Think I've Found Hops Growing Wild!

[homebrewdave]

On my daily commute I drive past the entrance to an industrial estate and thought I recognised something growing out of a row of cupressus trees. After weeks of forgetting to stop and take a closer look I finally did this morning. Here's what they look like:

To my untrained eye they look like hops but to my sense of smell they are definatley hop smelling. They look a bit musty and past their best but they do smell good. I've put them in a hessian shopping bag in the boot of my car so the drive home will be a pleasant one So, I ask my HBF brethren with better knowledge than me, are these hops?

 

[Mark1964]

they are hops allright its a shame they are past their best. Going brown indicates they have really gone past the time when they should have been picked.

 

[homebrewdave]

Cool, thanks for confirming. I'll be keeping a closer eye on them next year and will read up on when the best time is for harvesting them.

 

[Mark1964]

you really need to know what type they are before using them to brew with. Picking time is roughly the first 2 weeks in sept. When the cones feel papery and they have lumps of yellow powder under the cone petals (lupulin) thats when you should pick

 

[puravida]

There's a very good podcast from Basic Brewing Radio last week that is all about how to know when to pick hops and the best way to dry and store them etc.
http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio

 

[homebrewdave]

I'd like to be able to identify the variety but like I said earlier, I'm no expert on fresh hops. How do you identify them apart from taking them to my LHBS and asking them?

 

[caerleon]

There are two ways to identify the 'species'! First ask a Hop Farmer if that doesnt work, then the Royal Horticultural peeps down at Q Gardens?

I have found some wild grown hops also down in Dorset, never picked them as they were on what i think was private land and farmers down that way have bad tempers and shotgun's :lol:

 

[RobWalker]

Just dry 'em and make a beer with 'em. Go for amounts that couldnt possibly come out too bitter or nowhere near bitter enough and you'll be fine. Seeing as we grow like 3 varieties of hops commercially in this country anyway, it's probably one of them :lol: