Hops

Why doesn't chicha taste bitter like a pilsner? Because chicha de jora contains no hops at all. Hops provide bitterness and aroma, and they help keep beer fresh longer. Chicha has none of that. It tastes sweetish to sour, with a light note of corn and bread, and it's best enjoyed fresh, while it's still actively fermenting.

Its shelf life is short. Visit a chichería in the Sacred Valley, and you'll drink the batch from the last few days. Anything older starts tipping toward vinegar. This brief window is the reason for the flag tradition: a fresh jug is ready, and the red flag by the door announces it.

Things look different at Cusqueña and among the craft brewers. There, hops are part of the craft, since lager and pale ale depend on their bitterness. According to the Cervecería del Valle Sagrado, some of their ingredients come from Peru, including hops and quinoa. A pale lager like the golden Cusqueña is generally hopped with restraint.

For reference: bitterness is measured in IBU, a figure for the quantity of bitter compounds. A pale international lager sits at roughly 18 to 25 IBU according to the BJCP style guidelines, while a German pilsner ranges from 22 to 40. Chicha can't be placed on this scale at all—it has no hop bitterness, only acidity and sweetness, and that's exactly its appeal.