Decision 6: Hops and Hype

The final frontier of beer brewing: selecting the perfect hops.

At this point in the brewing process, you've got your grains, your yeast, and your yeast's favorite snacks (that's you, by the way). Now, it's time to think about hops. Hops are like the party guests at your beer's birthday bash: you want them to be fun, but not too fun. You want them to be present, but not too present. It's a delicate balance, like the perfect beer-to-guest ratio.

Types of Hops:

• Alpha Hops: The life of the party. These guys are all like "YO, I'M SO FUN!" and make your beer taste like a wild ride.
• Beta Hops: The cool kid in the corner. They're all like "Hey, what's up?" and make your beer taste like a laid-back afternoon.
• Delta Hops: The weird cousin who shows up late and eats all the snacks. These guys are like "I'M HERE! *burp* Sorry, what were we talking about again?"

Now that you've got your hops, it's time to think about the ratio of hops to beer. Too many hops, and it's like the guest who won't leave. Not enough hops, and it's like the guest who just leaves you hanging. You want it just right, like Goldilocks.

That's it for today, folks! Next time on Beer Garden, we'll be talking about yeast: the ultimate beer party crasher.