JUDGING THE VALUE OF HOPS. 293 



most powerful aroma, and with progressing age it declines, 

 until finally displaced by the aforesaid cheesy smell. In 

 testing the aroma a few cones are rubbed between the hands 

 and smelled, the result also indicating whether the sample is 

 at all mouldy or fusty. In order to ascertain whether the 

 sample contains a mixture of red and green, or old and new, 

 hops a larger number of cones must be taken and examined 

 separately for aroma, colour, etc. 



For beer prepared from malt cured at a low kiln heat hops 

 with fine aroma must always be used ; whereas in darker beers, 

 the smell and taste of which are influenced by the products 

 formed at the high kiln temperature employed for the malt, 

 the aroma of the hop occupies a less prominent position, and 

 therefore such as are less aromatic may be used in this 

 case. 



Age of hops and sulphuring. — Age diminishes the value of 

 hops. Though defective colour, aroma and stickiness are 

 characteristic of aged hops, a microscopic examination is 

 necessary to make sure. Under the microscope the lupulin 

 granules of new hops are plump, smooth, full ; and, when 

 squeezed, discharge a pale yellow liquid. On the other 

 hand, the granules in old hops are irregular, wrinkled, 

 contracted, and their contents are consistent, viscous, and of 

 dark brown colour. The method of detecting sulphur has 

 already been explained. 



After having judged a sample of hops according to the 

 foregoing characteristics, the learner will also no doubt 

 endeavour to fix the origin. This will not be so easy when 

 parcels are bought from merchants insteadof growers, since 

 the_ former, for business reasons, sometimes mix parcels of 

 different origin, i.e., add inferior qualities to finer sorts, or 

 vice versa. It also sometimes happens that a parcel of 

 doubtful or unknown origin is simply dubbed with a fine- 

 sounding name in order to facilitate the sale. However, as 



