wild hops...

[bigred666]

Hi all,
a workmate of mine saw some wild hops growing in a hedgerow on his walk to work. has anyone tried making a brew using wild hops? what did it turn out like? what is the best time to pick hops?

 

[Fil]

Now is the time to pick em, when papery and fall appart when rubbed with golden resin at the bottom of the petals(inside)... and the only way to find out if they taste good is to brew with em, tho if you take a snap of em someone with an eagle eye may be able to suggest what they may be??

 

[bigred666]

They're certainly papery and full of resin... How do i post photos? How much would i need to make 5gal?

 

[Fil]

rough guide is the dry weight is 20% or 1/5th of harvested weight. so 500g green hops = 100g dry n packed.

pick as many as you can, used green use 5X what your recipe calls for
if good you will be glad of the extra you picked.

if a male plant is near and its been pollinated the seeds will be much bigger and resin content lower..

 

[mattwaldram]

I've just done my first brew using wild hops. Absolutely no idea what they are -- my dad spotted them growing along the river that runs behind my garden so I dashed out and picked as many as I could reach (turned out to be 30oz... about 850g).

I've just done a brew using 20oz during the boil and will probably dry hop with a couple of oz too, just to make it as hoppy as possible.

No idea what it will turn out like, but I'm very excited to try.

I've taken a few cuttings from the bine which now seem to be growing nicely in some pots, so hopefully I'll soon have several mystery hop plants on the go.

 

[Fil]

fingers crossed for a tasty result..

you may need to revisit in the spring for fresh cuttings tho.

 

[BeestonHop_John]

hi mattwaldram - how did the beer & the cuttings go?

 

[mattwaldram]

Hi.

It actually turned out really hice. It didn't have quite the body that I was hoping for, so I probably didn't use quite enough malt, but it's turned out like a really pleasant light beer with a nice hoppy taste.

I was hoping for something more like a nice IPA, but I'm totally happy with it so far.

 

[Fil]

Hi.

It actually turned out really hice. It didn't have quite the body that I was hoping for, so I probably didn't use quite enough malt, but it's turned out like a really pleasant light beer with a nice hoppy taste.

I was hoping for something more like a nice IPA, but I'm totally happy with it so far.

Result!! a hardy wild and tasty hop is a great find any chance of a spare cutting ????

 

[brewpirate]

Sierra Nevada just released a beer called Harvest Wild Hop IPA with a new wild hop grown in New Mexico called Neomexicanius. This is unlike any variety I have tried and the best way is very canibus like without the skunk/dank and delicate. Took a couple of sips but I'm hooked on it.

You never know until you try but rule of thumb for fresh wet hops is 5/1.

Be on the lookout for the beer or hop :)

http://www.fivebladesbrewing.com/neomexicanus-hops-primer/