used for making beer, teas or natural remedies. The taste is then no longer slightly bitter, but rather inedible.
