Meaning & use
hoppy beer
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
Beer that has a strong flavor or aroma of hops, often with a bitter taste.
Grammar: Can be countable (a hoppy beer) or uncountable (I like hoppy beer).
Patterns
- a hoppy beer
- hoppy beers
This IPA is a very hoppy beer with citrus notes.
He prefers hoppy beers to dark stouts.
The brewery is known for its hoppy beer.
Word forms
| plural | hoppy beers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a hoppy IPA
- She ordered a hoppy IPA with a strong grapefruit aroma.
- hoppy flavor
- The hoppy flavor comes from adding hops late in the boil.
- too hoppy
- For me, this beer is too hoppy and bitter.
- hoppy aroma
- The hoppy aroma filled the room as soon as he poured it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bitter
- Bitter describes a taste; hoppy specifically refers to the flavor and aroma of hops in beer.
- hop-forward
- Hop-forward is a more technical term used in brewing to describe beers where hops are the main feature.
Opposites
Word family
- hop noun
- The dried flower used to flavor beer.
- hoppiness noun
- The quality of being hoppy.
Commonly confused: hoppy beer or happy?
hoppy beer vs happy
Happy means feeling pleasure; hoppy describes beer with a strong hop flavor. They sound similar but are unrelated.
Practice
Which beer style is typically described as hoppy?
Choose one answer.
IPA (India Pale Ale) is known for its hoppy character. Stouts are usually malty and roasty; pilsners and wheat beers are generally less hoppy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hoppy beer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.