Hop Til You Drop Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zeus

Zeus was king of the Ancient Greek Olympian Gods and although married to Hera, with whom he fathered Ares, he had many lovers, including Dione with whom he fathered Aphrodite as well as Leto and Alcmene, with whom he fathered Apollo and Heracles respectively.

Zeus hops are used mainly in Stout, Barley Wine and American Pale Ales.

Answer: Cascade

There are many picturesque cascade falls around the world. Personally I recommend Athabasca Falls near Jasper in Canada. They may not be the tallest or widest falls, but the sheer beauty of the area is breathtaking. Artificial cascade falls are often used as a feature in gardens and can be found in many Japanese water gardens, where they add to the tranquillity.

Cascade hops are one of America's most popular varieties and are used mainly in India Pale Ales.

Answer: Columbus, Ohio

The LeVeque Tower was built in 1927 as the headquarters for the American Insurance Union and was originally named the "American Insurance Union Citadel". When this company went bankrupt, partly as a result of The Great Depression, the tower was sold to local businessmen Lesley LeVeque and John Lincoln in 1945 who renamed it the LeVeque-Lincoln Tower. LeVeque's widow Katherine took complete control of the tower in 1977 and dropped Lincoln from the building's name. Until the Rhodes State Office Tower was built in 1974, the LeVeque Tower was the tallest building in Columbus.

Columbus hops are another variety mainly used in India Pale Ales.

Answer: Target

Target were formed in 1902 by George Dayton as Goodfellow Dry Goods Stores and the first Target opened in 1962. While sponsoring Chip Ganassi Racing, Target cars won CART championships four consecutive years with Jimmy Vasser (1996), Alex Zanardi (1997 and 1998) and Juan Pablo Montoya (1999) driving.

Target hops are a relative newcomer, being bred in England and first released in 1992. They are similar to Fuggles and work well in lagers.

Answer: Mount Hood

Although Mount Hood is usually considered to be a dormant volcano, the U.S. Geological Survey still classifies it as potentially active as there is up to a seven per cent chance of an eruption by 2050.

Mount Hood hops have a German heritage and grow very well in USA, especially in Yakima Valley, Washington state. They are used in many types of beer, especially Hefeweizen, Doppelbock, Russian Imperial Stout and Weizenbock.

Answer: Topaz

As someone born in November, I'm not sure about the curing lunacy claim but I do like the Hindu belief that topaz brings wisdom and longevity. In the early 19th century topaz from Russia's Ural mountains was so highly thought of that only royals were allowed to own it, but since the discovery in mid 19th century of large deposits in Brazil, it has become much more affordable and commonplace.

Topaz hops are a delicious Australian variety with a wonderful lychee-like flavour.

Answer: Chinook

The Chinook is a twin engine, tandem motor helicopter that has been built by Boeing since 1962 and used by military forces around the world including those of Spain, Japan and Iran. During the Falklands War, both sides used four Chinooks and whilst British forces managed to destroy one and capture one, the Argentine forces destroyed three of the British birds when they hit the ship Atlantic Conveyor with two Exocet missiles.

Chinook hops have masses of pine flavour and are used in many of my favourite beers.

Answer: Phoenix

As with many legends there are conflicting details regarding the phoenix. Its colouring is either blues and greens or reds and yellows with eyes of sapphire blue, or yellow and legs that are red or golden. Whatever the true colouring, I think we could all recognise it as it rises from the ashes....although according to some tales, it actually dies and decomposes before being reborn.

Phoenix hops are an English hop which have a chocolatey molasses-like taste. They work well in stout and bitter.

Answer: Glacier

Glaciers can be found in 47 different countries, but the world leader is Alaska USA which is estimated to have over 100,000. The ice sheet of Antarctica is actually a glacier and has existed for at least 40 million years.

Glacier hops are descended from American Fuggles and are popular in wheat beers and light lagers.

Answer: Comet

In a cruel twist of fate, Halley made his discovery in 1705 and died in 1742, before his predicted return date for the comet of 1758, so never knew if his calculations were correct.

Comet hops are not often grown commercially, but can be found in the wild. They have a very bitter taste that most brewers dislike, but their strong grapefruit overtones means that they can be found in some of the more adventurous India Pale Ales.