Yes, hops are gluten free. Gluten is contained in wheat, barley and rye. Hops contain no gluten. But, what are hops?

Humulus lupulus is the botanical name of the hops plant and it is the female flowers of the hop plant that are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer. Hops give a bitter, tangy flavor to the beer. Hops are also used in other beverages and herbal medicine.

Hops are used extensively in brewing for their antibacterial effects, they balance the sweetness of the malt with bitterness, contributes a variety of desirable flavors and aromas and hops began to be used when hops were noticed to be less prone to spoilage than other previously used herbals.

Many different varieties of hops are grown by farmers around the world depending on the particular style of beer desired. The hop plant is a vigorous, climbing, perennial trained to grow up strings in a field called a hopfield, hop garden, or hop yard.