# Wild hops growing in Berlin?



## Cristal (24/10/13)

Hi dudes,

As I mentioned elsewhere recently, I've relocated to Berlin and am sussing out the beer brewing scene.

AND...meanwhile, I don't know if I'm dead wrong on this, but there's a plant / vine growing throughout Berlin that looks suspiciously like hops! But it doesn't really smell as pungent as I'd expect.

I've attached a few snaps. Does anybody know of wild hops growing in Berlin?

Cheers
Cristal


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## Yob (24/10/13)

Certainly looks like hops, if they don't smell great proceed with caution, a couple of liter trial batch perhaps?

Pick em and dry em though...



Ed: break one open and rub it on your palms to release aromatics.. Does it smell better? Is it sticky? Are the lupulin glands yellow or light orange?


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## Liam_snorkel (24/10/13)

The laaaannd of hops!


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## PeteQ (24/10/13)

I was actually in Germany a couple of months ago and found these on a walk around 100kms south of Hamberg. I picked a few and asked anyone who spoke English if these were 'hopfen', some people nodded others shook their heads.

Same thing though, not much of a smell but certainly had what looked like lupulin. In short still not sure of the answer to your question...


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## Liam_snorkel (24/10/13)

the flowers certainly look the same but that main bine in PeteQ's photo looks a little different to the brewing varieties we have - it appears a lot thicker? Or am I imagining it.


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## PeteQ (24/10/13)

I also forgot about this one, growing on a light pole in Munich at a small little market. Same deal though, not much on the nose. No idea exactly where...


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## Mardoo (24/10/13)

Liam_snorkel said:


> the flowers certainly look the same but that main bine in PeteQ's photo looks a little different to the brewing varieties we have - it appears a lot thicker? Or am I imagining it.


It appears to be a different plant that the hops are growing on. Kinda grapey.


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## Bribie G (24/10/13)

There used to be wild hops growing along abandoned railway tracks and around allotment gardens when I was a kid. I expect they are common right throughout Europe.


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## Cristal (25/10/13)

I brought a sample of the stuff into German class today to ask my teacher about it and as soon as I whipped it out of my bag with a puzzled look on my face he's like 'ja man, das ist hopfen! Es ist hier überall' (it's everywhere). 
So...it seems it is hops! And indeed, it is also everywhere... growing up trees, in parks, on fences. It's crazy! As for whether or not it's suited to brewing, I'm not yet sure as I don't know ANY BREWERS in Berlin yet... but I'm working on it, and I just collected a tonne of the stuff! For further experimentation.

Thanks for all of your feedback!


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## hoppy2B (25/10/13)

Cristal said:


> I brought a sample of the stuff into German class today to ask my teacher about it and as soon as I whipped it out of my bag with a puzzled look on my face he's like 'ja man, das ist hopfen! Es ist hier überall' (it's everywhere).
> So...it seems it is hops! And indeed, it is also everywhere... growing up trees, in parks, on fences. It's crazy! As for whether or not it's suited to brewing, I'm not yet sure as I don't know ANY BREWERS in Berlin yet... but I'm working on it, and I just collected a tonne of the stuff! For further experimentation.
> 
> Thanks for all of your feedback!


Hi Cristal,

Do the hopfen contain seeds? I wonder if they are self seeded or if people go around planting the stuff and ripping up males etc.


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## Liam_snorkel (25/10/13)

I wonder if they have any Zwerghopfen.


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## hoppy2B (25/10/13)

Liam_snorkel said:


> I wonder if they have any Zwerghopfen.


Ask Yob, he's the zwerghopfen expert.


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## spog (25/10/13)

Can you imagine the brewers log book, hops,30g from the corner of such and such,30g from the park down the road.
..cheers...spog...


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## Toper (26/10/13)

Bribie G said:


> There used to be wild hops growing along abandoned railway tracks and around allotment gardens when I was a kid. I expect they are common right throughout Europe.


https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=208203468808269675023.0004b780f33a900eaaa5c&msa=0


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## Cristal (26/10/13)

hoppy2B said:


> Hi Cristal,
> 
> Do the hopfen contain seeds? I wonder if they are self seeded or if people go around planting the stuff and ripping up males etc.


Hey hoppy2B,

Upon close inspection it appears the hopfen do indeed contain seeds. I've taken a few more snaps for anybody who is interested, however this mystery is seemingly solved!

(I am still deriving a lot of joy from the fact that I moved to a city where hops is growing like a weed... I was feeling homesick and wondering how my own hops at home in Melbs was going!)

Stay tuned for my next installment of weird and wondrous beer phenomena in Berlin!

cristal


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## pipedreams (16/9/17)

Hey Cristal,
I'm about 4 years behind you on finding these wild hops going all over my local bball court. How did they go in the brewing process? These ones actually have decent aroma, not crazy intense like US or oz but better then expecting. 

Look forward to hearing how your brews went


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## koshari (17/9/17)

maybe it was just to early for them to have an aroma, i was in the UK a few weeks ago and the hops growing out the back of the wild boar brewery pub in warwick had close to full size cones on it but they had no real scent.


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## pipedreams (18/9/17)

koshari said:


> maybe it was just to early for them to have an aroma, i was in the UK a few weeks ago and the hops growing out the back of the wild boar brewery pub in warwick had close to full size cones on it but they had no real scent.


these were fully dry, some had even started to have leaves that were drying out and going brown. I'm guessing a lot of german hops(lager lager lager lager) arn't as full on in your face as other varietals.


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