People who appreciate good beer and ale are familiar with the sharp, bitter taste imparted by Humulus lupulus, better known as Hops Flowers. Distantly related to hemp, Hops Flowers are a type of non-vine climbing perennial that like other herbs, grow starting early in the spring and die back in the fall. Powder Hops Flowers are used not only as a flavoring agent in beer and ale (as are many other types of bulk herbs), but as a preservative as well; the popular "India Pale Ale" produced by many regional microbreweries across the US had its origins in the early 19th Century when the old British Empire was at its height. In the days before refrigeration, most traditional English ales could not survive the six-month voyage from London to India aboard clipper ships; therefore, ale destined for outlying British territories contained an extra measure of Hops Flowers as a preservative.