Hop plants are a perennial climbing vine (a member of the hemp family) which grows in the cool climates such as Northern Europe, the Pacific Northwest and in New England.  During the hot summer days, they can grow several inches a day. Eventually a hop vine can grow to 15 - 18 feet in height.  A single plant carries either male or female flowers. Brewers use only the cone-shaped flowers that hang downward from the vines of the female hop plant. The flowers are harvested in the late summer and early fall. In the early days before mechanical harvesting, hop pickers used stilts in order to reach the cones at the upper part of the vine.        

 In beer making the brewer essentially extracts the sugars from barley malt and then ferments them.  The hops, with their bitter oils are used to counter of the sweetness of the fermented malt.  An experienced brewer will come up with just the right balance of sweetness-to-bitterness to make a great beer. Hops are also used as a natural preservative - beer with hops keeps fresher longer.