Pollination Of Hops

[Dazza_devil]

Evening Brewers,

I have some wild hops growing over the kids swings in the backyard and this year the bloody male decided to come up and spread it's flowers and pollen all through my crop. It never came up the last year and now it's pollinated my female cones by returning. How will this affect my cones for use as bittering, flavour and aroma in a brew? I plucked a semi-mature cone and it has juvenille seeds but seems to be lacking in aroma at this stage compared to how sweet their aroma was last season.

Cheers.

 

[Dazza_devil]

Evening Brewers,

How will this affect my cones for use as bittering, flavour and aroma in a brew?

I didn't think anyone would know the answer to this.
I guess no-one else has ever had seeds in their hops before.

 

[jbirbeck]

I didn't think anyone would know the answer to this.
I guess no-one else has ever had seeds in their hops before.

Seeds in hops isn't an issue as far as I'm aware. A lot of commercially grown local hop flowers are loaded with seeds. . The last batch I did using POR flowers had left a stack of seeds in the kettle. It shouldn't affect your brew at all.

Do you know the variety of male it is? Perhaps grab some of the seeds and have a go and growing a few on to see if you hvae created a new an tasty variety.

 

[Fourstar]

Seeds in hops isn't an issue as far as I'm aware. A lot of commercially grown local hop flowers are loaded with seeds. . The last batch I did using POR flowers had left a stack of seeds in the kettle. It shouldn't affect your brew at all.

Do you know the variety of male it is? Perhaps grab some of the seeds and have a go and growing a few on to see if you hvae created a new an tasty variety.

i have always wondered if i could get a few seeds from the old plugs of EKG i have to strike. Be good if it sprouts a female too!

I might give this a go. Although its probably past the time to get these babies to fire

 

[Dazza_devil]

Do you know the variety of male it is? Perhaps grab some of the seeds and have a go and growing a few on to see if you hvae created a new an tasty variety.

I grew the lot from a packet of seeds a few years ago. They are a unique breed of their own.


Good luck germinating old seeds. I had enough trouble doing it myself and mine were fresh. The first packet I got gave me nothing and I nurtured them for ages. The second pack I scarified the seeds and to my excitement managed to get about 8 to germinate, 1 male. If I find out which rhizome he is I'll strangle him.

I don't reckon the cones or resins are going to develop like that of an unpollinated flower. Probably like it's close relative, upon pollination the flower ceases to grow and all energy is put into the seed production.