Hops are used to retard yeast fermentation, from what I understand. That's why Gueuze has very little, if any, hop flavor - you're using airborne yeast over years, instead of introduced yeast over days or months, so there isn't much fermentation to stop. I was told by the brewer at Cantillon (in Brussels) that Belgian beers are "sweeter" (he actually said "less bitter") because they try to use a slower fermentation process, and thus do not need to add as much hops. At least I think that's what he said - he speaks good English but some of this convo. was in French, which I suck at. A funny aside: When I asked him HOW the hops stop the brewing, he said "who knows?" This guy's been brewing beer forever. I later found out that basically no one understands exactly how hops retard yeast fermentation, at least no one I asked. I personally prefer Belgian beer over American, but I suspect that has more to do with exposure. When I was in Belgium, I would drink beer all the time (it's P.C. to drink a beer at lunch, after all); in the U.S., I rarely drink beer. I do tend to prefer beer that is less bitter, so that may have something to do with it as well. It's reasonable to believe that the U.S., with seemingly every ex-hippie and beer nerd in the country starting a microbrewery, would have most of the world beat in terms of variety and quality, even though the industry in the U.S. is relatively young. However, there's a lot of chaff to separate from the wheat, so to speak.
post #31 of 35
12/30/09 at 2:34pm
