JUDGING THE VALUE OF HOPS. 291 



before they are dried, or by drying at too high a tem- 

 perature, especially if they have been picked before they 

 were properly ripe. 



Cleanness. — -A good sample of hops must be free from 

 • foliage leaves, bits of stems, stunted cones and other 

 impurities. Torn cones indicate careless picking and treat- 

 ment, and also loss of lupulin. The stalks left on the cones 

 ought not to be longer than a small fraction of an inch, long 

 stalks being merely useless ballast and so much dead loss to 

 the buyer. 



It should also be mentioned that best hops ought to be 

 quite or nearly free from seeds ; when the latter are present 

 the brewer receives a smaller percentage of useful matter per 

 unit of weight. 



Colour. — This should be naturally pale greenish yellow 

 to golden, i.e., not artificially produced from discoloured hops 

 by sulphuring. 



The great stress laid on a handsome light colour is often 

 the cause of premature picking. In any case the rule 

 " better early than late " is applicable, but this should not be 

 pushed to extremes, unripe hops being always poor in lupulin 

 and therefore deficient in aroma. They also are green in 

 colour and lack the tinge of yellow. 



Hops may be discoloured from various causes. Thus, 

 when blown about by wind they become spotted and lose 

 in appearance, though the quality is unchanged. Again, hops 

 that have been picked late and left on the poles until they 

 turn rusty are spoken of as " pole-red ". This is really only a 

 superficial defect, but a less innocuous state is the redness or 

 brown colour arising from bad drying or spontaneous heat- 

 ing (floor redness), which, especially the latter, cause a 

 deterioration of quality, the hops losing their fine natural 

 gloss, and generally smelling of valerianic acid. Smutted 

 hops owe their black tinge to the presence of Fumago salicina, 



