Fresh Hop Cones: Anyone Know What Sort They Are

[popmedium]

Holy hell! You'll not believe what I came home to today! My Auntie in law (?) has a farm and she's been gorwing hops just for the hell of it. She left me a sack full of them! Only problem is, she has no idea what variety they are.

Photos below. Anyone know how I might find out? I crushed a few up in my hand and the aroma is grapfruit and peppery. Weird. I need a hop pro

I better figure out how to treat these things too. I've no idea what to do with them. Eat them?

Joel

 

[Dazza88]

Pale ale em and find some experienced brewers to taste. Grapefruit, c hop?

 

[MHB]

Possibly Golding or one of its relatives
No way to tell for sure
Mark
View attachment 53640

 

[popmedium]

Yeah there is no way to tell I guess. I figure it would be one of the main varieties grown in Australia so that at least cuts it down. Maybe I just smash a small batch and see what happens? Bring it to Sydney Brew share in Darlo!

Joel

 

[sama]

she got any other "plants" she grows for the hell of it

 

[popmedium]

Ha! I'll ask. Of course you're from Gosford, sama Live near this guy by chance?

 

[kelbygreen]

looks like hops to me lol. get a glass of beer thats fairly pale and not much if any flavour and aroma hops put a cone in and dunk it around (will foam heaps) get it nice and soaked and sqeeze the liquid out into your glass and injoy might give you a idea how it will go as a late hop.

 

[the_new_darren]

They are very brown. Perhaps ask her where she got the original plant? From a hop farm? Imported?

tnd

 

[popmedium]

Yeah Darren, I'm worried she might have left them out in the sun or something. I crushed one of the brown ones and the aroma was still the same, plenty of oil. I've never handled real hops before, I've only ever used pellets, so I'm not totally sure if this is normal or not. Am currently reading the INTERWEBS in search for information...

 

[hoppy2B]

They look a bit like Goldings to me too.
Goldings have a very grassy smell to them in the bag when you harvest, if that helps.

 

[popmedium]

Yeah you might be right, hoppy2b. mark thought the same. FOund this picture of some whole leaf EKG. They look pretty similar. Mine are heaps browner, which I hope won't matter.

thanks everyone for the input!

Joel

 

[popmedium]

OK so I found out she got them from Tasmania. That's all she could tell me. Makes sense as Tassie is prime Hop Growing territory in Australia.

I also took a German Pilsner and squashed a hop cone up in the last half. I was reminded of VB, believe it or not. Not sure what hops are used in VB but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were Tasmanian Goldings. Taste was kind of peppery. Still developing my pallet though.

Just FYI chaps!

j

 

[kelbygreen]

VB uses POR but they use ISO hops which is just hop extract so they dont get the bitterness out of boiling hops they add the extract in the process somewhere. I guess its easier to produce the same beer day in day out buy adding a extract rather then boiling hops as each season there will be slight variation in the hops also the different places they grow and the AA% will be different

 

[Yob]

I made an improv randal at work a few weeks ago, 2 plastic cups with a few holes in the bottom of the outer one, chucked in a handful of hops and used the other plastic cup to squish them in a jug...

soak soak... squish squish... soak soak... squish squish.. delish :icon_drool2:

the browner they are the riper they are and while you will have lost some resin plenty of them still look green enough to contain something good.

Have at it soldier

:icon_drunk:

 

[popmedium]

Have at it I shall! Might try for an ESB. Or f* it maybe I'll go weird and do a fruit beer. Shall report back lads! the idea of a mystery beer is actually exciting me