A few years ago we published a book entitled Drinking Japan: It’s NOT Just Sake, a fact that we believe has been well established by the current popularity and price of Japanese whisky. This week we would like to employ a similar subtitle to the subject of hops, whose ubiquity in beer production has eclipsed its other uses, both past and present.
The hop plant (a.k.a., humulus lupulus) produces cones, or flowers, known as “hops.” At least one writer has referred to them as “’good night’ flowers.” This is because they have long been used to fight insomnia. “Hops is often used in nighttime tea blends to induce a restful sleep. The Meskwaki Indians used hops to stuff pillows as a sleep aid, and sedative hops pillows are still used today.”1
But circumventing the jumping-sheep census is not the only thing these cones have to offer. The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Aromatic Oils in Aromatherapy, Herbalism, Health & Well-being lists a plethora of uses related to health and well-being, of course, but also notes that humulus lupulus is used as a “fragrance ingredient in perfumes” and employed to flavor sauces and tobacco!2
The beverage under review this week is another example of what can be done with hops. Hop Spirits (ホップ・スピリッツ) is a gutsy (36% ABV), clear beverage made from hops. The aroma is vaguely green, fresh, somewhat medicinal, and slightly hoppy. The taste is very much like gin. The finish is long, with hints of licorice. We tried it straight and on the rocks and liked it both ways. It is made by Minato Distillery, which is the name used by Hachinohe Shuzo for distilled liquors. Minato Distillery is located in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. If you like hops and if you like gin, you will like this, too.
120,000 Secrets of Tea: The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’s Healing Herbs by Victoria Zak (New York: Dell Books, 1999).
2The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Aromatic Oils in Aromatherapy, Herbalism, Health & Well-being by Julia Lawless (London: Harper Thorsons, 1992).
Drinking Japan 