Heritage hops

[good4whatAlesU]

Soooo my 5th great grandfather was listed as a 'Hopfator' in 1781 in Cardiff.

He was also listed as a 'bankrupt' but lets not go there...

Q. What hops were about then? What would he have been trading in? EKG types?

 

[yum beer]

I think you'll find 'hopfator' is a reference to him having a one legged child.

Nothing to do with EKG or the likes.

 

[MHB]

Been a fey years since I read up on hop history, but from memory - Golding was first recognised as a variety around 1790, Fuggle around 1890. I have heard references to lots of older varieties most of them were named for where they were grown, like the East Kent part EKG. Same as was happening in Europe Hallertau, Hersbuck ...

M

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Lol the old boy about 10 'youngun's as they did back in the day. Hence the need for a lot of beer

I think white bine (Farnham / Canterbury) are pretty ancient.. But not sure if they were in Wales. Although not that Cardiff is all that far from London

This is a good article http://edsbeer.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/farnham-white-bine-hop.html?m=1

 

[technobabble66]

Randomly stumbled across this. Nothing came up on google under hopfator, but hopfactor or hop-factor produced several results. This one references hop-factors from 1790 onwards.
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=K2gICotqYYoC&pg=PA98&lpg=PA98&dq=hopfactor+definition&source=bl&ots=c7_VGneH7G&sig=pHBIC8Qcx__xCA4d14ZVfRN7hDg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwioptb6_4zNAhUGI6YKHTs3DNUQ6AEIOTAJ#v=onepage&q=hopfactor%20definition&f=false

 

[technobabble66]

This is a good article http://edsbeer.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/farnham-white-bine-hop.html?m=1

Interesting to read about the use of sulfur by the hops growers in Kent as a colour preservative. Makes you wonder about the incidental impact of this significant addition of sulfur to certain beers...

 

[MHB]

Sulphur was still in wide spread use until only a couple of decades ago, I'm not at all sure it isn't still in use in some areas. It wasn't really until vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging became widespread that it went out of favour.
I don't think the use of Sulphur (I believe it was burnt in the oast house producing SO2) would affect the beer much, and in the absence of many other ways to preserve hops would have been very much the lesser of two evils.
Mark

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Yes indeed the old boy listed as 'hopfactor, winemaker, victualler, grocer ' .. and wait for it. 'Churchwarden' Lol.

I think they were sending ships off to India, beers loaded up with truckloads of hops to survive the trip in drinking order (not necessarily for a wonderful taste).

 

[BottloBill]

An article speaking of pliny the elder comes to mind and I believe it was around 822 AD that the first known recorded use of hops in Beer.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Hops were allowed in 'beer' but banned in 'Ales i read somewhere..?
Poms didn't like the flavour but recognised the preservative characteristics.. at least initially