Today we continue our most popular weekly post series “Hop of the morning”. 
Hop of the Morning was created to help us as well as our loyal and adoring fan base better understand the ingredients that go into beer and the terminology used to distinguish one hop from another. Hop profiling, if you will. Each week we give a detailed description of one variety of hops and highlight a small part of that description and explain what it tells us about the flavor effects of that hop.
This week we will be taking a closer look at Alpha Acids. Alpha Acids are the main bittering agent found in hops. These acids are released from the female portion of the hop vine (proving that all females are bitter … or that all males are useless). At the base of the flower are small yellow lupulin glands that contain the Alpha Resins. Alpha Acids are insoluble in water and not particularly bitter in their natural state on the hop cone. It is not until the Alpha Acids are boiled that the resin becomes bitter and water-soluble adding that distinct bitterness to the young beer (also called wort). This change in solubility and bitterness comes from a chemical rearrangement of the molecules in the Alpha Acid called an isomerization. Because the bitterness is achieved by a chemical reaction, you can increase the bitterness of your beer by increasing the overall isomerization of the Alpha Acids by boiling your wort for a long time. The alpha acid utilization in your boil starts off fast with 94% of Alpha Acids isomerized in the first 45 minutes of the boil. The rate slows in minutes 45 to 90 with about 5% of the total alpha acids being converted to a usable form. After 90 minutes there is less then 1% unused Alpha Acids in the boil. This is why most hops used for bittering beer are boiled for 60 minutes maximizing hop isomerization against the energy cost of propane to power your stove top.
Mount Hood Hops
Pedigree A triploid seedling of the German Hallertauer variety
Cone-Structure Medium-size and fairly compact
Lupulin Moderate amount, yellow in color
Aroma Mild, somewhat pungent
Alpha Acid 5.0 – 8.0% w/w
Beta Acid 5.0 – 7.5% w/w
Cohumulone 22 – 23% of alpha acids
Storageability 50 – 60% alpha acid remaining after 6 months storage at 20°C
Total Oil 1.0 – 1.3 mls/100 grams
Myrcene 55 – 65% of whole oil
Humulene 15 – 25% of whole oil
Carophyllene 7 – 10% of whole oil
Farnesene <1% of whole oil
General Trade Perception Perception Aroma variety with marked similarities to the German Hallertauer and Hersbrucker varieties. Most popular hop in the triploid Hallertau breeding program, partly due to the fact it was the first one released.
Possible Substitutions Crystal, French Strisselspalt, Hersbrucker
Typical Beer Styles Lager, Pilsner, Bock, US Wheat, Alt, Munich Helles
Typical Hop Use Aroma
Information taken from: brew-monkey.com