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Hops and Cannabis are very closely related plants:

From here: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2 ... lated-hops

In 2002, a group of plant and molecular biologists in the US and UK looked at the structural characteristics, cellular organelles, latex-producing-properties (or lack thereof) and DNA sequences of a select number of genes for all of the plants originally in Urticales and related taxa. The upshot: by comparing sequences of rbcL, trnL-F, ndhF and matK DNA regions, they confirmed that Humulus and Cannabis were very closely related and belonged in a single family,

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Cilurzo coined the phrase “Lupulin Threshold Shift,” defined as

1. When a once-extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian

2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer

3. The long term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur

4. When a double IPA just isn’t enough

Am I kidding myself that it is the taste I'm after. I've never been that fanatical about culinary treats. I suspect it might be a chemical in the hops that is seducing me.

Someone was drinking my beer once, and on their second glass, they settled back in their chair and said with a euphoric grin..."this beer is great! it's like pot, on a good day!"

Happy Hoppy Canada Day!

I really think there might be something in this. I already had a suspicion that something was in there, and started researching it after the "like pot on a good day" comment. I couldn’t believe it when I found that article.

The “like pot on a good day” 5 gal batch was hop bursted (late hopped) for 10 minutes with a pound of really fresh smelling, nitrogen sealed, Hop Union, Cascade leaf hops, and the hops were left in for the ferment. No other hops or hopping techniques were used.

If there are any THC like compounds in hops, according to that article, they are soluble in alcohol, and would have come out during the ferment when alcohol was present.

It might be that I stumbled on something interesting about the “lupulin threshold shift.” I’ve never really smoked pot, might have had a puff or two of a joint as a kid, so I’m not really the person to investigate this.

A project for someone maybe…Jeff?

Maybe 10 or 15 years ago I would have jumped all over a "project" like this. It's something that's definitely come up in conversation at more than a few BN get together a though.

Don`t forget that hops have extremely high levels of other bioactive compounds, especially phytohormones. These compounds have been directly correlated with the development of manboobs and the need to sit down when peeing.

wortly wrote:Don`t forget that hops have extremely high levels of other bioactive compounds, especially phytohormones. These compounds have been directly correlated with the development of manboobs and the need to sit down when peeing.

Is that a theoretical or a practical thing about the boobs? Do you have any hard information or links to studies that it is the hops, independent of weight gain from poor diet. Obesity in itself causes higher levels of circulating oestrogens and breast growth.

Plant sterols in hops have many anti-ageing, anti-oxidative health benefits. Soy is has phytosterols, thought to have many health benefits also.

In addition to water, the ‘German Beer Purity Law’, based on the Bavarian Beer Purity Law from 1516, allows only barley, hops, yeasts and water for beer brewing. The extracts of these ingredients, especially the hops, contain an abundance of polyphenols such as kaempferol, quercetin, tyrosol, ferulic acid, xanthohumol/isoxanthohumol/8-prenylnaringenin, α-bitter acids like humulone and β-bitter acids like lupulone. 8-prenylnaringenin is the most potent phytoestrogen known to date. These compounds have been shown to possess various anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-angiogenic, anti-melanogenic, anti-osteoporotic and anti-carcinogenic effects.

Anyone have any more information/links to interesting studies?