Hops, the cone of a climbing plant by the same name, are a key ingredient in beer. Brewers use hops to impart flavors and aroma in their malted concoctions, and they value the ingredient’s preservative properties. This chapter explains the global origins and botanical characteristics of the common hop, Humulus lupulus l., used in brewing. It then describes how brewing, and hop agriculture along with it, spread from Europe to temperate regions across the world. Hop growing reached North America along with the early English colonies and fared quite well. By 1800, New York and New England emerged as producers for the global economy.