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Hop Obsession Part I

Alexandra Ortiz de Fargher

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July 9th, 2013 - 11:04 PM

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Hop Obsession Part I

Hop Obession Part I. I must admit that as of late I have become obsessed with painting hops. This strikes me as rather strange since I don't particularly like hoppy beers. Hops are not particularly beautiful to look at and most difficult to paint. The fascination really is with beer. Since hops are an ingredient that is almost solely used in beer making, it's symbolic of this most revered drink.

My painting obsession began not too long after I took over graphic design for the brewery. My husband and I started Shades of Pale Brewing in Park City, Utah. Though it may sound like a grand endeavor, it was actually a nano operation started on a shoestring budget. We both had day jobs and worked on the business week ends and evenings. In those early days I affectionately called myself the CSM, Chief Scrub Master. I suppose I could have given myself a glorious title, but the truth of it is that there was an awful lot of cleaning involved. The hop addition was a particularly a messy affair.

We began recipe development on a Sabco System. For those of you not yet indoctrinated into the world of brewing, a Sabco is a glorified brew at home set up. Picture 3 fifteen gallon metal buckets that sit side by side over gas burners. The whole system sits on a metal frame and reminds me of a gas grill with big pots on top of the grill.

Hops are typically added to the boil, or as a hop addition at fermentation. The brewing process vaguely resembles making tea. Grains, just like tea, are steeped in water. The result is sugar water which is boiled for a certain amount of time, flash cooled, and moved to fermenters where yeast converts those sugars into alcohol. Hops, a bitter flower, are added to the beer to balance the sweetness of the malts and provide aromas that tantalize the palate.

Continued on: Hop Obsession Part II.

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