hops

Oast-houses in Hever, Kent, England. Hops, used to flavour beer, are dried in kilns inside the oast-houses.

Female fruit heads of the hop plant Humulus lupulus, family Cannabiaceae; these are dried and used as a tonic and in flavouring beer. In designated areas in Europe, no male hops may be grown, since seedless hops produced by the unpollinated female plant contain a greater proportion of the alpha acid that gives beer its bitter taste.